Once Upon a Time 1. that certainly wasn't on the list

**day 1 - 6.8.2014 - awkward situation**

**summary - shaving cream, toothpaste, pregnancy test.**

* * *

**that certainly wasn't on the list**

"It's not a big deal, kid. C'mon," Emma says into her cellphone as she holds her free arm across her body and leans against the brick wall outside of Dark Star Pharmacy. "I'm not going to invite her over for dinner. I already said that."

"But ma, seriously, it'd be a good idea to just _try_ here."

"No," Emma responds, more firm than she expected to sound, but it felt kind of good being a mom. "I just don't want to deal with this now."

"Okay, so after you bring back Marian in your freaking time-traveling Delorian, you think it's a good idea to just leave my mom to fend for herself? I think that's really crappy."

"Henry _Mills_! You watch your tone of voice with me," Emma says pushing off the brick wall with her foot and straightening up. "I am still your mom. Even if you've chosen to side with Regina this time."

"Whatever. I'm hanging up. Invite her to dinner."

And the line goes dead.

"What the hell?" Emma looks at her phone and then shakes her head, wondering where the hell her kid got that stubborn fight streak from. And then she remembers.

Regina.

Man, she really fucked things up this time. Her mind flashes back to Regina's face in the diner after Marian and Robin and oh, god, _Roland_…

_Mama?_ and his voice and dammit.

Emma's stomach ties into a knot and she swallows, and swallows, and swallows. This is not how she expected things to play out.

Emma turns, takes two steps and pushes the door to the drug store open, striding through, her boots hitting the linoleum with a scrape. She reaches over to grab a basket to carry her items. She immediately pulls out the list of products that are needed.

First line: aftershave.

_Seriously_?

Second line: shaving cream

She rolls her eyes.

Third line: men's deodorant

Emma's not going to lie. That one is _all _her. There is no way she's going to enter into a relationship - no, it's _not _a relationship. It's a _fling_. It's a stupid _fling _with kissing and maybe sex and why would that be bad? It wouldn't be. It'd be okay. Right? Because there isn't anyone else she has feelings for. At least no one else she can be honest with herself about.

_Anyway_.

He needs deodorant.

Like, yesterday.

Fourth line: toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss

That's Henry's teenage scrawl on the note and it makes her smile. She takes off down the first aisle, grabbing the sixth and seventh items on the list: sleep aid and Breathe Right Strips. Because it doesn't matter how much she might need some companionship, she certainly doesn't need his snoring ass keeping her up every time he spends the night.

She pulls up short next to the aisle of feminine products. Her eyes move casually over the condoms. It's been awhile, but she's not dead and honestly, the last fucking thing she needs is to get pregnant with a pirate baby.

Would it come out with an eye patch and peg leg? And maybe a bottle of rum?

A smile comes across her face and she finds herself stifling a chuckle before she reaches forward and grabs a box of Trojan condoms.

Two steps and rounding a corner and all of a sudden she's plowing straight into someone. Their baskets drop to the floor and when she looks up to see who it is, her mouth goes instantly dry.

"Why don't you watch where you're _going_?" The voice comes out as a hiss and fear is, well, it's _instantaneous_.

"Regina, I - I - I," Emma stammers as she looks at the brunette, her face is flushed and there's an urgency in her movements that Emma has never seen before.

"Stop stuttering, you fool," Regina murmurs as she kneels down and starts picking up her items from the floor. "I'm not picking up your," she picks up the box of condoms, glances up at Emma through the veil of her dark hair and then tosses them at the blonde's feet, "your _things. _Feel free to help me."

Emma almost falls to her knees to help, still not saying a word, when she notices why Regina was in such a rush to pick up her items. "Regina," she finally whispers. She didn't mean to whisper it, but her voice really has departed. "Umm…"

Regina looks down at her basket of items and quickly covers what Emma has seen. "Mind your own business."

"Regina." Emma reaches out to touch the brunette's arm.

Regina shrugs the touch away before standing and taking off towards the register, leaving Emma still kneeling on the linoleum, her items scattered on the floor, a box of condoms at her knees. She stands and follows the brunette, jumping over the can of men's spray deodorant and then leaping the couple of steps to the door.

"Wait, Regina!"

"Miss Swan, this is _none _of your concern. Please just leave me alone."

"No, absolutely not." Emma grabs onto Regina's elbow and feels it being ripped from her grasp.

"_Unhand_ me this instant!"

Emma reaches out again, this time hands up, in mock defeat, "Okay, okay! I won't touch you again, but dammit Regina, that's a fucking _pregnancy test._" She points at the plastic bag Regina is now holding onto for dear life. "You have to tell me what the hell is going on."

"No, I do not need to tell you anything. I've never had to tell you anything and I certainly am not going to start now that I _know _I can't trust you!" The last of those words come out with a sob and even though Emma knows Regina will not allow herself to cry in the middle of town on the main drag, she can sense tears are on the horizon.

"Regina," Emma whispers, taking a step towards the older woman. "Are you…?"

Regina stops looking around and locks her eyes onto Emma's. "I think so," she says, finally, her eyes filled to the brim with tears. "And now…"

"I'm sorry," Emma cuts in, her voice shaking with emotion. And she really is sorry. She is so _sorry. _"I never meant for this… I mean, I just didn't want her to die, Regina. That's all. And I didn't _know_. Do you really think I'd hurt you like that _on purpose_?" Regina's tilt of the head and eyebrow raise response could mean so many things. "I saw you there, you know? In the Enchanted Forest. And you were such a bitch. But dammit, I still saw _you _and I can't unsee _you_, and fuck…" Emma pauses, looks down at the ground, her boots, Regina's open toe heels and red toenails. "I couldn't see _you_ kill someone, Regina. I couldn't bear to see that." Emma brings her eyes up to lock onto Regina's, feels the beginnings of a spring breeze whip between them. "I still see _you, _Regina. I always have and apparently I always will."

"Why are you telling me this, Emma?"

Emma's breath catches in her throat at the use of her name, those four letters slipping past Regina's mouth and into the wind. "Because…" _I can't do this without you, Regina. I can't… _"I don't want to…" _lose what we've gained and… _"Go back to hating each other."

"I never _stopped _hating you," Regina murmurs under her breath, trying to sound menacing, tossing her longer hair over her shoulder, reaching for the Evil Queen, but always coming up short when it comes to Emma.

Emma whispers Regina's name again as she reaches out, wrapping her thin fingers around the brunette's wrist. "Yes, you did," she responds. Their magic connects, like it always does. Emma knows that Regina feels it by the look that washes over her eyes, the quick dilation of her pupils and a blink before they're back to the normal dark eyes she's come to be so fond of. The scent that happens from their touch is swirling around them, lavender and apples and spice, and Emma _knows_ and wonders _how _this has happened_. _She squeezes once, twice, and then says, "Why don't you come to dinner tonight?"

"Miss Swan-" Regina starts.

"At the apartment."

"Miss _Swan-_"

"I'm cooking…"

"That doesn't _intensify _the desire to come over," Regina says curtly.

"Mac and cheese and grilled chicken breasts and green beans and it's even slightly healthy." Emma sees Regina's intake of breath and then watches as she looks around, across the street, behind Emma, anything to not make eye contact. "And Henry _really _wants you to come over. And you know that."

