A/N: Just a random bit of fluff :) I found this one hard as I don't normally do fluff- or oneshots that are actually oneshots haha- but this was a quick little word prompt request for one of my lovely ladies' birthday today, so I did what I could :) Hope you enjoy!

"Shh! Go on!"

Emma hisses as she waves her hand at Henry; gesturing that the kid should hurry along around the side of the grand, white mansion.

"Okay, okay!... She's gonna be mad though, Emma..."

"Nah, she won't. Well... Maybe a little bit, but not for long."

"What are you even gonna-"

"-Kid, come on, before she dies of old age!"

The blonde shoos, and Henry rolls his eyes before picking his way stealthily through his mother's immaculate flowerbeds and hurrying up the stone steps to the house; yawning with a grin as he imagines Operation Birthday Surprise might just be the best one yet.

Not that he has all that much of a clue as to what Emma actually has planned.

Nor why they're sneaking around the place like a couple of comedy spies.

No clue at all!

But it will be something good- the nice sort of surprise- and, however clumsy her obscure execution of whatever idea she's conjured up might be, it makes a nice change from their previous Operations.

Makes a nice change not to have to pick sides.

That, and having turned thirteen- and therefore considering himself more or less entirely grownup- there is something rather amusing in the way the blonde conducts this apparantly covert mission; having crept into his room in a nightmare of untamed curls and fraying pyjama pants to shake him awake with a grin and whisper cunningly

"Meet me downstairs, and don't wake up Regina!"

He'd rolled onto his back with a sigh as the blonde had disappeared from his room in a flash of cornsilk, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes before staggering out of bed with a shiver. Donning a sweatshirt and slippers, he'd slipped into the hallway and tiptoed down into the kitchen obediently.

There, she'd ushered him over to the fridge and pointed to a large bowl of batter with a garbled explanation concerning how one might cook such a thing, to which he'd rolled his eyes theatrically and reminded her of the fact he wasn't a little kid anymore.

"I know how to make pancakes, mom..."

"I'm just checking!"

"How come you made up the batter already? And what time is it? Why are you up so early?"

He'd grumbled, but not without a small amount of amusement; remembering upon waking that it's the brunette's birthday, and intrigued by Emma's anticipation of the day. It is the first celebration that has come up since the younger woman decided to give up on her double life of keeping one or two boxes of clothes and books up in the loft room of her parent's house to allow her to pretend- if only to herself, anybody else interested in the matter not fooled in the slightest- that she'd in no way entered into an alarmingly stable and functioning relationship.

Tiring of this fickle charade three months or so ago, it has been a curious thing for all three of them to see how things might work out.

And so far, Henry muses, the answer to that question is, well... Remarkably well.

Shaking his head as he lets himself back into the house- having helped the blonde carry a couple of boxes out into the secluded seating area in the backyard- he pads into the kitchen and takes a chair at the large, glass table with a glance up at the clock that overhangs the cooker.

Ten past seven.

Five minutes before the ornate alarm clock that rests beside the Mayor's bed- well, the Mayor's and the Sheriff's bed now, he supposes- will chime its sweet little tune and herald the familiar sound of footsteps as Regina goes about her morning routine.

He counts down.

And smirks as the small bell is followed predictably by a creaking of floorboards- a brief pause, and Henry imagines his mother might be thinking much same as he'd thought himself as to how irregular an occurunce it is that Emma rises earliest- before he is met by the telling sound of the shower.

Padding over to the fridge, he pulls out the pre-mixed batter and places it beside the stove; pulling down a pan and some butter. A low bang from outside causes him to furrow his brow with curiosity; Emma having requested he keep the brunette occupied for ten minutes or so to allow her time to rush over to the Diner. Exactly what she might be doing there at seven in the morning when the kitchen doesn't open until half eight, he has little clue, but, this all seems to be part of the blonde's elaborate 'plan', and he simply grins as he recognises that dull sound as the opening and closing of the bug's doors.

A second bang.

This one sounding more like the trunk.

Pouring out a perfect circle of buttermilk batter, he composes his face carefully as Regina's bedroom door opens and closes and the light pad of footsteps descends the stairs.

"Henry! What are you doing up?"

The brunette smiles as she sidles into his peripheral vision and pulls down a mug from one of the cabinets.

"Making breakfast. Happy birthday, mom."

He extends a hand while the other clutches a spatula, and she accepts his embrace with a kiss on the cheek, before looking around the kitchen expectantly.

"Where's Emma?"

"Oh... She got called into work. Something happened down by the mines and she said she'd probably be away most of the day."

Henry explains, with a carefully honed expression of regret.

"Oh."

The Mayor sighs, her face falling somewhat, and the boy takes a moment to acknowledge just how curious this might be. In fact, it's how he'd come to begin to suspect there might be more going on between the two women in the first place; those glances of ineffectively masked anticipation when one might profess to have found a need to call upon the other.

Something that had happened more and more frequently, until it was hardly a surprise at all to come home from school and find the two together sharing a drink and discussing things with much more laughter than he'd expect from a couple talking over business matters as they'd claimed.

"Sorry, mom."

"No, that's alright. I suppose if there's things that need doing, Miss Swan can't very well elect to ignore them. I did think, though that... Never mind."

