Emma quickly shoves the container into the drawer of her desk, wiping her expression of any and all traces of the excitement that remained from discovering the treat Regina left for her while she was out on patrol. David narrows his eyes, not even bothering to hide his suspicion as he walks into her office. His nostrils flare instantly and having forgotten her father can smell dessert from a mile off, Emma groans.

"I am not sharing with you," she states, her tone brokering no room for argument and he tilts his head with a knowing smirk. She caves within seconds and sighs. "Fine, but if you tell anyone—Red, Leroy or that damned wife—I will tell Regina to stop sneaking things in here for me during the day."

He raises his hands in unspoken surrender and sits down, patiently waiting to see what the brunette had brought for his daughter this time. Over the past month, Emma has shared a dozen or so of the treats Regina leaves for her, the last of which had become his new favourite dessert—as much as he loved Apple Crumble, he found no shame in admitting Regina has far superior taste to him.

Peanut Butter Pie is delicious.

With another sigh, Emma retrieves the container and removes the lid before she pushes it across the desk. Regina wouldn't tell her what she had been making last night—even going so far as to threaten her if she didn't get the hell out of her kitchen—and now that she knows, the blonde didn't blame her. The last time Regina made Tiramisu, Emma almost went into a food coma—though the workout the two of them went through afterwards likely has more to do with Regina's aversion to being in the same room with Emma when she recovers.

Emma recalls the brunette hadn't been able to walk straight for a week, and smiles at the reminder.

"Oh." David chuckles softly and pushes the container back as he says, "I think I'll pass on this one." Emma blinks and looks down at the container before returning her attention to him, baffled to say the least. He has never once turned down Regina's food—not that she can blame him.

"I remember this one," he states as he stands. It isn't so much the dessert, but the way his daughter had stared at him while he ate it that he remembers. "I like my face and I don't think it could escape another death glare without melting off."

Lifting her shoulders in a shrug, Emma frees the fork Regina had taped to the lid. "If you don't think her food is worth the risk of your face melting," she declares around a bite, "then you don't deserve it anyway."

David laughs and shakes his head, but then he frowns as she reaches down beside her chair. Taking the bag from the floor, she places it on the desk and inclines her head. "I think, however, that Regina considered the possible health risks to anyone I may have thought to share with and made an alternative."

His eyes light up and he snatches the bag, peering inside and slumping back into his seat with a grin. "I regret everything bad I have ever said about her," he informs as he takes a cannoli from within.

She smirks.

Cannoli halfway to his mouth, he pauses and says, "Oh I almost forgot; Regina invited us over for dinner, and she told me to threaten you if you decided to work the extra shift to get out of it but I asked Hook to cover that."

The smirk drops.

Regina sends Henry to answer the door when the knocking starts, preoccupied with reading the last chapter of Broken Skin by Stuart Macbride. Finding that she shares a love of crime thrillers with Emma had been a pleasant surprise, more so when the blonde revealed the treasure trove of literature she hoards in the back of that death trap she still tries to insist is a car.

"Mooom," Henry bellows from the other side of the house. "Grams and Gramps are here!" She rolls her eyes, knowing he's likely already returned to the den, which she might as well refer to as the games room now that he and Emma have taken it over with their asinine addiction.

With a sigh, she retrieves the bookmark from beside her and inserts it between the pages before she stands, book in hand, and walks back inside. Snow is in the kitchen when she arrives and she assumes David is with Henry, as she has come to realise Emma is a lot like her father, both being bottomless pits and overgrown children ninety-five percent of the time.

"Thank you for inviting us to dinner," Snow says the moment she appears and Regina wants to scowl at how cheerful she sounds. The idea to have dinner together had been Henry's and while she is somewhat less inclined to want to violently murder her, she in no way wants the woman to think she's actually warming up to her.

Waving her hand dismissively, she places the book on the counter before crossing to the stove and lifting pot lids to ensure dinner is progressing as planned.

Satisfied that she will be able to serve it on time and limit the number of their interactions, she retrieves two wine glasses from the cupboard silently and proceeds to pour them each a drink. She can feel Snow watching her, but instead of acknowledging it, she passes her a glass and leads them to the den.

When Emma arrives, she might consider feigning civility towards her mother but until then, Snow will have to be content with entertaining herself—she can hardly be blamed that they decided to arrive earlier than she specified.

