"Wow, so I finally get to see where you live?" Regina asks sarcastically, while poised as regal as someone can look sitting in the passenger seat of a yellow Bug.

"First of all, that sounded mildly creepy, and second, it's only been a couple weeks since you've seen the outside of my apartment! As I said, I just wanted to have you over for dinner. I can cook a mean mac and cheese." Emma punctuates the last statement with a self-satisfied smirk, as she changes lanes in the busy New York City traffic.

Regina chuckles and continues to poke fun at the blonde, which is arguably her favorite hobby as of late. "And what do you suggest we pair the mac and cheese with? White wine? Or were you thinking more along the lines of apple juice?"

Emma gives her a playful glare. "Oh, shut up. I don't know why everyone thinks that mac and cheese can only be crappy kid's food! I, for one, think it's delicious and can serve as a delicacy. I'm also not afraid to whip out a grilled cheese sandwich on the job."

"That's because you, Dear, are not an average adult." Regina smirks, enjoying the banter as it distracts her from what's eating her up inside.

"Call me 'dear' again. I like it."

"Yes, Dear."

Emma glances over towards her, a sunshine beam on her lips as she squeezes her eyes shut. Regina's heart floors because for a moment, she'd just witnessed the most beautiful expression from the most adorable woman she'd ever laid eyes on. And it terrifies her but also excites her; because she finds herself slipping in deeper and deeper every day. But then there's the other issue that's making her grip the armrest to try to put her nerves at bay--one that Emma presents within a minute.

Emma brakes at a red light and shifts her body completely to look steadily at Regina, a few blonde locks obstructing her view. "Oh, shit, I forgot that Henry is gonna be home tonight. Is that a problem? We could go out for dinner instead...damn it, this is probably so weird for you that I have a kid," Emma stammers out, cheeks flaming up as they always do when she mentions her son in front of her new girlfriend.

Regina lets out the breath she'd been holding in and slightly relaxes her cramping hold on her armrest. She hadn't wanted to ask if Henry would be there, so knowing what to expect calms her down quite a bit; but her heart races again when she thinks of actually seeing Henry again. Every chance she gets is a rich gift--something she certainly doesn't deserve but entirely, completely appreciates even if his very appearance is a slap in the face to her, shamelessly exhibiting all the time that had passed. Then suddenly she remembers that the last time she'd seen him is when he'd rather angrily knocked on her apartment door, basically telling her to go all in with Emma or to leave her alone. The thought shakes her a little; she doesn't want him to be angry with her when she's actually trying build something with Emma now--and in all honesty, the thought of Henry feeling angry towards her is enough to make her stomach churn--but nothing will get in the way of her wanting to be with her son, for better or for worse.

Each thought passes in her head in a matter of seconds, and she gives Emma what she hopes is an easy smile and she reaches across to squeeze her bony hand. "It's okay with me. And besides, you got me excited for the 'mean' mac and cheese."

Emma visibly relaxes at that, and a relieved smile pulls her cheeks apart as she continues to drive expertly in the city traffic. "Crappy kid's food it is!"

---

Emma fumbles with her key for a long thirty seconds before a poorly-disguised shaking hand inserts the key into the lock on her apartment door, her nerves clearly on display. Regina's torn between just standing and watching the blonde struggle, or doing what she feels as though a supportive girlfriend should: putting a hand on her shoulder and saying comforting words along the lines of how Emma shouldn't have to worry about her seeing her place. Regina opts for the first, and does nothing as Emma finally succeeds in turning the lock and opening the heavy door.

As soon as she makes the action, their ears fill with blaring rock music bathing the small apartment. Emma groans loudly over the music and hollers in a reverberating tone that contradicts her small frame, "HENRY!!! TURN OFF THE DAMN MUSIC!!" A few seconds pass without granting her command, and Emma takes a large gasp of air, completely ready to scream again, but the music shuts off as abruptly as Emma's mouth snaps back shut.

After a short moment, Emma seems to remember that Regina's standing beside her, and she sighs before turning towards the brunette to apologize. "God, I'm sorry..I would tell you that it's not normally like this, but that wouldn't be true. It's just--teenagers, huh?" Emma looks at Regina expectantly for a couple seconds, as if waiting for her agree and say she knows the struggle, but Regina just stares back blankly, giving Emma plenty of time to remember that Regina is no longer a parent. Emma could have kicked herself in the shin for making such a careless mistake, but her blushing face is punishment enough. "Uh---mac and cheese! How about it?" Emma claps her hands in front of her before moving towards the kitchenette on the other side of the hall.

