"Mom?" Henry asked one morning.

"Yes, honey?" Regina smiled over her breakfast coffee.

"My school is having a bake sale tomorrow. Can you make some cupcakes or something for me?"

"Yeah, what kind?"

"I don't know, red velvet or something."

"I'll start right now." She kissed the top of his head before setting out to work around the kitchen.

Emma made her way down the stairs, pulling her signature leather jacket on. "Come on kid, you're gonna be late."

Regina quickly passed her blonde friend a flask of coffee, suddenly kissing her cheek without thinking about it.

It seemed that the Sheriff didn't really notice either, merely smiling. "See you later."

Emma decided, on a whim, that she'd head back to the mansion for lunch in the hopes that Regina would make something for her.

"Hey, I figured I'd come back for lunch." She smiled as she inadvertently sniffed the air. "Something smells great." She stepped into the kitchen with her heavy footsteps, her smile doing in shock. She stared.

"Afternoon." Regina smiled, taking a batch of cupcakes from the oven. "You want some lunch?" She asked, clearing a space on the counter for the tray.

"What… what did you do?" Emma asked, staring around the kitchen.

The brunette frowned, seemingly confused. "Henry asked me to make some cupcakes for his school's bake sale."

"Yeah, again, some. How many are there here?!"

"Eight dozen…"

Emma paused, calculating. "Ninety-six cupcakes?!"

The chef pouted. "Is that wrong? I mean…" She frowned, upset, and threw her oven gloves down. "I can't do anything right!"

The blonde quickly rushed forward, wrapping the other woman up in her arms and holding her to get chest. "It's not that you do things wrong," she started. "You just go a little over the top with them, is all." She tried to comfort.

"But I'm such an idiot! Why can't I do anything right?!"

"You are, honey, you're doing things right. And even though people will probably be hesitant to eat them, I'm gonna stand there eating them in a silent nudge of encouragement."

Regina smiled against Emma's chest. "Yeah?"

"Of course."

"Okay, well, I still have some batter left over so I'm gonna make just a few more - however, these ones will be just for home."

"Okay. Good. I'm gonna make myself a sandwich." The Sheriff moved over to the fridge, then cleared a small space to begin her lunch preparation.

"When you're done, can you help me decorate them?" The chef asked. Emma just nodded, smiling.

'Rubes I need you to call me and pretend to be a distressed citizen with a problem for the Sheriff at about five tonight.' Emma texted quickly after filling the car with cupcakes.

'Why?' Her deputy replied.

'I'm cooking dinner tonight but I don't want Regina to know, I want to surprise her.'

'Kay.'

As Emma had assumed, customers were wary of Regina's treats as they passed the booth. Regina smiled politely at them and Emma stayed firm by her side, nibbling on one of the many desserts.

Soon enough, however, Ava and Nicholas quite happy came over, buying a few cakes each. They were still wary of the 'evil' woman after she'd sent them into the forest when they rejected her - however, on the other hand, Ava was very grateful for the bicycle.

The two children's eagerness to buy the cupcakes had drawn in custom from parents and children alike.

Not unexpectedly, this had Snow and Charming sending dirty looks their way - they'd made miniature, single-serving banoffee pies and had only sold a couple.

Regina's supply began to dwindle down to the last dozen just as Emma's phone rang loudly.

"Sheriff Swan." She managed to hide her smile as she checked the clock, seeing that it had just turned five. "Okay, I'll be right there." She said simply before hanging up.

She pulled Henry aside smiling softly. "Your mom's pretty busy right now, just let her know that I got a call and had to go, kay?"

He nodded and pulled away to assist his adoptive mother. Emma headed out from the school grounds to her bug and headed off to the supermarket for supplies.

When Regina and Henry returned home an hour later - Regina having offered to count up the money raised - it was to more delicious smells emanating from the kitchen and dining room.

"You cooked?" The brunette frowned, stepping into the kitchen to see Emma only just putting the dishes she'd used in the sink.

"I promised I would, didn't I? Every time you do something good."

"Thank you." The ex-mayor smiled softly, squeezing her friend into a brief hug. "I thought I didn't do good right."

"You sold more product than anyone else and, forgetting the fact that you mademore, I think that shows that people are starting to see you the way I see you. As a woman who's trying."

The two women stayed up late that night, talking over beer, cider and wine. They chatted about their pasts. Emma went first, starting with her earliest memory and ending with Henry knocking on her apartment door. Regina, too, began with her earliest memory. She told the blonde everything - including things she never expected to tell even Daniel. Things like her mother's emotional abuse and how she'd gotten the scar on her lip.

They laughed when the brunette admitted to tweaking the curse so that ice would be on the paths in winter, just so she could watch the clutz that is Snow White slip over onto her face every year. She also admitted to deliberately having nearly all of the woman's hair cut off just to spite her.

By the time midnight was creeping close, they were sitting in comfortable silence, both smiling. Emma looked over at Regina before setting her empty beer bottle down. She reached out and took Regina's cider glass from her, doing the same.

"What are you…" the brunette trailed off, Emma's bright green eyes catching her own deep brown ones. They stared at each other for a few long moments before the confident Sheriff leant in and pressed her pink lips to red ones.

The soft and hesitant kisses soon turned hungry and passionate as Regina was pushed down onto the sofa. Arms wrapped around warm bodies, but neither woman dared to take this moment any further, both knowing that - however much they'd both wanted to for however long - drunken sex was never a wise choice.

They kissed for what seemed like hours but was, in reality, less than one.

When the pair finally broke apart, Emma rested her pale forehead against a tan one. "Do you even know how long I've wanted to do that for?"

The other woman nodded, smiling. "If its 'since we met' then yes, I do."

"Could I sleep in your room tonight? Not like, for sexual reasons. I just want to be near you."

"Mmm, good morning, your majesty." Emma smiled, wrapping her arms around a lithe waist and pulling the other body against hers.

"Good morning, your highness."

Emma scowled. "Don't call me that. I don't like it."

"Good morning, Saviour." Regina smiled, correcting herself as she opened her eyes.

Just as they were about to kiss, the bedroom door opened and Henry strolled in. "Mom, Emma isn't in her roo- Emma! Why are you in mom's room?!"

The couple were at a complete loss for words until Regina decided to take the lead. "Honey, Emma and I really, really like each other. We're probably going to be sleeping in the same room a lot more often, and kissing and stuff…"

He stared at them for a long while before grinning and throwing himself onto them, hugging them tightly. "Finally! It's been too many months already!"