It takes twenty-five minutes.

Twenty-five long, painful minutes between the time she sits down beside Henry and when the door opens to announce Emma is home from work. Snow prattles on about nothing while Regina sits silent, staring intently at the TV screen where her son amuses himself recreating their town on some Sim City nonsense she finds no appeal whatsoever in.

Those minutes? They don't pass on a clock, oh no, because that would be far too simple, much less agitating knowing how long she has to survive not casting a silencing spell on the obnoxious twit. She counts, every agonising second, all fifteen hundred of them and the very second she hears the handle of the door turn, she shoots up from the sofa and walks as fast as her heels will allow to the foyer.

"I am going to kill her," is the first thing to escape her mouth and Emma smirks, which incenses Regina and she grabs the blonde by the collar of her shirt. "I swear to god, Emma."

Emma tilts her head and Regina knows, she knows what is about to come out of her mouth, and she lets her say it because she deserves to say it. "You invited her," is what she expects and not one to disappoint, Emma says exactly that.

She nods because it's true, she did invite her but that didn't mean she had to like it. Henry wanted a night with all of them together after hearing about their lunch and everyone knows she can't say no to him, not with that face he makes that screams, "I know you're trying and it's okay if you're not ready." She will never be ready to play happy families with Snow 'the world revolves around me' White, but the fact is she hasn't tried—not even a little, so when Henry looks at her with that face, it makes her feel like a big fat liar.

Hearing someone moving about the den, she yanks Emma forward and buries her head in the crook of her neck. She hears Snow say something behind her but doesn't register the words and she refuses to tune that voice back in. Instead, she bites the incessant pulse that won't stop beating against her mouth and she feels Emma stiffen, hears and feels the intake of breath.

"She's fine." Emma's voice is reassuring, a little strained if you know what to look for—Regina does and she feels an odd little sense of satisfaction because that's what you get for blaming me for this hellish evening, she thinks.

A minute or two passes, in which she only hears one side of the conversation before Snow leaves and a hand starts to stroke her back in a way that soothes her. She lifts her head and Emma smiles softly down at her, trailing the hand up along her spine and curling around the back of her neck where fingers begin to knead, easing the tension from her muscles.

"I hate her," she whispers and the smile widens, proving that Emma isn't the least bit offended by the fact the woman she loves loathes the woman who gave birth to her.

Emma leans in and presses a brief kiss to her lips in understanding. "I know, baby," she murmurs and Regina sighs, returning her head to the safety of Emma's neck as warmth enters her chest.

It is in moments like this that she remembers why Emma is perfect for her. Even when she is acting certifiably insane, Emma doesn't demand anything, doesn't ask for an explanation or insist she get over it as others would. She is patient—unbelievably so—and Regina hadn't considered that that was exactly what she needed in her life until the two of them admitted their feelings for each other.

"This is for Henry," Emma guesses correctly after a short silence and Regina nods against her. She listens, comforted more by the sound of her voice than the words, but she listens all the same as Emma speaks. "One day he'll learn that there are some people you meet in life that you just can't get along with, no matter how hard you try."

She nods again, knowing exactly what Emma isn't saying. Henry is still a child and he hasn't experienced enough of the real world to understand why his mother and grandmother can't simply bury the hatchet. They could but the fact is even without their pasts getting in the way, Regina simply doesn't like the person Snow is even on the best of days and she's fairly certain she would still want to kill her. She is annoying, intrusive and irrationally self-righteous—it's enough to drive anyone mad.

The clearing of a throat forces her to pull out of the embrace and she presses her lips to Emma's jaw in silent gratitude before she turns to face their intruder. David meets her gaze with a grin and she narrows her eyes, pointing her finger at him as she threatens, "One word, Charming, and you won't get within a mile of another one of my desserts for the rest of your life."

He clamps a hand over his mouth as she passes and Emma smirks at his horrified expression. "I'm sure if you interrupt Snow from talking, she'll reward you with more dessert than you can handle," she offers once Regina is out of earshot.

His hand drops to his side and his brow rises as he questions, "Will that work?"

"Oh," she laughs, "It will work; trust me."

