It happened more than once, but it wasn't necessarily an often occurrence. It started as early as the first year Emma was in Storybrooke and the same mistake had been made at least once a year since then. Different people, same problem.

"What is your fascination with the Mayor," Graham had asked Emma once before the woman in question had crushed his heart.

"She keeps trying to push me out."

"She's Henry's mother and clearly she sees you as a threat. I think she's just trying to protect him. And herself."

It hadn't been the only conversation with Graham about Emma's fixation on Regina, but it had been the first and it had led to a couple more when work had been slow. She'd been made deputy and that meant they were around each other for the majority of every day. While she'd worked with and gotten to know him in only about a month's time before he was killed, Graham had asked enough about her issues with Regina for him to make the startling realization that there really was a fine line between love and hate.

"You may not like her," Graham had said, "but what you feel about her, for her, I think that's more than what I've felt in, well, for as long as I remember I guess."

It had been subtle and he'd never said he suspected there was more to their relationship than what everyone else saw, but it was the last personal conversation she'd had with him before he'd started babbling on about not feeling anything because he was convinced he didn't have a heart. At the time, Emma hadn't thought much of it. She hadn't even thought about it for a while after his funeral because it honestly wasn't all that important. It was a light and friendly conversation that wasn't forgotten but not easily recalled without some kind of trigger.

Well, it came to mind when the next year when she ended up in the Enchanted Forest with her mother after falling into Jefferson's hat. She had met Cora and before she knew who Cora really was, she admitted that she shared Henry with Regina and that it was complicated. Cora hadn't looked surprised. She almost seemed to have expected it, but there had been just the slightest twitch of her eyes as they narrowed for a fraction of a second. Like she didn't approve. Like it was expected but not acceptable.

It was something else Emma had filed away because other things were more pressing at the time. Getting out of imprisonment was at the top of the list. She hadn't mentioned it to Regina and while her own mother had been there with her, Snow hadn't anything about it. Emma never brought it up either, but she figured if Snow had noticed she probably would have spoken up. Because Snow had a big mouth. She didn't just know that because of Henry's book or the little bit of history about Regina losing Daniel because Snow hadn't kept her mouth shut that she had learned before they'd found a way back to Storybrooke. Snow then proved it to her a little less than a year later in Neverland.

Everyone had agreed that it was best Emma didn't know they suspected Neal was alive and on the island with them. Emma was busy looking for and worrying about Henry. She didn't need a distraction and she certainly didn't need to have to process what it meant that Neal wasn't dead. Snow didn't agree with the others. Instead, she came right out and said they found evidence that made them confident he was there.

Neverland. She was sure that was when it had started. A lot of things had happened on that wretched island, but there was one fleeting moment in particular that still stuck out to Regina.

The first time in many years that she'd seen the fairy—fallen fairy before they came back to Storybrooke—and they'd talked about anger and revenge and "why the hell didn't you go in and meet him?" After she took her own heart out to show Tinker Bell what the other woman faced if she chose to kill her, the blonde asked questions about Henry. The questions were mostly, "who's Henry?" and "why did it take so long for you to open up to even the possibility of love?" and "what if you met your soulmate again?"

That was when the conversation had taken an interesting turn.

"I don't know, Tink. I don't know if things would be different. I'm a different person than I was back then, but that doesn't mean I'd do anything differently."

Tinker Bell had frowned and cocked her head to the side.

"Why is that? Because of Henry? Because you're a mom now you can't have a relationship?"

"That's not what I'm saying."

"Then why not give love another chance?"

"Because I can't think about love when Henry is out there somewhere, in danger, and the only other person that could possibly understand how important that is has two boyfriends and idiotic parents that I couldn't stand to be around for another second!"

Tink had then taken a step back and blinked a few times.

"Boyfriends? Wait. Henry…he's your son?"

"Yes," Regina had rolled her eyes and huffed out a frustrated sigh.

"And the father?"

"One of the two boyfriends the Charmings think are more important than finding Henry."

"But they aren't your boyfriends?"

"What are you trying to get at?"

"You share Henry? With another woman?"

