Back To College

A/N: Hello everyone!
So I just came up with this idea and it had taken me a while to write it all down.
Also the best beta ever 'lacepriest' has helped me so much with this one and added some pretty awesome thing so without my beta... it would pretty much suck :)

pls leave a review to tell me what you think and if you have prompts let me know :D

disclame; i do not own anything

Mr. Gold
Career Coordinator
Storybrooke College

Storybrooke, Maine

Dear Emma Swan,

I am writing on behalf of the Career Student Council of Storybrooke College. We are celebrating our annual Choose or Change Your Major conference and would like to invite you to attend this event and give a 15 minute talk on top reasons to become a firefighter. We have seen your interviews and rescues on television, and we would like to meet you and learn more about what it takes to be a firefighter.

Also in attendance will be other local professionals who have positively impacted the community. It is an honor and privilege to invite you to participate in our conference. We believe that your contribution is paramount, and are looking forward to hearing you speak on the subject. We will cover your travel expenses, meals and accommodation in a local hotel and pay any fee you require.

Thank you for considering our invitation. I hope to receive a positive reply from you. If you have any questions, I can be reached at 555-123-4567 or at mrgold .

Sincerely,

Mr. Gold

Two weeks ago, Emma received an email from her former academia stating they wanted her to speak about her profession. It is their annual "Choose or Change Your Major" presentation and considered an honor to be one of the few chosen. Emma is just thankful she even had a career right now that she could speak of. She had majored in Family and Community Services but had had no clear direction of where to take it. Her choice is why she is now sitting in a large lecture hall, waiting for her turn to speak at her old college.

The person that is talking, or more like giving a boring speech, is finally done. There is a polite round of applause, and the head of the school was standing up to speak again. It appears as if his limp had gotten worse since she last saw him.

He shakes the previous speaker's hand and steps up to the microphone. "And now," Mr. Gold says, "it is time for a break. We will be continuing shortly after so don't venture too far."

'Great' Emma groans internally. She really should have paid more attention to the itinerary. She stands up and walks out of the lecture room and heads towards the bathrooms. It is a full house with just too many people for her liking. Emma functions almost on autopilot. She goes to the bathroom, washes her hands, and rushes out of the ladies room. The break is about 30 long minutes because Gold wants everyone to have to time to catch up with old students and faculty.

Emma is too nervous to talk to anyone knowing she had to speak right after the break, so she goes for a walk around the building. It was big, and she remembers spending a lot of time running around the place trying to get to her classes on time.

Emma elects to use the stairs to get some blood flow to her legs. As she climbs the empty stairway, her footsteps send soft echoes. When she reaches the second floor, she smiles at the fond memories it brings back. It still looks and smells the same. She had been late most of the time to just about all her lessons, including Miss Mills' class, her favorite. A habit her old teacher didn't like at all. She remembers the smelly Mr. Hood who was always trying to get Miss Mills' attention, even though she was clearly not interested. The man, who just could not leave his crush alone, always irritated Emma.

"I have no time for this," Emma hears a woman's voice say. Dulcet tones she can never forget, ever. It belongs to Regina Mills.

"Oh come on, no one will notice if we went out for a coffee right now," a man's voice pleads. That irritating voice, the voice that belongs to the person Emma would punch in the face if she could.

Emma leans against the doorway of the office that belongs to Regina Mills and sees the professor gathering papers and angrily shoving them into her leather case. She's also watching the most ugh man in the world sneaking a glance inside the professor's silk blouse.

She takes a minute to appreciate the woman's stylish outfit. Regina still has killer legs, and the high heels bring out firm sexy calves.

"Looks like not a lot has changed here," Emma interrupts.

Both professors look up. Robin Hood, his arms crossed, looks at Emma up and down with a question on his face. Regina Mills, holding another stack of papers in her hands, has her mouth ajar for a full moment. Emma smirks, still casually leaning against the doorway, hands in the pockets of her trousers.

"I'm sorry who are you?" Robin questions.

Emma doesn't even look at the man; she just beams at Miss Mills. After seeing Regina smile back her, she gains a bit more confidence, and she steps into the room.

"Why Miss Swan, what a nice surprise," the professor's greeting is clearly genuine.

Emma rolls her eyes. "Oh please, I'm sure you have a list of the people that are going to be here today." Emma grins.

"Oh, you mean this list?" Professor Mills asks and holds up a paper that she takes from her desk.

Emma laughs a little, shaking her head. "Yes that," moving a couple of steps closer and taking the paper from her ex professor's hands, "list."

