Not Going Anywhere

Summary: Emma's life was finally starting to come together. She has her parents. Her bond with her son growing. Regina's walls have slowly started to fall, their friendship blossoming. This doesn't settle well with a select few townspeople that believe there is no hope for The Evil Queen, so they kidnap Emma. They will make her see things their way at any cost. Emma is found beaten and left for dead with no memory of who she is. The ones that took her still at large, Emma is left in the care of the only one who can truly protect her and the only person she allows near her.

Disclaimer: I own nothing….

This is set after season 2, Emma and Regina stop the town from being destroyed, Henry is never kidnapped, Neverland never happened, Happy Reading!

Chapter One
Part of a Family

Another town hall meeting. Emma sighed. A time for all the townsfolk to gather around and complain about absolutely anything and everything. Emma really hated being Sheriff sometimes. She listened to mundane complaints day in and day out, loud music, barking dogs, leaves falling in their yard from the neighbors tree, kids playing in the road, the weather being too hot, the list went on. Their current complaint, the houses not being big enough. Emma looked over at Regina, tight-lipped, she had the focus of the entire room. Emma felt for the woman, she didn't have it half as bad as the mayor did.

"If you hadn't cast the curse…"

And there it is. Emma thought. The one phrase that was repeated at every meeting without fail. Emma eyed Regina once again. The look of guilt and regret flitted across her face for only a second before they were replaced by a mask of indifference.

"I don't know about all of you, but I for one am grateful for electricity, Wi-Fi and let's not forget plumbing, unless that is, you actually enjoy bathing in rivers." Emma had had enough. Some of the people of Storybrooke could be really selfish, ungrateful and at times unforgiving. Every meeting, someone would bring up the curse as a way to get at Regina. How was she supposed to try and be good when all most of them did was point out her past mistakes. Mistakes she clearly regretted.

They all spoke of giving second chances but when it actually came down to it, they didn't actually believe in them. Regina's facial expression remained impassive, jaw tight. She was trying so hard to hold back the snarky remarks she had on the tip of her tongue. Emma noticed the twitching fingers. Magic must be itching to be released. Emma made eye contact with the brunette one last time before addressing the town's people.

"If there is nothing else of importance to be discussed, I say we move to adjourn this meeting."

"If that's alright with you Madam Mayor." Emma said as an afterthought. Getting on the woman's bad side was never a good idea, even if they'd gotten closer.

Regina nodded. She was grateful for the out. She was tired of having to explain herself at every single meeting. Thankfully the group of haters was lessening, but there were still those that wanted nothing to do with her and were likely never going to forgive her.

"Thank you." She mouthed as the room cleared out.

Emma nodded in response. She didn't want to put the woman on the spot. Thanking her was a big step and she wasn't about to make a big deal of it.

"Maybe you should lead these meetings from now on Savior."

Was that a joke? Emma eyed Regina. She was actually smirking. While Regina teasing her wasn't new it was still something she was getting used to. "Ah, thanks but no thanks, I want to stick a pen in my eye just having to be here. I thought I had it bad listening to them complain while on shift but you my friend, you deal with them all the time, I don't know how you do it."

Regina chuckled at this. "Seriously Regina. How do you do it?"

"That Miss Swan is why I am the Queen and you are merely a Princess." Regina smiles as Emma's face contorts in disgust, she hated being referred to as the princess almost as much as she hated the title savior.

"She jokes ladies and gentlemen." Emma said nudging her. "Come on your Majesty, the kid is waiting at Granny's for dinner." The two walked out to their separate cars. The yellow bug followed not too far behind Regina's Mercedes to the diner. Regina was thankful for the family dinners, they helped get her mind off the meetings and kept her from having to go back to an empty mansion, though she'd noticed that the nights spent alone were starting to become few and far between.

Thanks to Emma, she had Henry half the time, every Friday was movie night at her house, just the three of them. Saturdays were spent together, strolling through town, having picnics or just relaxing. They had become a family without knowing it.

Regina chuckled eyeing the irritated blonde in her rearview mirror as she was stopped by the only traffic light in the town. Regina pulled into a parking spot and stepped out of her car, she decided she'd wait for Emma knowing she wasn't far behind. The hair on the back of her neck stood, she looked around her cautiously, she stepped back towards her car as three men approached her. "You're not welcome here you're highness." One of them sneered.

"Excuse me?" The nerve of these men. Regina eyed the trio that had formed a circle around her. Her hand raised slightly. She was prepared to defend herself if it came to it.