It wasn't such a big deal and it hadn't really been a big deal even in the Enchanted Forest. No one really talked about it, but everyone knew it happened. Sometimes it was the only way to have a strong, united front on the throne. The King would have his consorts and the Queen more secretly had hers. It didn't matter if the King spent more time behind closed doors with another man and it was hardly a crime for the Queen to seek intimacy from another woman. Their duty was always: rule the kingdom and produce an heir. If they did that, most people didn't have a problem.

"Things with Emma are…complicated. But yes, we share him," Regina had answered Tink's question.

After that, Tinker Bell kept giving her these looks. They were inquisitive and intrigued and sometimes that raised eyebrow made it seem like Tink knew something Regina hadn't realized she'd let on. Those looks were mostly given to her once she and Tinker Bell rejoined the rest of the group and fought like hell to get Henry back. They were mostly given after Tinker Bell had met Emma.

Neverland might have been when it all started, but it wasn't the last time Regina had received that reaction.

There was yet another blonde she had a history with that was keen on something Regina still hadn't been sure she'd either made obvious or had ever actually disclosed. Well, there was a moment before Mal mentioned something about "the Savior" to her that might have indicated some people might have had the wrong impression of her relationship with Emma.

"Don't even think about it."

She'd come out of the other room to ensure neither Cruella nor Maleficent wrung Emma's neck as the former had shamelessly admitted to wanting to do. She was supposed to be working with them and yet she'd just denied them a chance to harm an opposing force. If she wasn't careful, she could have blown her cover.

Cruella and Mal turned to her, each with their own unique reactions to Regina's slight threat. Cruella was pissed that Regina had even dared tell her what she could or couldn't do while Mal looked surprised at first with a raised eyebrow, but her old friend soon looked amused and the corners of her lips curled in the faintest smirk. She quietly cleared her throat when she saw their expressions, but she immediately thought of an excuse for her actions as soon as she saw Rumple's intrigued if not slightly knowing stare.

After that, it really shouldn't have shocked her when Mal asked, "Is she really worth it? The Savior?"

She never gave it much thought before, that Emma was worth anything or that she would give something up if it meant protecting the younger woman. Well, her entire undercover mission was to keep Emma away from darkness and the people that wanted to turn her into something evil and so unlike the troubled but still good blonde.

It wasn't until she was at the diner with Emma having drinks weeks later that she found out Emma was also experiencing the same thing and had been for a while.

She sipped at a glass of wine while Emma occasionally took a swig of whiskey from her tumbler. They sat at a table instead of at the counter despite the fact that they weren't even sure they were going to order anything. They'd had Granny's for lunch almost every day that week. Having more burgers, fries, grilled cheese, or whatever healthy alternative that didn't upset Regina's stomach seemed a little excessive and unappealing. They were fine with alcohol, even welcomed it after their recent struggles. The Author and Rumple and Cruella had all done something to push both her and Emma and all around the same time they'd gone off to find Lily and attempt to save Robin. She internally scoffed at the phrase. Save Robin. She was only kidding herself to think he needed saving when the first thing he did was discredit her belief that Marian was actually her spiteful sister Zelena. And then he'd chosen the woman that had seduced him in disguise as his dead wife. For what? The baby? He never said, "I can't leave the baby." He'd said, "I can't leave her." He couldn't leave Zelena.

She sighed out loud and grabbed the whiskey right out of Emma's hand as the blonde started to bring it up to her mouth for another sip. Regina didn't care that Emma glared at her. She only cared that there was whiskey in her hand instead of wine and that it left her feeling satisfied when the liquor burned its way down her throat. Her eyes had slipped closed the moment the rim of the glass touched her lips and she didn't open them again until she set the tumbler back down on the table. On her side of the table with a hand still wrapped around the glass.

Emma gave Regina an expectant look, one of her eyebrows raised questioningly, and looked from the tumbler to Regina.

"You plan on giving that back or should I just order myself another one," Emma asked, and Regina didn't think she'd ever felt more grateful in her life that the blonde didn't pry into her reason for stealing the whiskey and downing a good amount of it like a shot.