Regina lets the teenager comment slide off of her as she takes in the appearance of the small, but still homely apartment. A strange feeling washes over her as she casts her eyes over the sunlight streaming through lace curtains, cheery cream walls, healthy potted plants drinking in sunshine seated on window ledges, celebrity magazines strewn on coffee and dining tables, and colorful kitchen dish ware. The entire feel and atmosphere of the living space is exactly what she had in mind when she sent Emma and Henry off to live a perfect life over six years ago. Everything is how she designed it in her mind, down to the the coat rack and the leather couch in front of the television that no doubt is filled with pizza crumbs.

"You okay?" Emma's voice brings Regina back to the present, and it's clear from the worry lines on the blonde's face that she's nervous that she offended Regina with her earlier comment.

"Yes, everything's fine; the place is very pleasant." She stiffens, reverting to using her defensive proper language, since everything about the situation, including the fact that Henry is in the same flat as her, has her on edge.

Emma doesn't seem to notice though, and continues to boil the water as she prattles. "Yeah, I mean, it isn't much, but it's home. I mean, I could afford us an actual house, but I figure, since it's just Henry and me, there's really no need to move. I kind of solve the smallness problem by redecorating every so often--"

"Sorry, um--where's your restroom?" Regina cuts her off, crossing her legs to keep up the facade. In reality, her earlier discomfort has escalated to a feeling of almost suffocation, and she needs a moment to herself to breathe and calm down without hearing Emma ramble about redecorating techniques.

"Oh--right down that hall, first door on the left." Emma instructs distractedly, her head completely inside the refrigerator.

Regina follows the instructions immediately, and walks slowly down the hall, drinking in every detail. Framed pictures fill the walls of Henry at every age, even fake pictures of Emma cradling Henry as a baby are tacked lovingly on the wall. The sight of it shoots her heart up into her mouth, and nausea tingles the back of her throat. Okay, first door on the left. She repeats the simple directions in her mind to distract herself and picks up her pace to reach the destination. When she arrives at the door she stops abruptly; it's shut tight and the sound of a faucet turning off is heard before a few soft clatters. If Regina had felt a touch of nausea earlier, it's full-on sickness of nerves now, and she clutches onto the doorframe, unable to move. She had known that she was going to see Henry here of course--but running into each other, alone, in the hallway? She has nowhere to go, no choice other than to wait until the door opens.

"Oh!-Regina," Henry exclaims with surprise when he opens the door, pushing past the ends of his button-down shirt to stuff his hands inside his tight jean's pockets. "I didn't know you were coming," he stammers out rather awkwardly, certainly thinking of the music he'd been blaring minutes before.

Regina, however, is thinking of anything but as her heart floors in her body after hearing what her son had just said. 'Regina.' Regina can say with confidence that just now was the very first time she'd ever heard her own name fall from Henry's lips. Up until now, he had only and strictly referred to her as "Mommy" or "Mom," so hearing her actual name is like a slap in the face, ruthlessly reminding her that he is no longer hers. The way he said it sounded unrecognizable, foreign; his deeper voice and the way he looks at her without knowing her is all but heart crushing. She recalls once more the way she'd rather mocked Snow by saying that she wouldn't be able to handle seeing her daughter like this--and wants to smack herself for her hypocrisy. Henry had called her 'Regina,' and for the first time since she's come to New York, she sees completely clearly the chasm that separates her from her former son. Just then, she realizes that she hadn't said a word to him and he's looking down at her from his superior height with an intensifying concerned expression. "Henry," she greets back, but it's all she can manage.

"Are you...alright?" He asks, mirroring their first conversation when she'd dropped her coffee in the cafe. "You look a little pale."

Regina stupidly raises a hand to touch her cheek, as if checking to feel the color of her complexion, but all she's contacted with is the unnatural burning of her skin underneath her fingers. A long string of filthy curse words run their course through her mind before she forces a smile on her face that no doubt looks more like a grimace. "Yes, I'm perfectly alright," she tells him softly, inwardly hating herself for the fact that she can't seem to function even semi-normally in front of him. She can't freeze up whenever she sees Henry; it's simply unacceptable.

Henry lets out a long breath, before rather sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck, as he imagines he'd just pinpointed the cause of her discomfort. "Look, I'm sorry about the whole 'knocking on your door and being an ass' thing," he apologizes, searching the petite brunette's face for any sign of color returning. "I didn't understand, and it was out of place for me to say what I did. I was just worried about my mom and--look, I wanna thank you, actually. You've made her really happy these past couple weeks--thank you for giving her that." He tells her with absolute sincerity, and he nervously twists the silver ring around his thumb in mild embarrassment from his speech.