"I need…" Lips capture the rest of the words before Regina can utter them and she whimpers into the kiss. Emma smiles against her mouth and starts to undress her piece by piece, her fingers nimble—efficient in their removal. Blouse, tank, slacks, jeans, bras, and then panties; their outfits soon litter the floor as she guides them over to the bed.

"I need to tell you something," Regina gasps as her back hits the mattress.

"Tell me later," Emma replies, climbing on top of her and straddling her waist. Regina groans, no doubt feeling how wet, how ready she is to help her forget the fact she just spent three hours playing host to two people Emma is fairly confident Regina would much rather have poisoned than had dinner with.

Regina arches her back, moaning as hands stroke her breasts, fingers teasing nipples into stiff peaks before Emma palms the supple flesh, loving each little sound the brunette lets slip. She looks up as Regina presses her own hands against hers, the pressure she places on them enough to stop her from going any further.

"I want to, more than anything but Emma, I…" She frowns as Regina hesitates, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. "I really do have something to tell you and I should have told you as soon as I suspected, but I didn't think it possible…"

Swallowing the sudden lump in her throat, Emma tries to keep a steady voice. "Just tell me," she says quietly, not knowing what to expect though her mind happily provides a number of scenarios, none of which ease the slowly rising panic she feels.

"You remember when we came back from New York—when we crossed over the town line?" Regina questions softly and Emma nods, the expression Regina wore that day seared into her brain. "I felt something else, besides my magic and it… scared me at first. I didn't think I was able, didn't think you…" she shakes her head, cutting herself off.

"What?" Emma prompts, hating herself for the slight edge in her voice. She breathes in through her nose and closes her eyes, releasing the breath as she opens them again and asks with more calm than she feels, "You didn't think I what?"

"I didn't think you loved me…" Her eyes widen in disbelief, barely catching the, "…enough," that follows and her mouth snaps shut as she scrambles from her position on top of Regina, getting to her feet and staring down at the brunette as she tries to remember how to form words.

"Enough," she repeats, the sentence rolling around in her mind, trying to make sense of it. "Enough for what?"

"I—I wasn't sure if we shared True Love," Regina says, a stricken look on her face. "If we did and we found out another way, I would have warned you of potential… problems."

"Problems?" Emma squeaks, and the next second her face contorts at the sound. She shakes her head. Focus, for shit sakes, she inwardly scolds herself. "So we have a problem now? What problem? I thought True Love solved problems—makes us happy and shit—wait, you said if we found out another way. You mean we do share True Love?"

Regina nods and her shoulders slump in relief.

"What did I do, get you pregnant?" Emma jokes and Regina raises her eyebrow in response. "Oh… shit. You're pregnant?"

Another nod.

"Oh my god!" Regina blinks up at her as she laughs. She sobers quickly, frowning as she says, "I thought you were going to tell me you had fucking cancer or someth—did you call our baby a problem? What the hell, Regina?"

Regina's mouth opens to respond, but then Emma shakes her head. "Me," she says, "I'm the problem is what you meant. Jesus, woman—you think I wouldn't want this with you?"

She can see the pronounced bob of a throat as Regina swallows and bites her lip. Of course, she had to be an idiot and not shout her feelings for the brunette from the rooftops the moment she realised she would give anything to spend the rest of her life with her. Emma scowls at her own stupidity.

"I love you," she says. She wrinkles her nose, eyes dropping to Regina's stomach and she grins as she adds, "Obviously."

Realising they're still naked, her grin widens and she clambers on to the bed, hands on either side of Regina's head as she settles back on top of her. She stares down at her for a long moment, thinking. She's never been good with words, as she is much more comfortable with showing how she feels.

Placing her weight on one hand, she reaches up with the other and coaxes the lip from between teeth. "I love you," she repeats, thumb tracing the contours of Regina's mouth. "The night we met, I felt something for you and no, it wasn't love but it was… an appreciation. You were the mother of my son, you raised him, took care of him, loved him—everything I couldn't and I admired you for that."

"I realised—and denied for a long time—that I was also… extremely attracted to you," she admits and Regina smiles faintly. "The admiration I felt for you only grew over the months—the way you fought for Henry, hell the way you fought for yourself. Looking back on all those times we argued, all the time we spent in each other's space… I realised that a majority of those times, I wasn't fighting with you. It wasn't about Henry, I wasn't trying to prove myself as a mother—I was fighting you and the feelings I started to have whenever you got that look in your eye that either meant you wanted to rip my throat out with your teeth, or shove me against the nearest surface and..."