Regina looked down at the drink for a moment before she once again met Emma's gaze. "Maybe you should order another."

Emma flashed her a smile and quietly laughed, almost under her breath her laughter was so subtle, and then turned and flagged down Ruby from the leggy brunette's place behind the counter. It didn't take long before she had another half-filled tumbler of whiskey set down in front of her and went back to enjoying the strong liquor. It also didn't take long before they noticed the hushed tones and the frequent glances from a handful of other patrons.

Regina was used to being talked about by the townspeople. It wasn't anything new to her and when she thought about it, she supposed it wasn't new to Emma either. Regina had been, and to some people she still was, the Evil Queen. The title and any actions she took were always brought to attention. Once the curse was broken and everyone was aware that the Savior had actually saved them, anything Emma did was also in the public eye. They were talked about amongst the others for different reasons, but the result was still the same. They were under scrutiny wherever they went, whatever they did so long as it was within the town line.

That time when she noticed others looking at them and perhaps even whispering about them, she got the distinct impression it wasn't their usual talk about her or the Savior.

"What do you think they're staring at," Emma asked as she looked away from those that gave them almost undivided attention.

Regina took another sweeping look over the people that dared to look at them and grinned with amusement in both her sparkling eyes and her curled lips like the haughty Mayor or the cocky and salacious Evil Queen. She chuckled as her eyes finished scanning the room before they focused on Emma.

"Two beautiful women," she answered with a hint of a question in the lilt of her voice.

"I'll settle for one beautiful woman and the fuck up Savior," Emma said before she had another gulp of whiskey.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Why can't you ever take a compliment?"

"I can take compliments," Emma insisted with a small pout.

"Name one time someone said something nice about you that you didn't immediately deflect in one way or another."

Emma opened and closed her mouth a few times before she furrowed her brow and frowned when she failed to come up with an answer.

"My point exactly," Regina said.

"Well, Hook says stuff to me all the time and I never shrug it off."

Regina's smirk soured into a grimace. "How wonderful. You can take a compliment. It just has to be from a slimy pirate that only wants to get in your pants."

"He doesn't just want to get in my pants. He loves me."

Regina rolled her eyes. "In case you haven't noticed, he does think with a pulsing body part, but it's not his heart."

"Ew," Emma said as she scrunched up her nose and forehead.

"What's so unattractive about that, dear? He's your boyfriend?"

"Yeah, but…'pulsing body part'? That was kind of graphic."

"That's what a penis does, does it not? Throb when a man is aroused?"

"God, Regina. No, just- Just stop talking about it."

Regina grinned. The look on Emma's face, the blonde's discomfort as she squirmed in her seat, brightened Regina's mood. She hadn't thought the night could be redeemed once they started talking about the handless wonder, but then she hadn't expected Emma's response.

"Oh, come on. Isn't this what friends do? Talk about their boyfriends and joke about…things?"

"Are you saying you'd like it if I asked you how much Robin pulses against you when he's aroused?"

Her mood crumbled in an instant. She threw back the rest of the whiskey in her hand and when that wasn't enough, she grabbed Emma's new glass and gulped down most of it.

"Okay. Next time I ask you if you want something more than wine and you answer no, I'm just gonna order two of whatever I'm getting," Emma said before she reached over and placed a hand on her wrist. "Are you okay or should I just cut you off now?"

Regina sighed and shook her head as she pushed the tumbler away from herself.

"It's getting late. I should go."

She went to open her purse, but Emma tightened her grip on her wrist. She looked up at the blonde, the extra pressure pulling her attention away from her wallet and giving it to Emma, and Emma pulled out several bills with her free hand.

"Let me drive you," Emma said as she left enough money on the table to pay for both of their drinks. The younger woman comfortingly rubbed her forearm a couple of times before she removed her hand and stood up. Emma smiled at her for a moment. "Come on."

She stood up and walked out of the diner with Emma by her side the entire way. The whispers became louder, less like whispers and more like regular conversation. Almost all eyes in the diner, including Ruby's, followed them as they left together. When they reached the door, she could have sworn she heard someone ask with a great deal of confusion, "So they are a couple?"