Regina's a little surprised to hear him apologize like this, and is more proud of herself than she should be, because she didn't cringe or change any physical aspect of herself when he'd sworn mildly. It obviously goes without saying that becoming accustomed to him at this age is going to be challenging, at the very least. But, all she does is clear her throat and flash a polite smile his way. "It's quite alright. I understand completely."

Henry smiles back at her, relieved; then seems to suddenly notice that he's standing right in the way of the bathroom. The tips of his ears exhibit a light shade of pink and he awkwardly chuckles lightly. "Oh!--um," he steps quickly to the side, then walks down the hall into his room.

Regina slips into the bathroom and closes the door quietly, to then slide down the opposite side of the wood and sit on the floor. Breathe. She instructs herself strictly, and runs a shaky hand through her quickly growing hair, before inhaling sharply through her nose, then slowly breathing out through her mouth. She repeats the exercise several times before her heart rate begins to slow, and her mind ceases to race. She stands shakily, and inspects her reflection in the mirror. Her careful makeup job of this morning is still intact, and her dark wavy hair hasn't lost an ounce of its bounciness. Relieved, she steps back, and continues to breathe for another full two minutes before feeling ready to come out. Not entirely refreshed, but much calmer, Regina leaves the bathroom and easily finds her way back to the kitchen.

Emma's elbow-deep with the noodles by now, and for some inexplicable reason, Regina finds the urge to explain why she was gone for so long. "Sorry, I uh--ran into Henry in the hall." She tells her quietly, before picking up the glass of ice water Emma had left out for her, and takes a long swig.

Emma chuckles lightly, and rolls her eyes good naturedly. "Oh, was he moody as all hell? He doesn't normally appreciate it when I holler for him to turn his music down."

Regina laughs with her, but sets her glass down on the counter and traces the rim of it with her finger as she crafts a reply. "Actually, um--if you don't mind me saying so, it seems to me that you two have a good thing going. He's happy; I mean, he's happy that you're happy."

Emma looks away from the stove to give Regina a proud smile, and Regina can see the sea of uncontainable love for him in the blonde's eyes. "Yeah? He's a good kid."

Regina finds herself smiling back and nods slowly once. "Yes, I'm sure he is." If only you knew.

---

"So, thank you for the dinner! Despite my...concerns, I have to say that it was delicious." Regina tells Emma while she walks Regina back to her car, a smile resting on the brunette's lips that hasn't left her all night.

"What did I tell you? A mean mac and cheese. Who knows, maybe I'll convert you into being a fan of grilled cheese next!" Emma jokes excitedly, nudging Regina softly with her elbow.

"I think that will be a much stronger fight." Regina laughs, and deeply inhales the late evening air that surrounds them as soon as they walk out of the apartment complex.

Emma chuckles, and Regina finds herself staring at the blonde for longer than what is probably considered polite, but then again, Emma's eyes haven't traveled from Regina either. The tension mounts, and suddenly, Regina's heart is in her ears and her heart is painfully tugging her to take a step closer to the other woman. She blindly obeys, and doesn't stop until they're inches away. There's a silent, but deafeningly loud demand in the air that both of them soundlessly requested from each other, and with each second, it becomes clearer and clearer. Regina takes a loud gasping breath, because for half a minute she'd completely forgotten to breathe, and she finds herself begging for what she knows she shouldn't need.

Without thinking or meaning to, Regina opens her mouth, then bites down softly on her own plump lip, and Emma's eyes flash with something that doesn't look a bit like innocence. They stand there for what feels like hours, but really isn't much more than a minute, until the silence becomes altogether too deafening and the tension is strong enough to break their bones. Neither wants to wait for the other to initiate it first, so both slowly move forward until their lips graze and their eyes close. Their noses brush up against each other and their foreheads rest together, and it's so soft and so simple, and for a single moment, it's all they need. Then that moment ends, and the desire surges through them, rearing its head, and it's more than enough initiative for them to push their lips up against the other's with desperate fervency and something that feels like fate.

Sparks fly and Regina feels a tingle that starts at the feel of Emma's electrifying kiss that travels all the way down to her toes. And perhaps, this is what the storybooks mean when they say it feels like love.

AN: I've been working on this chapter bit by bit for a loooong number of days, so I hope you enjoy!

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