Regina lets out a puff of breath and raises both of her eyebrows almost to her hairline. "It's completely disgusting that you would use our _son _to win me over." Regina's dark eyes stop and lock onto Emma's green and a slight upturn of her lips is revealing the tiniest of smiles. "What time?"

"5:00."

Regina glances up at the clock tower. "It's 4:45, Miss Swan."

"Then come now. We can," Emma looks down at the bag and then back up at Regina, "find out together."

"That sounds absolutely _horrifying_," Regina whispers, her voice catching in her throat at the word _horrifying_, but as Emma takes a step in the direction of her downtown Storybrooke apartment, Regina doesn't _not follow._

Emma lets go of Regina's wrist when she feels the other woman follow her, the clack of her heels sounding on the cement sidewalk. And for the first time since Hook and time traveling and Marian and Robin, Emma feels her heart stop aching.

Except what if Regina is pregnant?

_Shit._

That _certainly _wasn't on the list.


	2. truth be told

**day 2 - 6.9.2014 - fake relationship**

**summary - new student orientation, hook has two eyes.**

* * *

**truth be told, they have always been each other's**

"Hey, mom," Henry mumbles around his mouthful of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Regina smiles, says a simple "good morning" and ruffles his hair while he sits at the center island. She moves with ease in the kitchen, even at 6 AM and even when she knows today is a very big day.

"So," Henry starts, his spoon scraping on the bottom of the bowl, indicating he wants to say something but isn't really sure how to.

Regina brings her now full coffee cup to her lips, eyes closed, breathes in deep, and says, "Yes, my little prince?"

"Mom, I'm 18. I'm not really all that little anymore."

"You'll always be my little prince. Even if we are going to New Student Orientation today."

"Yeah, about that…"

Regina sets her mug on the center island and leans forward, propping her elbows on the cold granite. "I'm all ears," she says while looking at her 18 year old son with his shaggy hair, his freckles, his blue eyes.

"When I signed up for orientation, I may have said that I'd be bringing both of my parents."

"I know, honey. Emma will be here at 8 AM to pick us up."

"Yeah," Henry says before he brings his bowl up to his mouth to drink the milk. "But I said you two were married on the form." He quickly starts drinking the now cinnamon flavored milk and tries not to make eye contact with his mom.

"Henry?" Regina asks, confusion playing over her face.

"Yeah?" He responds as he swivels on the stool and then slides over to the dishwasher in his socks across the wood floor.

"Why would you do a thing like that?"

"Well," he deposits his bowl and spoon into the dishwasher and then looks up at his mom. "All the other people have two parents and siblings and then there's me with fairy tales and two moms that aren't together and one of them _acts _like she's in love with a pirate when we all know she's _not _and then there's you…" His voice trails off when Regina turns to face him.

She tightens her bathrobe sash and raises her eyebrows. "What about me, Henry?"

"I just, you know... I mean…"

"Pick a sentence and go with it, my love," Regina urges, a smile forming on her lips.

"I know you love ma," he replies, quick, succinct, full of heartache. "I feel like maybe you always have been… y'know, like, in love with her or whatever. Which is so okay with me. I wish that it had been our happy ending to be together instead of… broken… And I just… maybe for once we can be like a family. Y'know, like I always thought we would be."

"Henry," Regina whispers, her heart now squeezing itself to death in her chest. She takes a step towards him, places her hand on his cheek and wipes away a tear that had snuck out of his eyes. "You really are an amazing young man. You know that, right?"

He lunges toward her, wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her like he started doing once she wasn't the evil queen anymore. "I love you, mom."

"I know, my little prince. I know."

* * *

"We could have taken the Benz," Regina semi-shouts over the loud rumble of the bug's rapidly aging engine.

Emma smiles when she looks over at the brunette. "I know," she shouts back. "But then we'd have to _speak _to each other and not shout and how in the world would we cope with that?"

"You're _incorrigible_," Regina says with a smile.

"I'm sorry, what?" Emma asks. She heard what Regina said, but she knows it'll annoy Regina. It doesn't matter how much time has passed between the two women, they will always poke at the other.

Regina just shakes her head and glances over her shoulder at Henry. He has his headphones in, mouthing words to a rap song, no doubt, tapping out the beat on his knee. She glances back at Emma, her blond hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, her red plaid button down shirt rolled up to her elbows, an older Property of Storybrooke Knights Baseball t-shirt on underneath. "Did he tell you?" Regina asks, leaning across the center console so she doesn't have to shout.

"Tell me what?" Emma's eyes shoot up to the rear view mirror to look at Regina leaning in toward her.

"About this orientation?"

"Well, I know we'll be around hundreds of other parents and kids and we'll have to talk to other people and it'll probably be really boring and learning about financial aid and filing that thing… What's it called? That FASFA?"

"The _FAF_SA, Emma."

"FAFSA?"

"Yes, not _FAS_. It's_ FAFSA_."

"Well, whatever, it's ridiculous."

Regina chuckles at Emma and then takes a deep breath. "Henry's college is paid for. I'm sure you realize that."

Emma does a double take at Regina, her elbow propped on the center console, her dark hair swaying with the wind from the windows being rolled down slightly. "What?"

"Don't worry about the FAFSA, Emma. That's the least of our worries."

"Then what the hell are you talking about? What else would he tell me?"

"Well," Regina starts, looking at Emma's profile again, her breath catching in her throat before she gathers the courage to tell her. "When he filled out the reservation form, he said we were married."

The bug swerves a bit on the road and Emma corrects the movement while coughing. _Violently_.

"Are you okay?" Regina asks, reaching for the wheel.

Emma bats her hand away and finally takes a very deep breath, nodding her head and glancing at Regina again.

"What the heck is going on, ma?" Henry asks from the back seat.

"Nothing, sweetie," Regina asks. "She just swallowed wrong."

"Yeah, kid, I'm fine," Emma gets out, her voice hoarse. She watches as Henry puts his earphones back in place and then she looks over at Regina. "What the _fuck_?" she hisses, her fingers are turning white from gripping the steering wheel so hard. She feels like she was just sucker punched. "Why would he do _that_?"

Regina looks over her shoulder again at Henry. "He wants to be normal, Emma."

"Two moms is _normal_?" She hisses, again.

"Yes," Regina whispers, her eyes moving back to look at Emma. "It's more normal than Evil Queens and White Knights."

Emma opens her mouth to protest and then closes it with a click. Regina is right. _Fuck._

* * *

"Welcome, welcome, to the Parent Section of New Student Orientation!"

Regina crossed her legs as she sat next to Emma, who, quite frankly had been obviously uneasy about this entire set-up since the minute they pulled into the parking lot. They were in a large auditorium now with hundreds of other parents. She let her eyes wander nonchalantly over to Emma, who had her arms folded across her chest, her jean-clad legs crossed at the knee.

"So, how many parents are nervous about letting their student go out into the world all alone?"

Regina watched as almost every hand shot into the air. She raised her hand hesitantly and watched as Emma's fingers twitched and then her hand also raised.

"It's definitely a scary thing, learning when to worry and when to trust that your student is going to handle things correctly. We can only hope that we've instilled them with the right tools to make good choices and not get into trouble."

"Too much trouble," a parent in the back of the room shouted, which resulted in laughter from the other parents.

"Exactly," said the speaker on the stage. "It's impossible to protect them from everything."

"What about drinking and partying? How do we ensure that our children aren't doing those things?"