"You may have some people fooled, but we know there is no goodness in your black heart. It's only a matter of time before you show your true evil self."

This again, she thought. She'd heard similar remarks but never with such conviction.

"Is there a problem here?" The three men tensed eyeing each other. The Sheriff appeared out of nowhere.

"I suggest we move along."

"Sheriff won't always be around to protect you." The leader of the group leaned in and whispered in Regina's ear.

"I said move along, or I'll take you in." Emma grabbed the man by his shoulder pulling him away forcibly. He grunted shaking her arm off and stalked off.

"You alright?" Emma asked once the three men left.

"Fine." Regina snapped. She didn't need to be rescued. She could have taken care of things herself, she didn't need the Savior to come to her aid at every confrontation. Regina turned back to her car, no longer hungry or in the mood to deal with people. "I think its best I leave, tell Henry I'm sorry for missing dinner." Not giving her a chance to respond Regina got in her car and drove away.

Emma watched the Mercedes drive off, sighing she entered the diner. She found Henry sitting at the bar with Ruby.

"Hey kid." She smiled ruffling his hair.

"Ma!" He whined combing his fingers through his hair. He looked behind her. "Where is mom?"

"At home, I was thinking we eat-in tonight." Henry eyed her for a moment, finally nodding. "Can I get a milkshake?" His eyes were hopeful.

"Fine, but you better finish it before we get to your moms, I don't want to die tonight."

"Deal." Fifteen minutes later the two left the diner with their usual orders in to-go bags, Henry happily sipping on his milkshake.

Emma stood outside 108 Mifflin St, fidgeting nervously from foot to foot. She hadn't thought this whole thing through. She didn't want Regina to spend another night alone, especially not on their dinner night, but the woman had made it clear she didn't want company. Mustering just enough courage she knocked.

"Miss Swan! Emma." She corrected herself. "What are you doing here?"

"Dinner." Emma held up the take out bags. Regina eyed her then her son. Leave it to the Sheriff to alter plans to include her even when she mistreated and snapped at her.

"Well I can't allow good food to go to waste now can I?" She stepped aside opening the door further.

"Hey mom!" Henry hugged her moving straight for the kitchen.

"He's had a milkshake hasn't he?" She eyed Emma knowingly.

"How?" Emma was baffled. It was really scary the all-knowing power the woman before her possessed.

"I didn't, but now I do. You really do need to learn to say no to him."

"Have you seen those puppy dog eyes?" Emma asked giving that exact puppy dog look to Regina.

Regina sighed. She knew the look all too well. Both Henry and Emma had it mastered. "Let's eat." She ushered Emma inside closing the door.

Light conversation carried on throughout the entire dinner. Henry, sensing his mothers wanted to talk feigned being tired and excused himself to his room.

Several minutes passed in silence before Regina spoke.

"I'm sorry for earlier." Emma was speechless, a thank you and an apology all in one day she made a conscious effort not to let her jaw drop. She couldn't believe the progress their relationship had made. This right here was Regina, not the Evil Queen, she thought back to the first time she'd truly seen her as Regina, not Henry's adoptive mother, the Evil Queen or Snow's nemesis, just Regina, it had been down in the tunnels and she'd offered to slow the trigger to allow the town more time. She'd gone to absorb the trigger knowing she would not survive. It amazed her that the men outside the restaurant had the nerve to approach her after everything she'd done for the town.

"No I'm sorry, I know you can handle yourself. I just didn't want you to be put in a situation where you had to use magic to defend yourself, and knowing some of the town's people they would use that as an excuse to lock you up and I just can't have that." She blushed realizing she'd rambled. "Henry can't have that." She added.

Regina's heart swelled. This woman was always looking out for her. Defending her. Sticking by her when no one else would. "I know you were only trying to help." She reached out and squeezed the blonde's instantly feeling a spark. "Thank you."

Emma nodded in response. The red in her cheeks growing. "I should get going. It's getting late."

Regina nodded. "Don't worry about that, I'll take care of it." She motioned towards the food containers Emma was picking up.

"Good night Regina."

"Good night Emma, thank you for dinner."

Emma smiled the entire ride home. Her life was finally coming together. She finally had a family. An unconventional family, but a family nonetheless.

A/N: This will be around 10 chapters…give or take… it's been swimming in my head for a while. The first two chapters are pretty family oriented… Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed. Review and let me know what you think.