Regina had brushed her off several times on the short drive to the mansion. Emma had asked her a couple of times if everything was okay or if there was anything she could do to help with whatever might have bothered Regina, but the brunette stubbornly insisted it was fine.

It was not fine. Emma knew Regina and she also knew when people—most specifically when Regina—lied to her. Her lie detector beeped loudly and often every time Regina denied there was a problem or claimed she'd just had too much whiskey too fast and without food. Emma didn't need to have a super power to know that was a lie. She'd had a few drinks with the other woman on occasion and she knew Regina could hold her liquor better than most people Emma had ever encountered.

For every lie Regina told, however, Emma was determined to stay by her side for at least three additional seconds and Regina told plenty of lies that night. It was how she ended up on Regina's porch as she watched the brunette fumble with her keys before she successfully managed to open the door.

"Thank you, Miss Swan, but your services are not wanted nor needed."

Emma laughed and shook her head. "I didn't think you were drunk before, but maybe you are at least a little tipsy."

"What makes you say that?"

"Whenever you get drunk you start saying things to me that I know you used to say when I first got here, when we didn't really like each other."

"I do not."

"Uh, yeah. You do."

Regina huffed and she just had to laugh again.

"Miss Swan," Regina growled, but Emma didn't let her finish whatever she intended to say.

"Actually, you used to call me Sheriff Swan," she unnecessarily corrected Regina with a smug grin.

Regina groaned and tried to shut the door in Emma's face, but Emma was quicker than the other woman and slammed her hand against the door before it could close.

"At least tell me what happened? You were having fun and then I… Well, I guess we stopped talking about Hook and started talking about Robin. Is everything okay between you two?"

"It's nobody's business if things are okay between us," Regina stiffly said.

"Okay. Guess I hit a nerve. That's okay. Since he's not here maybe I should tell you, you're amazing."

"Here we go again with the compliments," Regina crossed her arms over her chest.

"They aren't just compliments, Regina. They're the truth. Don't let anyone else convince you otherwise." She smiled at the brunette for a moment and just stood there on the front porch, her eyes set solely on the other woman, a few seconds more before she made her way back toward her car.

"Keep saying things like that and people might start to talk," Regina called out to her when she'd made it partially down the pathway.

Her smile widened before she turned around and walked backwards for a few steps and said, "They already are. And I'm pretty sure it's been happening since 2011."

She spun on her heel with a little laugh just as Regina looked at her with curiosity and shock after what Emma had just said. She shook her head with a smile and laughed a little more as she kept picturing that look on Regina's face even as she opened the car door and less than a minute later, left Regina to think about that apparently new information.

Dinner with Henry the next weekend was the final straw. Both she and Emma had been made well aware that the only two names on everyone's lips in town were theirs. They still weren't sure what the exact topic of conversation was, but they knew it involved both of them because there were always at least two pairs of eyes following them wherever they went before groups formed to discuss what they'd just seen. Or at least that was how it had appeared to them.

"It's like…we can't just get some fresh air without people speculating," Emma said before she jabbed her fork into her lasagna and clanked then scraped it against the china.

Regina cringed at the sound. "Can you please refrain from abusing my plates for just one night?"

"Sorry," Emma replied before she continued to eat more carefully. "But you've got to admit it's getting a little crazy, right? Why can't we just sit and talk at the park or have a couple drinks at the diner without people staring? And you came over to help magic-baby proof my parents' apartment when Neal started poofing himself and all the child proof locks around the place. So what? Does that mean more to everyone else than it does to us?"

"You're asking the wrong person, dear. I'm just as confused and troubled by it as you are."

"Really," Henry asked and he quickly had both of his mothers' attention.

She furrowed her brow and Emma looked at him skeptically.

"Something you wanna tell us, kid," Emma asked.

"Come on. You guys seriously don't see it?"

Regina looked from Henry to Emma and back again. "See what?"

"That you're a couple," he answered.

Emma dropped her fork and it clattered against the edge of the plate before it fell onto the floor.

"What," Emma and Regina loudly asked in unison with wide eyes directed at their son.