"Well," the speaker said with a laugh. "That's going to be impossible to stop them completely from doing those things. They're college kids. They'll probably party. They might drink. What you can hope, though, is that you've taught them restraint, moderation, and responsibility."

"You don't think Henry will drink and party, do you?" Regina whispers as she leans into Emma's ear. She notices a wave of goose bumps on Emma's arm and wonders what that means. Emma tightens her arms around herself and then looks over at Regina.

"No," she whispers. "He's afraid of what we'll do to him."

"What _I'll_ do to him, you mean."

Emma feels herself smile involuntarily. "Yeah," she says, nudging Regina with her shoulder.

Regina smiles back and then directs her attention back to the speaker.

"The one thing to remember is to let your student know that you two are united front. Whatever the case may be, if you two are together on the decision, then it makes it easier for the student while they are here. The last thing a student should worry about is what's going on at home. _This,_ for four years, will be his or her home. So, we want to make sure we make the best of it. And it will fly by! Before you know it, your student will be graduating and will be getting a job and will be supporting him or herself." The speaker concludes the session and then dismisses the parents to lunch.

Emma gets up and is leading the way out with Regina trailing slightly behind her when a man and a woman stop them.

"Excuse us?"

Emma stops abruptly, Regina almost running into her backside. "Hi," Emma says with a smile.

"We just wanted to tell you -" the lady starts.

"We saw you guys at the opening session with your son and we just think it's wonderful," the man finishes with a smile.

"I'm sorry?" Emma asks.

"You two are just beautiful together. A happy family. We love to see gay families succeeding and proving people wrong. It's just wonderful," the lady says, smiling from ear to ear. "Your family is gorgeous." She reaches out and touches Emma's arm and then does the same to Regina. "I look forward to seeing you two out tonight at the parent mixer.

"Mixer?"

"Yes, the mixer! It's the best part! Happens every year. This will be our fourth child here, so we're accustomed to the mixer," the man explains, laughter spilling from his mouth. "Open bar!" he shouts with a wink. "We'll see you two later!" The couple whisks away, holding hands, laughing together.

"Um," Emma says, dumbfounded.

Regina takes a step around Emma. "Looks like we'll have to participate in the mixer," she says with a shrug of her shoulders. "I'm sorry."

Emma looks after Regina as she starts to walk away. "Wait, what?" she asks as she takes two quick steps and catches up with Regina. "Why are you sorry?" She wraps her fingers around Regina's bicep and stops her.

"Emma," Regina protests. "I know this isn't something you're happy about. It means so much to Henry and it doesn't really matter what these people think of us… I just know you aren't happy about having to pretend. And I understand. I do. So, I'm sorry, because I don't want you to have to continue to pretend with me."

"What has happened to you?" Emma asks, her hands on her hips.

Regina lets out a huff. "Whatever do you mean?"

"You're so _not_ the evil queen anymore, are you?"

Regina feels a blush fill her cheeks and she looks down at the ground. "No, I suppose I'm not."

"Let's go eat," Emma whispers before she starts walking towards the cafeteria where lunch will be served.

Regina picks up her head and watches Emma walking, her heart in her throat. This is almost _too _hard for her.

Emma turns around, takes a step backwards and smiles. "Come on," she says as she motions with her hand. And Regina feels herself smiling.

* * *

"I didn't realize we wouldn't see Henry at all during this thing," Emma comments while they're sitting at a table in the ballroom of the hotel where the mixer is being held. She stirs her vodka cranberry with her straw and then takes a very large gulp of the drink.

"Did you not read the itinerary?" Regina asks, clearing her throat before picking through the bowl of mixed nuts looking for the cashews.

Emma tilts her head and raises an eyebrow at Regina. "Yes, I read the itinerary. But damn, man, it's like really going to college for him. He has to stay in the dorms and everything."

"Yeah," Regina says fondly before she eats a couple cashews. "I think he was nervous."

"Hell yeah," Emma responds. She holds her hand out and says, "Don't eat all the cashews. You know they're my favorite."

"I know," Regina mumbles, handing over three with a huff. "So, how's _Hook_?"

Emma looks down at her hands and then back up at Regina. "Um, we are… y'know, I mean… I guess we're… well, we're on a break actually."

"What?" Regina asks after swallowing the last bit of her Riesling. "When did that happen?"

"Two weeks ago."

"And you didn't tell Henry?"

"He knows."

"Then why didn't tell _me_?" Regina asks.

"I'm telling you now, Regina," Emma says leaning forward onto the table more. She downs the rest of her drink. "It's not like I'm proud that it isn't working out. Stop being like that."

Regina takes a deep breath and tries to hold down the ecstatic dancing and laughter and smile that wants to escape. She's more excited than irritated and that scares her just a bit. "What happened?" She watches Emma push her fingers through her blond hair, shift her halter top just a bit before responding.

"Nothing _happened_."

"Emma, stop. What happened?"

Emma looks around the ballroom for the waiter and sees the young man coming towards him. "Can I get another? And can you make it a double? And?" She motions to Regina.

"May I please have an Old Fashioned?"

The waiter smiles and nods and then whisks himself away from the two women. Emma looks at Regina and then down at her now empty drink. "Honestly?"

"Why would I want you to lie to me?"

"He's jealous of you, Regina."

Regina lets out a very uncharacteristic laugh. It's loud and abrupt and so not at all like her that she clamps her lips together. "Whatever do you mean?" she asks, softly, sarcastically, but inquisitively.

Emma rolls her eyes. "Nice," she says, smiling the entire time. "I just… He says he sees us together."

"A lot of people see us together. We're raising Henry _together_."

"Exactly." Emma welcomes their drinks and tips the waiter. She takes a big drink from her now double-vodka cranberry and feels it burn her throat a little. "He says he _sees_ us. Sees me. Sees you. Sees us. I mean, whatever. He has two eyes, even if he doesn't have two hands."

"But," Regina starts, swirling her drink in its tumbler. "What does he _see_?"

Emma doesn't make eye contact with Regina and says, "He sees that we've always had feelings for each other." It comes out so nonchalantly that if Regina hadn't have been listening closely she might have missed what was really just said.

"Emma?" she asks, her hand slowly reaching across the table.

"No, I mean, you know what I _mean_. It's just that we have all this history and we hate each other, right? And we love Henry and I guess maybe it changed somewhere, didn't it?" Emma raises her eyes and looks at Regina's dark eyes. "It changed and I didn't want it to become this _thing _and now it has and I can't stop it."

"Emma?" Regina asks again, this time her voice much softer.

"No, just like, come on. It's not what either of us _want_. We've talked about this, Regina. We have. You tried to kill my mom and my dad and you hate me and then Robin and Marian and you still bring it up which means you _are still _angry with me for that -"

"I am not angry with you for that. I never was angry with you for that, Emma," Regina cuts Emma off to explain.

"Yeah, well, I knew then and I still tried with Hook and I have been trying for years, Regina. _Years_." Emma takes just a sip of her drink this time, instead of a gulp, stirs it quickly, takes another sip, and then looks around the room. "This is so _fucked _up."

"What is?" Regina asks, not really knowing what part she needs to play in this conversation anymore.

"This. This whole thing. Henry knew… He knew this would…"

"This would _what_, Emma?"

Emma looks at Regina, her black blouse, her black pants, her black heels. "You… just… I need to breathe. I need air." She stands up, shaky in her black boots. "I'll see you back at the room."