She sighs, as she plucks maple syrup from the fridge and brings it to the table. Henry watches her out of the corner of his eye, and imagines what she'd been going to say was that she'd have expected Emma to at least have left her some sort of message or card. Hell, perhaps even to have decorated a little... But, then, that would be rather out of character...

The boy has to work hard to surpress a knowing grin.

"I thought we could eat outside, though. It's nice enough, and makes a change?"

He smiles at her, and she offers a graceful shrug of her shoulders and collects up the syrup, some cutlery and her coffee.

"I don't see why not. I'll just brush down the chairs on the patio-"

"-Oh, I meant... Maybe in the backyard."

"The sun will be out by the front, dear."

"Yeah, but... It's a nicer view."

He finishes lamely, but the brunette simply smiles and agrees amiably enough, making her way into the hallway and out into the yard.

Once out of sight of her son, she allows her shoulders to droop slightly; a little perturbed that the blonde hadn't even deemed it fit to wake her to acknowledge the day. Something she finds upsetting on more than one count, as- and she smirks a little sinfully- Emma has found some rather agreeable ways in which to rouse her in the past...

Rouse... Arouse...

She chuckles darkly, and supposes she will simply let her displeasure on the matter be known this evening, and-

"-What on earth?"

The Mayor raises an eyebrow, almost spilling her coffee as she enters the little trellised garden to find several banners interwoven with the roses. Looking down at the large cake and stack of rather clumsily wrapped presents, she swallows, before frowning with a small smile as she approaches the blonde who seems preoccupied with something under the table.

"Emma-"

"-Regina! Hey! I- oh, crap, not yet! I-"

But whatever it is the Sheriff seems to be attempting to keep hidden is having none of it, and Regina stalks around the table to let out a high cry as an excitable ball of fur flailing around beneath the cover of the table slips from between the blonde's hands and bounds up to sniff at her shoes with its tail wagging manically.

"What on earth is this?!"

"Uh, he's a bit of everything I think."

Emma chuckles, and the brunette frowns as she glares down at the boisterous puppy leaping up in a bid for attention.

"But why is he here?"

"Happy Birthday!"

"Emma! You should have asked me! You can't just-"

"-Oh my god! Is that a puppy?! Neat!"

Henry cries as he makes his way towards the table with a stack of pancakes wobbling preciously upon a plate.

Looking from the blonde- who sits in the dewy grass with her lip held between her teeth nervously- to the bouncing fur ball licking her son's shins, Regina sighs, taking up a seat and holding out her hand for the dog to come along and be petted.

"It's a puppy, alright..."

Growling irritably as she takes in the muddy footprints littering the bright white tiles of the kitchen, the brunette sighs as she accepts a hug goodnight from a rather exhausted looking Henry, and stands with her hands on her hips regarding the snoring puppy curled up on one of the younger woman's old pillows.

She strives to keep her expression sour.

But isn't successful.

"... A puppy... A gosh darn puppy, Swan..."

Retreating up the stairs, she enters her bedroom with a sigh as the blonde lies curled up in much the same manner as their newest family member with her jeans grass-stained and a smudge of dirt beside her nose.

"Tiring day?"

Regina snaps, and green eyes flutter open before the Sheriff smiles up at her sheepishly and pushes herself up.

"Always... You're mad, aren't you?"

"What do you think?"

"Well I just... Look, I wanted to surprise you, okay? I thought... I thought you'd like him."

Sighing, the darker woman takes a seat on the bed and regards the blonde thoughtfully.

"I do. I didn't want to, but I do... But you know how I feel about animals, Emma..."

"Nu uh! I know you said you didn't have any because you were too busy and Henry was too young. But there's three of us now, and Henry's not a kid anymore and-"

"-and, you figured, rather than get shot down in an actual conversation over the matter, you'd make it impossible for me to decline?"

"... That is my preferred method."

Emma winks shyly, before sighing and pulling off her jeans at the Mayor's request; the latter grumbling at their garden-ridden state, but appreciating the resultant expanse of bare flesh shamelessly.

"Oh, you are a devious sort, this I know."

"I try... But I didn't mean to annoy you, I promise. I just... I kind of thought it'd be nice having a pet."

"You did, did you?"

"Yeah..."

Emma frowns as she catches a slow smirk playing over full lips.

"Well, Miss Swan, I have no qualms against having a pet... I'd simply been of the belief that wish had been granted already..."

The brunette purrs, and the Sheriff rolls her eyes, but adopts an impish grin

"Just what are you implying?"

"Hmmm... Well, I do have quite a lovely little thing that I do so enjoy telling what to do..."

"Oh, jeez-"

"-Ah! Play nice now..."

The Mayor smirks as she climbs over towards the blonde and straddles her possessively.

"I've played nice all day!"

Emma whines; grinning evilly, and Regina shakes her head before leaning in and whispering against soft lips.

"You were alright... But your going over my head was rather naughty, not to mention your little trick this morning... Perhaps I should practice a couple of discipline techniques..."

"Yeah, perhaps... -"

Emma chuckles with anticipation

"-But you're not calling me your pet!"

"But it's my birthday..."

"Fine. But no collar!"