"We're not- Whoa, no. Kid, I think you got the wrong idea here," Emma said.

Henry sighed. "If you're dating, you can tell me. I don't care about that. I care that you're keeping the truth from me."

"We're not keeping anything from you," Regina quickly insisted. "Henry…Emma and I aren't…together. Why…why would you think that?"

"Oh, it's not just me. Everyone thinks so."

Regina immediately looked over at Emma. Green eyes flickered back and forth while she appeared lost in thought and her chest heaved with shallow breaths, her knuckles white as the other woman gripped the edge of the table.

"It makes sense," Henry added.

"How is that," Regina asked with genuine curiosity.

"Aside from how amazing it is that the Evil Queen and the Savior fell in love, you two are always spending time together and you never talk about Hook or Robin anymore. Not like they really mean anything to you, anyway. And then there's all the stuff you guys do."

"Wh- Stuff? What stuff do we do," Emma asked with a slightly panicked tone.

"You know," Henry started to explain. "You always pay for drinks and Mom always cooks. You always show up when Mom needs company, even when she yells at you to leave her alone, and she always treats you like a person and not a hero. Although, she does look at you like you're a hero. Like, maybe you're her hero."

Emma gasped as she quickly opened her mouth to say something, possibly to argue that that just wasn't true, but then she just as quickly burst into laughter.

"Emma," Regina chided.

"Sorry, sorry," Emma said through her laughter and shook her head repeatedly. "It's just… Did I ever tell you you're my hero?"

Regina quizzically stared across the table at Emma for a moment, confused by what the blonde was trying to say. That was until Emma made it perfectly clear what she meant.

"You're everything I wish I could be," Emma continued and her words came out slightly clipped because her laughter had only barely subsided. "I could fly higher than an eagle."

When what Emma was saying suddenly clicked, Regina smiled and finished for her, "You are the wind beneath my wings."

"Hey, is your last name Swan," Emma asked as she started to calm down.

"No," Regina chuckled even as she furrowed her brow.

"Then you don't have wings. How am I supposed to be the wind beneath your non-existent wings? That's my line."

Regina rolled her eyes and said, "I think you should lay off the wine."

Henry looked utterly confused. He briefly paused before he excused himself and cleared his plate.

Emma looked off in thought for another moment after he left and shook her head before she closed her eyes and started laughing again. "Huh, well…what are we gonna do?"

"About what," Regina asked as her laughing fit came to a gradual end.

"About being seen as a couple."

"I wasn't aware we needed to do anything."

"After nearly three years of being mistaken as…something, maybe not always a couple but something, I think it's time we acted."

"Three years?" Well, that number was surprising.

"Yeah. How long have you…" Emma trailed off and frowned. "Wait, has no one asked you about us? About our…dynamic?"

"Well, yes. Maybe a couple of times."

"For how long?"

"Since Neverland. At least that was the first time anyone said something to me. Three years? How-? We didn't even like each other then."

Emma nodded. "No kidding. But…I guess after what Henry said, it does make some sense."

"I still don't see how."

"It's simple," Emma smiled and stood up. She slowly started to walk around the table and spoke as she did. "I like you, you like me. We have a kid together. We're always out together."

Emma stopped when she stood directly in front of Regina and gave her a warm smile.

"So, Madam Mayor, what do you think? Are we a couple?"

Regina looked the other woman over before her lips slowly curled into a smile. "Well, if everyone thinks so…I suppose it would be easier if we were. People wouldn't have to wonder anymore and…it would make sense."

Emma's smile spread into a grin. "Good. Then this will make sense, too. Dinner. Tomorrow night. Just the two of us. I'll do all the work. Are you up for it?"

Emma held out an open hand and Regina placed hers inside it. The blonde pulled her onto her feet and her cheeks almost hurt from how brightly she smiled back at Emma.

"It's a date," Regina answered before her eyes wandered down to Emma's lips. She started to lean forward and less than a second later, so did Emma. Just as they were about to kiss they heard Henry from the kitchen as he exclaimed, "Finally!"

Both women smiled and lightly laughed as their lips met in a sweet, chaste kiss; the first kiss of many to come.