"Emma," Regina says as she gets up to follow her.

"Well, hello there Swan-Mills family!" The lady from earlier in the day stops Emma in her tracks.

Regina catches up to Emma and smiles. "Hi there, how are you?" she asks, reaching down to intertwine her fingers with Emma's and to her surprise, Emma doesn't let go.

"We are just fine. I wanted to come say hello again and just tell you once again how happy I am to have met you two. Such beautiful women with such a beautiful boy. Are you two heading in? Can we have a drink together?"

Emma smiles and then says, "I'm so sorry, but yes, we're heading in for the night."

Regina feels Emma's fingers tighten around hers. "Looks like we'll have to meet up tomorrow for coffee," Regina comments, smiling through the nerves.

"Sounds wonderful! Have a good night!"

Emma takes off again, this time practically dragging Regina with her. They arrive at the elevator, Emma still holding on tightly to Regina's hand and when the bell dings that their ride has arrived, they push through the people getting off. Emma frantically presses the button to close the door and when it slides shut, she looks at Regina and says, "You're all I think about, Regina."

And that's when Regina decides that this whole fake relationship is not really a fake at all. She pulls Emma towards her, sliding her hands into the blonde hair that has been plaguing her dreams for years. When their lips meet, there's a spark inside her that she has never felt before and it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility that their magic is connected on _all levels_.

Emma's hands are traveling over Regina's arms, down her sides, across her back, ass, back up again, pushing Regina into the wall of the elevator. She feels Regina's tongue play against hers and it makes everything in her body heat up instantly. "What are we doing?" she asks against those beautiful red lips she hasn't stopped thinking about since the moment she met Regina.

If only she had understood then what it all meant.

"I don't know," came Regina's breathless reply. She bit down lightly on Emma's bottom lip and then kissed her deeply again. "I can't stop this now, Emma," she breathes against and into the blonde's mouth.

"I don't want to stop," Emma whispers when she kisses her way across Regina's jawline to her ear.

The elevator dings to indicate that they're at their floor and they break apart to walk to their room. Emma slides the keycard into the hotel door and it clicks to unlock. They push through the door and as soon as it closes, Emma turns and latches onto Regina's hand. She pulls her, wrapping her arms around the woman, finding the buttons of the blouse and carefully undoing them so she can pull the shirt up and over Regina's head.

Regina's hands are busy, unbuttoning Emma's black jeans, untying the thin strap that was holding her halter top in place, pushing the material down around Emma's waist, realizing that she wasn't wearing a bra. Within seconds, the pants are coming off and then heels are ditched.

"Emma?"

She leans down to latch onto Regina's nipple through the material of her black bra. "Yes?" she says, her hands snaking around to unsnap the bra. It goes limp, then her hands are sliding under the straps, removing the piece of clothing.

"You're sure about this?"

Emma hooks her index finger under the waistband of Regina's black thong, slowly slides it down Regina's olive legs and then stands back up. "I've only been sure about two things in my life."

"What were they?" Regina asks, watching as Emma starts to slide her own panties down her legs, smiling as she kicks them gracefully off to the side.

"I was sure Henry was telling the truth about being mine."

"Well, yeah, he has your eyes… and chin," Regina whispers the last part, her heart aching.

Emma reaches forward, her fingers ghosting over Regina's toned stomach, down to the apex of her thighs. "And you."

"What about me?"

"I am sure about you…"

"You were the only one to see me as _Regina_."

Emma smiles as she slips a finger between Regina's thighs and watches her close, her head leans back slightly, her chest rises and falls. "You've always been Regina to me," she says when she takes a step forward and places her lips as close to Regina's neck without touching her. She can feel how wet the brunette is and it excites her.

"Emma," Regina whispers when she feels the blonde's thin fingers slid between her. She delights in the feel of fingers, lips, breasts. When she lets Emma lead her backwards towards the bed, she hits the mattress with a thud, watches green eyes rake over her body, sees a smile, a heart, a hand.

"This is going to change everything."

Regina smiles when she feels Emma's knee slide between her thighs, press against her center. "I hope so," she murmurs when Emma's blond hair falls over her shoulder. Regina raises her hands and pulls Emma down to kiss her. "I hope so…"

Because truth be told?

They have always been each other's.


	3. don't let me forget you again

**day 3 - 6.10.2014 - amnesia**

**summary - sometimes you forget the worst part of yourself.**

* * *

**don't let me forget you again**

"What do you mean, ma?"

You look away from your son, because dammit, this isn't going to be easy. Your heart is in your throat, your palms are sweating, and if your stomach falls into further into your ass, you're gonna die. "Kid, your mom is… She's…"

"She's not going to remember you at all, mate."

You turn and backhand Killian across the stomach. "What the hell?" You hiss, because seriously, what the _hell_?!

"What does he mean, ma?"

You turn towards Henry and put your hands on his shoulders. He's so much taller than he was a year ago and he's so much more mature, but dammit, he's still a _kid._ "She has amnesia. She was protecting Elsa and…" Henry looks into your eyes and you can see the tears and it is breaking your heart. "She doesn't remember anyone right now."

"Not even me?" He chokes out the question and you almost lose it yourself.

"No, not even you, kid." You place your hand on his cheek and wipe away a tear that has escaped. "She's at home now, though. And we are going to have to stay there, because she's very uncomfortable and Dr. Whale thinks she might wander."

"Wander where?" Henry asks.

"You're staying with the Queen, love?" Killian asks over Henry's question.

You glare over your shoulder at Killian and then look back at Henry. "Well, she doesn't really know where she's at…"

"Does she think she's the queen again? Ma? You have to tell me. Does she think she's the evil queen again?" Henry's rapidly deepening voice cracks at the words evil and again and you almost can't respond.

"Henry, calm down." You smooth your hands over his shoulders again. "No, she doesn't think she's evil again. It's okay. She's just confused and scared and I think we can help her."

"Swan?"

"So, go grab my bag out of my room," you instruct Henry with a calm voice and smile. When he's out of earshot you spin around and smack Killian on the arm. He winces, but you don't care. "You cannot do _that_!"

"Do _what_?" he hisses rubbing his arm with his good hand.

"That!" You gesture to him.

"You just gestured to all of me!"

"Exactly!" You storm away from him and walk into the kitchenette in your apartment. "I cannot have you questioning everything I'm doing. My mom and dad suggested this. I am not going to go against their wishes. They think it would be a good idea to stay with Regina, because…" You place both hands on the countertop and take a deep breath. "Well, I mean, she has no one right now. Just Henry. And I guess _me? _ And I don't want her to hurt herself."

"Where would you like me to stay?" He asks.

"Wherever you want," you respond and it comes off kind of bitchy, but really? Is this the most important question he could ask right now? Does it really fucking matter where he stays? Regina almost dies and he wants to know where you want him to stay. It's ridiculous and you have no patience for his neediness right now.

"Okay, milady," he says softly, walking towards you, his boots scraping against the wood floor.

You keep your head down but raise your eyes to look at him and he's clearly upset, but God, you don't want to deal with this right now. "Killian," you half whine, half whisper, but you honestly can't even begin to describe how much you do not want to _deal_ right now.

"Milady?"

"Just don't… Okay? Just let us leave and I'll let you know how things are going. Okay?"

"Can I come visit you?"

"No, not now. I'll let you know." You push off the counter and fold your arms across your chest. "It's going to be confusing enough… I'm not sure… yeah."