Laughter stops her from completing the rest of the sentence and Emma can feel the blush that surfaces on her cheeks. "I confess at times, I wasn't sure which it was either," Regina concedes with a grin, "but then I accepted the feelings I had for you much sooner and it was… difficult; not to give in to the idea that I had a very simple way of shutting you up."

"Well for what it's worth," Emma says, lowering her body flat against the brunette as she threads her fingers through the silken strands. "I will never forgive myself for denying us this for all of those months. I am happier with you and our son than I have ever been in my entire life, and while I will never stop showing you, I hope you at least feel how much I love you."

Cupping her neck, Regina pulls her down into a kiss and slides an arm around her waist. "I do," she purrs against lips, fingers stroking the length of her spine. Regina knows what she likes, can play her body like a finely tuned instrument and when those fingers press deep into flesh, kneading her lower back, Emma groans, unsurprised as familiar heat courses through her body.

She would be embarrassed given the chance, but Regina doesn't allow that. Instead, she finds herself sinking into another kiss. She parts her lips, granting access to the tongue that slips between them while the hand at her neck descends her back, bypassing its twin as it glides over the cheeks of her ass and dips into the wetness between her legs. Regina moans and the tentative touch becomes more insistent.

Emma squirms as a second finger joins the first, rubbing her slit and causing even more slick heat to drip from her entrance. Briefly, she wonders how Regina turns her intentions to please her back on her so easily, but then the fingers are probing at her quickly aching core and she breaks the kiss with a gasp as Regina slips inside.

From this angle, there is a little pain but it only enhances her pleasure. "I love being inside you," Regina husks and Emma hums, spreading her legs further and thrusting herself down on fingers, forcing them deeper.

Regina clucks her tongue in disapproval, pulling out and causing Emma to whine in protest. Before she can think to speak, Regina switches their positions with relative ease and Emma is flat on her back, staring up at this goddess of a woman, trying to remember her own name as the fingers plunge back inside.

She tries to resist the sounds that beg to be heard, fearing they would wake their son should she give them voice and she sees the telling flash in dark eyes, knows she's in trouble as Regina starts to thrust against the back of her hand with hips. Regina lowers her head, mouth next to Emma's ear. "Give them to me," she growls and Emma moans, shaking her head back and forth.

Within seconds, she cries out as teeth sink into flesh. Regina knows her too well, knows each weakness that will send her flying towards release. The muscles in her stomach tighten, walls clenching around those talented fingers and she clasps the back of Regina's head, holding the mouth against her neck and encouraging the brunette to continue. Regina gives a hard suck to her pulse, pulling the skin between lips and worrying at it with teeth. Emma closes her eyes, hand fisting in hair as the sounds now spill from lips without thought.

She meets every thrust with a roll of her hips and when a thumb brushes over her clit, she loses what little control she had. Her back arches up from the bed as her orgasm rips through her, the scream of Regina's name quickly silenced by a mouth clamping down on her own. Fingers slow, drawing out her release as much as possible before Emma shudders and falls back to the mattress, body thrumming pleasantly when Regina settles on top of her.

Her eyes flutter open as she hears an unmistakable sucking noise and Regina grins around the fingers in her mouth. Emma chuckles softly, breathlessly and brings her arms up, wrapping the brunette in her embrace. "You're cute…" she murmurs, "…and you totally stole my moment."

Regina hums and lowers her hand from her mouth. "I would apologise," she says, "but then, I'm not sorry. I guess you'll have to come up with something else to show how much you love me."

Emma raises an eyebrow. "Or I could, you know, return the favour."

"Oh you will be," Regina replies assuredly. "I'm afraid it might take more than that, however."

With a smirk, Emma offers, "You can tell my mother I got you pregnant."

"Well now," she purrs, "it appears you do love me after all."

"Uh huh."

The End

Author Note: I hope you all aren't too upset with me for ending it here, but everything has been resolved and this means I can move on to that sequel for Two Sides of the Heart that people keep asking me about :) Do be nice and leave a review, so I know how much you hate me ;)