"That a pirate will help things?"

You shrug your shoulders and then scrunch your face. "I'm really sorry," you say quietly.

"Okay, ma, I'm ready."

You watch Henry come into the kitchenette and bob on his toes a little. "Let's go then, kid."

"Emma?" Killian says as you walk by and he latches onto the crook of your arm, at your elbow, and squeezes. "Don't… don't do anything _stupid_."

You narrow your eyes at him and shake your head slightly. "You're being ridiculous."

"Am I?"

You lean in and place a kiss on his cheek. "Yes. Text me where you land."

"You know I can't text very well," he says, raising his hand and hook in the air.

"Use Siri," you say, a smirk on your lips and a playful tone in your voice. You say your goodbye and then put an arm around Henry as the two of you exit the apartment.

"She's okay, right?" Henry asks as you two trot down the steps to the street.

"She will be, kid." You give him a small smile as you walk onto the street and towards the bug. _She better be…_

* * *

You open the door to 108 Mifflin and you feel the air in your lungs tighten. You saw her in the hospital and it wasn't _awful_, but it wasn't _good _by any stretch of the imagination. And now Henry…

"Kid?" You say as you close the door behind you. He turns around and faces you, holding his pillow and backpack in front of his body. "So, during the battle…"

"I know," Henry responds before you say anything.

"You know?"

"I saw it happen, ma. I saw… I saw those men try and break through her forcefield. And how she stopped them."

"Henry," you whisper. You can hardly breathe, because _you saw it, too_, and you know how Regina looked and you saw the way she collapsed afterwards and it literally makes your entire body ache to imagine him seeing what you saw.

"I saw it. She's a hero and I saw it… _Again_." Henry looks down at the ground and then back up at you. "I know how to handle it, ma. I promise."

He's such a _good _kid. He really is. But in this moment? He might be the best kid that you've ever known or will ever know and it makes your heart hurt with emotion. "Okay," you whisper. "Let's go see her then."

You follow him up the stairs to the bedrooms. He stops at his room first and deposits his pillow and backpack inside the door and then continues on towards Regina's. The door is cracked open and you can see Snow sitting on the edge of the bed. She's saying something… something about i_t's not your fault_ and _I know you don't remember, but we'll help you, I promise. _

Henry stops at the door, places his hand on the wood to push it open but then looks back at you, seeking your approval. You smile, nod and then he pushes lightly, the door swinging open. Your mom looks up at you both, offers a smile and then looks at Regina before saying, "It's Henry and Emma."

Regina sits a little more upright in bed and then looks over at Henry first. Her eyes fill with tears and she places a hand over her mouth when he approaches her. "Hi, mom," he says softly when he reaches the bed, stretching a hand out to lay on her free hand and then smiling. "You look good," he lies.

Because she looks awful. Dark circles, a bruise along her jawline, her hair is pulled back into a ponytail and she looks so _not _like Regina that it's a wonder you aren't losing your mind right now. Regardless of what has happened between the two of you, you could always count on her red lips and her dark eyes and the way her make-up was flawless and her hair was never messy.

"Henry?" Regina asks. And he nods, taking her other hand in his. "I'm sorry that I don't remember you," she explains. "I'm so sorry."

He sits down on the bed in the spot where your mom was sitting and chuckles. "It's okay, mom. It just means you don't remember that I forgot to clean my room last weekend."

She smiles at him. A smile that fills her whole face and her eyes and for the briefest of moments it feels like she's back. "Don't tattle on yourself, kid. Didn't I teach you anything?" You comment, chuckling after your question, pushing your hands into the back pocket of your jeans and leaning against the doorframe. Regina looks over at you, your eyes locking, and it is so familiar it gives you hope that she's a lot closer to the surface than expected.

"Emma?" Regina asks, a smile ticking at the corner of her mouth. "I don't know how I could have ever forgotten either of you," she whispers. Your heart lodges itself into your throat and… wow… that was a lot nicer than anything Regina has _ever_ said to you.

Your mom looks at you from her standing position next to the bed. No, it's not just a _glance_. It's a _look_. Her eyes are knowing and she tilts her head in that same _Snow White_ tilt to which you have grown so accustomed. She senses it, too.

"Hi," you finally say, and there's no way you could hide the smile that's playing on your lips because wow, if this is how it's going to be then damn, this might kind of be nice. You're kind of ashamed to admit that a memoryless Regina might be an okay thing… "I'm sure you'll end up remembering soon enough why you can't stan-"

"Emma," your mom cuts you off. "I think you should just keep those comments to yourself."

Henry raises his eyebrows and glances between you and your mom and before you know it, he's launching into a story about Regina and him and when he was smaller and how she used to get so upset with him for climbing into the empty cabinet in the linen closet because what if she couldn't find him? Regina is smiling, her eyes look so happy, and for the first time since you _accidentally _brought back Elsa and Anna and Kristoff and that damn Olaf, you feel like maybe she'll start liking you again.

Even if the main reason she was angry with you was because you ruined her relationship with Robin.

Who can blame you for not being all that upset about it, though? He was a _thief_. And a horrible marksman, and not even that _cute_. You'll never understand why she was so angry with you.

Besides the fact that it broke her heart.

But whatever. You fixed it, right? Didn't you?

And she said… She said it wasn't _Marian_ that ruined things. She told you that… Or at least started the story that day in the park for the Storybrooke Spring Fling. She never finished that story, of course, and now you might never know, which frustrates you to no end.

"Emma, honey?"

You look up at your mom who is now standing next to you, her hand on you arm. "Let's go make some tea for Regina."

You catch Henry's eyes and then depart, leaving him with Regina, hearing him talking and Regina laughing the entire way to the kitchen.

* * *

When you wake up on the couch around 2 am, your back is hurting and your head is killing you and your entire body feels like it's been beat up. A stretch and a yawn later you're raising to your feet and you hear a gentle throat clearing. You snap your head toward the sound and grab at your chest. "Jesus," you hiss, seeing Regina wrapped in a blanket on the chair.

"I'm sorry," she says softly, holding her hand out towards you. "I didn't mean to startle you."

You plop back onto the couch and take a deep breath. "It's okay," you mumble. "I just didn't realize you were down here."

"I couldn't sleep," she says with a sigh. "I can't shut my brain off, which is strange considering I cannot really remember much."

You look over at Regina, her dark hair has fallen out of the ponytail and even though it's obvious that she's tired, she looks much calmer than she did earlier. "Do you remember anything?"

Regina sighs, closes her eyes as she leans her head back against the chair. "I remember nothing of this place. I remember the forest... Rumplestiltskin... My mother... Snow White..."

You feel your breath catch. "So you want to kill her still?"

Regina opens her eyes, raises her eyebrows, and says, "No... Actually."

"That is weird," you comment. You run your fingers through your hair and look at the floor. "Are you, y'know..."

"Evil?"

You look up at her through the veil of your hair. "Yeah," you whisper.

"I'm happy, Emma," she says with a smile that you aren't sure if you've ever seen from her. "And when I was evil?" She pauses and leans forward, pulls a deep breath into her lungs and then exhales slowly. "Let's just say I was _never_ happy."

You feel your hands stop shaking and it makes you wonder what happened to her and why did it happen and when and was this just her path? "I'm glad you're happy now," you manage to say even though your mind is running so fast you aren't really sure how to keep up.

"Emma?"

It's still so weird when she calls you Emma that it sort of, just a little, makes you nervous - in that _holy shit _kind ofway. "What's up?" You ask, clasping your hands together to stop them from fidgeting.

"Did we hate each other?"

You laugh. Yes. You actually laugh. Because it's so blunt and so _Regina _that it is crazy to know she doesn't remember anything.

"What's so funny?" She asks, her brow furrowed.

"Nothing," you finally say, after composing yourself. "Nothing at all. I just," you stop and lean back, rub your temples and then glance over at her. "Yeah, I think we did. At one time."

"What changed?"

"Well, Henry he was taken..."

"Neverland?"

You smile. "He told you?"

"We had a very nice conversation upstairs. He told me more than I imagined he would." Regina stands up, unsteady on her feet and makes her way over to you. When she sits down, she slumps against the back of the couch and lets out a ragged breath. "He told me he thinks you are in love with a pirate. Is this true?"

Another small laugh escapes your throat and you look over at her. The way she's leaning makes her face a lot closer than you've ever been to her in this type of setting and really? It's _so very_ comfortable. "I'm not in love. I don't know… I mean, he's good company some times. Especially because… I don't know. You know, you said once that I was yearning for him... And that I had doe eyes."

"I'm sure I wasn't sugar coating anything even then," Regina says so softly. "Was I in love?

"Yeah, I guess so," you answer. "Robin Hood."

"Of course," Regina whispers. "Couldn't love someone normal, could I?"

"You loved Daniel."

"That is true."

"You love Henry."

Regina smiles and looks away from you. She's looking at the TV and even though the sound is so low, it's almost as if she's actually enjoying the rerun of The Golden Girls. "I think I was in love with someone else."

"Well, if you did, I didn't know who it was," you explain, still watching her as she watches the TV show. Blanche is talking to Rose at the dinner table and you love this episode, but it's not the right time to interrupt with a sidesplitting episode of a sit-com. She looks over at you, her dark eyes sad. "We didn't talk all that much about love… or life… or anything really."

"I feel like I know that," she whispers. "But I think…" She pauses and a small smile displays on her lips. "I don't know. It must just be a fleeting memory."

"I'm sure you're tired," you say, leaning forward and grabbing the remote control for the TV. "Let's go to bed." You stand and hold out your hand for her. She examines you hand at first before she takes it, but as her skin touches yours, that familiar feeling of her magic mixing with yours sparks and her eyes light up. "You okay?" You ask, because her face looks like she has just seen a ghost.

"Is that… Is that our magic?"

You let out a puff of air and laugh. "Yeah, that's… yeah, you'll get used to it."

"That happens every time we touch."

"Yep."

Regina squeezes your hand. "No, that wasn't a question. That happens every time we touch. I remember that."

You pull gently on her hand and she stands up. "Regina, really? You remember that?"

When she smiles at you, it's so genuine that you aren't sure if you should hug her or kiss her or just pat her on the arm. How do you handle this kind of revelation?

"Emma, thank you," she whispers, squeezing your hand again.

"You're welcome," you reply, pulling on her gently as you take a few steps in the direction of the stairs. "Bed. Come on. You need your rest."

* * *

One week later and you're about 95% sure Regina's memory is returning at a startling pace. She has helped Henry fill in the blanks for most of her years with him, including when she picked him up in Boston, which turned out to be a wonderful story you probably would have never heard otherwise.

Your favorite memory so far is when he climbed her apple tree when he was 6 and almost fell. He had broken three branches, though, and needless to say, Regina had not been happy.

The craziest part about hearing all of these memories, though, is when you realize that these memories? They aren't just Regina's and Henry's.

They're _yours_, too.

Which means that when Regina stood there in the middle of the street and gave you a good life and a happy life…

_Jesus_.

You sit on the floor of the living room watching Regina laughing with Henry, his flamboyant arm movements while he tells a story about living in New York City for the year… It's not until Regina looks at you do you realize you're crying.

"Emma?"

"I'm good," you say quickly, wiping your tears away. "I'm good. Don't worry about it."

"Ma, what's going on?"

"Henry, I'm good, I promise." You smile while you're standing up and taking steps towards the kitchen. "I'm going to get something to drink. Do either of you need something?" You don't hear an answer, but you hear Regina getting up from the couch and Henry's voice asking if she's okay and her shushing him and saying she's fine. You walk into the kitchen and open the freezer and feel the cold air rush into your body. Your head is throbbing and your heart is beating like a bass drum and _fuckshitdamn_ what the hell….?

"Emma?" Regina asks as she enters the kitchen. "Emma, honey, close the freezer. You're wasting energy."

"Don't call me honey," you say into the cold air. "Please." You feel Regina's hand land on your arm and all you can do is look down at it. The tingling is there, the flash of your pupils and the taste of apples in your mouth. "Regina."

"Close the freezer."

You listen to her, close the door and look at her. "You remember, don't you?"

"I am remembering, yes."

"You remember, though."

"Yes," Regina admits. "I remember… But… I don't remember everything."

"What is happening?"

"I remember our relationship very differently, Emma," Regina says as she moves her hand down to intertwine her fingers with yours.

"What are you saying?" You ask, your voice trembling.

Regina smiles, looks down at your hand and then back up at you. "Do you remember the mine? The trigger? What were you going to say to me?"

You feel your throat tighten and your eyes fill immediately with tears. "Regina," you whisper.

"Tell me. Please."

"How do you remember that?" She raises her eyebrows at your question and you feel the tears start to fall from your eyes. "I was going to say…" you take a deep breath, let it out shakily, "Regina, I am sorry… and I'll miss you."

Regina closes her eyes. "I saw us together."

"What are you talking about?"

"When I collapsed… with the spell… and Rumple and Pan and… I saw us together."

Your breath catches in your throat and you squeeze your eyes shut. What the hell is going on? "Regina," you squeeze out. "I am… what are you… Why?"

"I don't know, Emma," she breathes out and you feel her take a step closer to you. "I don't know."

When you open your eyes, she's standing so close to you, her height difference so apparent when she's not in heels and you're not in boots. Her eyes are pleading with you. For the first time in forty forevers you feel your life start making sense and it is scaring the _fucking_ shit out of you. "I just…"

"Henry told me… That he always wanted us together. You know that right?"

"He did?"

"Yes," Regina smiles, brings her free hand up to wipe stray tears from your cheek. "And I told him you're in love with a pirate."

You let out a laugh and that's when you let go of everything, lean forward and kiss her. You kiss her like you've wanted to do for years. You kiss her like you never thought it'd happen. You kiss her like your life depends on it. You kiss her like you've never kissed anyone else before.

You hear her moan into the kiss, feel her grab onto your bottom lip with her teeth and push her hands into your hair. "Emma?" she whispers against your lips before you move to kiss her chin and the fading bruise along her jawline.

"Yes?"

"You're the one I'm in love with," she says so quietly that you almost don't hear it.

You stop kissing her and pull back to look into her eyes. "Regina…"

"I've loved you since you saved Henry in the mine, since you saved me in the fire, since you came back for me with the trigger… I just… I didn't know it until I forgot you." She smiles and then takes a deep breath when you reach forward and cup her cheek with your hand. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm not in love with a pirate, Regina," you whisper. "I never have been…"

She tilts her head, raises an eyebrow before saying, "Then stay forever. Don't let me forget you again."

"You'll never remember anything else," you say as you lean in and place your lips on hers again. And again. And again.


	4. fuse boxes in pantries

**day 4 - 6.11.2014 - accidental stimulation**

**summary - whiskey and a skirt and no lights**

* * *

**fuse boxes in pantries are horribly great ideas**

"Bounce with me, awwww yeah, bounce with meeeeee!" Emma grabbed the neck of the bottle of beer she was drinking and danced around the living room of her apartment, her music at an unholy volume. As she spun, the black striped maxi-skirt she was wearing flared out and her too tight black tank top was quickly wicking away her perspiration. Truth be told, it had been weeks since she had the apartment to herself. And she was enjoying the shit out of it.

Dealing with Henry, dealing with her pirate, and dealing with her parents _and _a new baby was definitely not how she loved spending every single waking moment.

So, now?

Everyone was gone. _Finally._

Her parents were at their apartment; the baby was obviously with them.

Killian? Well, she was pretty sure he was off the coast of Maine… y'know… _somewhere_? Ruby had asked earlier when she was getting her take-out burger and fries and honestly, she really wasn't sure. She was just thrilled that he had a job now and could leave her the fuck alone for a few hours. Apparently this new fishing gig he got was a lot more lucrative than pillaging.

And Henry. Oh, man. Henry was on his first date and he was staying with Regina afterwards.

So, now?

Now was the time to dance. And _drink_.

"Oh, beer. Sweet nectar of the Gods," Emma shouted over her own music. She downed the rest of her beer and then danced her way over to refrigerator, opening it, grabbing another beer, and closing the door smoothly with her foot.

There was absolutely nothing that could ruin this wonderful night.

At least that's what Emma thought, until she blew the fuse.

"Fucking _fuck_," she shouted at the top of her lungs. "This old ass apartment and its goddamn stupid ass electrical outlets. I swear to the heavens above…" She spun around, looking for the flashlight she had out earlier when the same thing happened while she was blow drying her hair while the iron heated up. "Ah ha!"

With flashlight in hand, she swirled around and started off towards the pantry where the fuse box was located. She looked out the window on the way and noticed that most of the town was dark. "Shit," she sighed, slipping her phone out of her back pocket and quickly calling Henry. When he picked up, she said, "Hey, are you and Grace alright?"

"Yeah, ma, we're good. We're at the drive-in outside of town."

"The electricity's on over there?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, the whole town is dark over." Emma smiled, "Are you lying to me? Are you really at the movies?"

"Mrs. Swan, I swear we're at the movies!" Grace shouted in the background. "Alice and Rufio are with us!"

"Hiiii Mrs. Swan!" Alice and Rufio sang in the background.

"Henry, tell them to call me Emma, geez."

Henry started to chuckle and then said, "Okay, ma. I will. Gotta go. It's the best part of The Shining right now!"

"Oh, man, yes, go! Please be careful," Emma said before saying goodbye and hanging up. She tossed her phone on the couch and then turned to walk over towards the pantry, still carrying the flashlight and beer. "Just in case, I'm gonna check this out." She opened the pantry door and took the four steps into the pantry, shuddering as she went. "I hate this fucking closed in space," she hissed, holding the flashlight steady. All of a sudden, she heard the door close behind her. "Oh, for fuck's sake," she mumbled, shining the light towards the door. She quickly checked the fuse box and of course saw that it was fine. She walked towards the door and tried to turn the handle.

It was locked.

She jiggled it.

Still locked.

She jiggled it again.

Still.

Locked.

"What the fuck?!" she shouted before she pressed her shoulder into the door and then banged into it. Solid as a rock. Great. She reached for her phone in her back pocket. "SHIT!" she shouted as she remembered throwing her phone on the couch. "Of course. Oh, my god, of course…"

She took two steps into the pantry, then spun around and leapt at the door, hoping that her brute strength would get her through it. Her shoulder slammed into the door, her beer sloshed out of the bottle, and the flashlight hit the floor with a thud. "I can't even believe this." She shook her head, her buzz had faded slightly, so she took the beer and downed the entire bottle. "Ahh, that's a little better," she sang to a tune that meant nothing and then started laughing. "I can't… I just… What the hell…" She walked into the dark space and slid down the wall to the floor, laughing the entire way down. "At least there are snacks in here." She reached up and grabbed a bag of potato chips and ripped into it, happily munching away. She flashed the light around the walls and shelves. Her light landed on a bottle of whiskey. "Sweet Jesus, thank you!" She popped up onto her knees and grabbed the bottle, quickly taking the lid off. "If I'm gonna be trapped in here, I'm gonna have some fucking fun." She downed two quick gulps and then shoved a handful of chips into her mouth. "Ahh, that's better."

* * *

"Emma?"

Emma's ears perked up when she heard her name. "I'm in here!" she shouted. "Is that Ruby?"

"No," the voice said.

Shit. She knew that voice.

The door knob jiggled and then it swung open. "Regina?" Emma asked sheepishly.

"Yes, Miss Swan." Regina had her hand on her hip and a look of pure disgust displayed on her face, but thankfully the lack of lights hid it all. "Can you get up or are you too drunk?"

"How do you know that I'm drunk?" Emma asked, her words very slow.

"Good guess," Regina replied, taking the couple of steps into the pantry to help Emma up. Just as she reached down and started pulling Emma up, they both heard the door click shut again.

"SHIT!" Emma exclaimed when she was upright. She put her hands in her hair and pulled. "Please tell me it's not locked again."

Regina placed her hand on the door and then smiled. "It is. But I'll just," she waved her hand at the door and tried to unlock it with magic.

Nothing happened.

"Regina, come on. Get us out of here."

She waved her hand again and still… Nothing happened.

"I am trying, Miss Swan." She waved her hand again. "What the hell did you do to this door?"

"I didn't do anything!"

"Did you try to unlock it with _your _magic?"

"Yes! Do you think I'm stupid!"

"A case could be made for that!" Regina shouted.

"That is _not _funny, dammit!"

"Well! Clearly you did something to it."

"NO!"

"Then why is my magic not working?"

"Because I don't know!"

"Did you do something when you were practicing your magic that last couple of days?" Regina asked, spinning around glaring at Emma in the dark room. Or at least where she thought Emma's face was. The flashlight had long ago ran out of batteries.

"No! Why do you think I did something?"

Regina was getting more and more irritated. "Because I can't even form a proper fireball in here! You must have done something!"

"Goddammit, Regina, I didn't do a fucking thing. So, stop blaming me!" Emma shouted so loud that Regina's hands shot up to her ears.

"Please stop shouting," Regina pleaded. "I'm sorry that I blamed you."

"Whoa," Emma said as she fell against the wall and slid to the floor. "Was that an apology?"

Regina placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. "I wish the lights were on so you could see my disgust at your attempt at humor."

"Oh, I can see it," Emma muttered. "I happen to have your _disgust_ face memorized."

A chuckle escaped from Regina's throat as she leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor next to Emma. "I'm sure you do, Miss Swan."

"Here," Emma said as she passed over the bottle. "Makes it a little more bearable."

"Not a fan of small spaces?"

"No," Emma sighed. "My last foster brother that I had before I went to the group home used to lock me in the closet."

Regina froze with the bottle pressed to her lips. She brought it down and looked towards the sound of Emma's voice. "Are you serious?"

Emma nodded before remembering that Regina couldn't see her. "Yeah," she whispered. "So, anyway. Drink up. Makes it more bearable. And here," she passed the chips over to the brunette. "Dinner."

"And here I thought we'd never have dinner together."

"I know how to wine and dine, don't I?" Emma asked with a laugh. "It's one of my strong suits."

"There are more?" Regina asked before taking a long swig of the whiskey. It burned her throat and it was horrible without rocks and in a rocks glass, but it wasn't the worst thing in the world. It wasn't _rum_.

"Well, well, well. I'm glad to see you brought your alter ego _Bitchgina _with you." Emma felt Regina's smack on her leg and started to laugh. "That was kinda funny. You gotta admit that."

Regina felt herself smiling before she said, "Whatever," and took another long drink of the whiskey. "Are those just regular potato chips or are they those horrid salt and vinegar things you seem to have our son hooked on?"

"They're regular, sadly." Emma turned her face to stare at where Regina's voice was coming from. "Henry said you eat those chips, so don't even act like you don't."

Regina gasped and then covered her heart in mock shock. "I have _never_."

"Sure," Emma responded. She reached for the bottle and brushed against Regina's arm. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Regina murmured. "You don't have to apologize for brushing against me. You realize that, correct?"

"Uhhh," Emma started, her voice catching in her throat. "Yeah, I know, but I just, yeah, like, okay, whatever."

Regina rolled her eyes and handed over the bottle finally and then found herself smiling. "Emma and Regina, locked in a closet. Who would have thought that this would happen and we wouldn't kill each other."

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch."

"Oh, come on," Regina prodded. "Whiskey."

"Coming at'cha," Emma said, passing the bottle.

Regina drank and then passed it back. "We hate each other. Everyone knows it."

"I don't hate you, Regina," Emma replied, looking over towards Regina's voice. "I have never hated you."

"Well, you act like you hate me."

"Ditto." Emma got up onto her knees and reached out to feel around the shelves. "There's a box of cookies somewhere. I have to find them. I need them right now."

Regina started to laugh. "You really are loaded, aren't you?"

"Yes," Emma responded, laughter bubbling up. "I really am." She scooted over a couple inches and started to reach behind her, up, up, and then down and then she was brushing into Regina again, across her chest. And those were boobs… Regina's boobs. And oh, shit. "Gahhh, sorry," she said, yanking her hand away. She reached up again, finding a box and shaking it. "Sounds like Rice-A-Roni. Right?" She felt a hand reach out and grab onto hers and take the box.

Regina shook the box from her seated position. "Yes, not cookies." She handed it back and as Emma reached for it, she lost her balance and tumbled into Regina, her hands brushing against her chest again. Laughter shot out of Emma's mouth and Regina started chuckling, as well. "You lush," she said through her laughter as she helped Emma up.

As Emma tried to straighten up, her head knocked into Regina's. "Oh, _fuck_," she hissed, her hand going up to immediately start rubbing the spot. "Are you okay?" she asked, looking forward, not really knowing where she was looking.

"I'm okay," Regina whispered, knowing that Emma's face was only centimeters from her own face by the sound of her voice and the feel of her breath against her cheek. "Are you?"

Emma felt the warmth of Regina's breath, sighed, and then whispered, "I'm good." She leaned in, smelling the whiskey and apples and spice before she brushed her lips against the brunette's. "I'm sorry," Emma murmured against Regina's lips.

"Stop apologizing for touching me, Emma," Regina whispered while she reached up with her hands and found the blonde's face. She pushed her fingers gently back into Emma's hair, before pulling her in to place her lips directly on Emma's, who moaned so low and so seductively at the touch.

Emma parted her lips and welcomed Regina's tongue, felt it slide against her teeth, over her own tongue and then felt Regina's hands on her shoulders and then she was being pushed away. "What's… oh, my god, I am… Holy shit, that was uncalled for. I am so sorry."

Regina took a deep breath and said, "I… I can't… This is… _Gods_, that felt so good."

Emma's eyes went wide. "What?" she asked, her mouth hanging open. She felt Regina move and then the brunette's lips were on Emma's again and this time, Regina was most definitely in charge.

Regina pulled Emma down, delighted in the feel of the blonde as she positioned herself and straddled Regina's legs. "Are you wearing a skirt?" Regina said into the kiss as her hands found Emma's bare legs.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Just asking," Regina answered, her hands sliding up and up toned thighs. "Is this okay?"

Emma let out a chuckle as she reached down and grabbed onto the hem of the shirt Regina was wearing and pulled and pulled until the shirt was stripped off of her. "For fuck's sake, yes. It's amazing."

"Good," Regina said, immediately going back to sliding her hands under Emma's skirt and tasting the whiskey on her breath. Her fingers found the edge of the blonde's panties and ran a finger along the silky material. "You're a little wet," Regina whispered, her fingers pressing against the material. She felt Emma's hands as they unsnapped her bra and then discarded it after sliding the straps down her arms.

"I'm _sorry_, Your Majesty," Emma whispered before finding Regina's nipples and lightly pinching each one in unison. She was rewarded with a deep moan and then fingers slipping underneath the material of her panties. She cupped the brunette's breasts, tweaking each nipple as they kissed, until she felt a finger slip inside of her. "Fuck," Emma breathed against Regina's mouth. And then another finger. "Oh, my God."

"Is that okay, _Princess_?" Regina asked, her voice so husky and turned on. If Emma was going to pull out the formalities, so was she. Emma nodded her head as she started to grind into Regina's hand, her fingers so deep inside Emma that she could barely move. Emma bounced lightly once, then twice, and then Regina felt the blonde's hands reach down and remove her own tank top. Regina moved her free hand up to feel that Emma was, of course, braless, and it was ridiculous and Regina was pretty sure that after this buzz wore off it wasn't going to be a pretty hangover with all of these realizations and revelations and mind-blowing sex. She didn't care, though as she leaned forward and pulled one of Emma's nipples into her mouth and bit down lightly. She heard Emma's sharp intake of breath and she moved her fingers, slipped them out to find Emma's clit. When her fingers brushed against it, Emma gasped, then chuckled, bent her head down and grabbed onto Regina's earlobe.

"Fuck, Regina," Emma whispered directly into the brunette's ear. "Are we going to regret this?" she asked, softly, biting down on the earlobe.

"I won't," Regina whispered against Emma's chest. She started to massage Emma, lightly, in circles, increasing in intensity and just as Emma tensed up, she moved her fingers and slid them back inside Emma, her other hand moved down, her thumb taking control of the massaging.

"I have wanted this for so long," Emma whispered. "I _hate _how much I love you."

"I hate how much I love you, too, Emma," Regina echoed, her voice still husky. "Come for me," she whispered, looking up to see Emma's face. She watched as the blonde's teeth clamp down on her bottom lip and then she leans her head back and fuck, Regina can barely contain herself. And that's when Regina feels Emma tense around her fingers, her legs tense, her hands are in Regina's hair and the moan that comes out of her mouth…

"Fucking hell, Regina," Emma says, riding out her orgasm on Regina's fingers. When she finally subsides, she bends her head forward and immediately latches onto Regina's lips. "What the hell _was _that?"

"Whiskey. And years of wanting it." Regina slides her fingers out of Emma, receives a shuddered deep breath in response and then smiles. "And this skirt."

Emma feels herself blushing, but she reaches down and unbuttons Regina's pants. "Your turn…"


End file.

Once Upon a Time