Emma and Regina always had a bit of a playful thing going on from the moment their friendship started developing. It began when the new mother took the Consumer Economics class Regina was teaching, her freshman year. Emma had struggled while going to college and Regina used to help her with everything Emma allowed her to. Henry had been just a newborn when they first met and four by the time Emma graduated college. So the brunette cut Emma some slack whenever she could. But Emma never told the brunette that she had a deep crush on her.

"Miss Swan? Why does that name sound so familiar?" He thinks out loud. "Did you take any of my classes?" He asks.

"No," Emma replies as she studies the paper listing the attendees she took from Regina.

"Oh, that's a shame," Robin says looking at the blonde with a condescending face.

Emma looks up from the paper with an eyebrow raised. "I doubt that." She answers just as condescendingly, feeling something hit her upper arm hard. "Ow!" She looks at the brunette next to her, who apparently had hit her with a wad of rolled up papers, sporting a slight quirk in her mouth.

"Robin, would you excuse us for a moment." It wasn't a question Regina was asking, it was a statement. The man looks like he's about to protest but instead he simply nods and leaves the room. Regina puts the last couple of papers in her case and sits down in her chair. Emma grabs one of the fancy seats meant for visitors and places it next to the double pedestal desk and sits.

The brunette takes in the glorious blonde curls and the lithe fit body sitting next to her. "You look good," the professor says in a soft voice, stunning the blonde.

Emma looks deeply into the striking brown eyes. "Thanks." Emma feels like her heart just jump started. "You still look amazing." Emma returns the compliment. And sees perfectly shaped eyebrows rise for a moment.

"Still?" Regina questions with an amused smile.

"Well yeah, you have always been a beautiful woman. And it would appear that you still are." Emma winks.

Regina rolls her eyes and smiles.

Now Emma could see her smile become brighter, no longer just an upturn of corners.

"Charmer." She says and stands. "We better go down to the lecture hall, or you will be late Miss Swan." The professor takes her bag and coat.

"Oh please, I'm an adult now," Emma smirks, getting out of the chair and putting it back.

"Yet, I still think that you continue to be late often," Regina accuses and waits for Emma by the door.

Emma just playfully rolls her eyes walking towards the door to leave the office. "And you are still small." Emma catches up and steps out into the hall.

"I am not small." Regina rebuts and locks the door. "Not that my stature has anything to do with your propensity for lateness."

Emma laughs, ignoring the logic. "Yeah, you kinda are, though."

Regina rolls her eyes again as they walk towards the stairs to go to the cafeteria. "How is Henry doing?"

"Oh god, he has grown so much since the last time you saw him," Emma gushes. "He's going to be 10 next month. It's crazy!" Emma shakes her head as she wonders how time goes by so quickly.

"Yes, time flies, especially for growing children. Just like I haven't seen you in, what? Six years?" Regina says, playfully bumping Emma's shoulder.

"God, that long? No way?" Emma exclaims eyes widening when she realizes how much time she spent away from the woman. "What the fuck." Emma whispers.

"Language," Regina jokes and elbows Emma's arm.

"Hey," Emma retaliates and elbows Regina's ribs. "I'm a grown up now you know." She puts on what she thinks a mature face should look like.

Regina laughs out loud and soon they reach the crowd of people. It is noisy and chaotic. There are students and teachers mingling everywhere, and of course, the professor wants to walk all the way to the other side to get some coffee.

People are not moving aside so Emma grabs the professor's hips and starts yelling "excuse me" and "coming through" to create some space. A path starts to clear, and she gently pushes the older woman through the crowd. Emma enjoys the moment, having an excuse to have her hands on the woman's body.

By the time they reach the beverage counter, people are already heading back into the lecture room. Regina finally has her coffee, so they too start to make their way with the others. She's moving slowly, making sure she isn't separated from Regina. Yet her mind is split on what's coming next. The break almost over also signals it will soon be time for her speech. Emma takes a deep breath trying to calm her anxiety.

"You can do this," Emma hears a whisper in her ear. Turning her head, she sees the brunette standing closer to her then before, with an encouraging smile on her face. The subtle scent of Regina's perfume derails her nerves for a second. Emma grimaces at the older woman and takes another deep breath.

"All right let's go."

Regina takes a moment, studying her former student. The blonde looks tense yet determined. She agrees after spending another minute wondering if there's anything else she can do to calm Emma down.

Emma nods and they continue slowly walking back into the room that's still in the process filling. She notices several people are now sitting in different seats. Seems like many of them are either sitting next to new acquaintances made during the break or old friends they haven't seen in years. Emma walks to the first row and sit downs, brows furrowed, thinking about what she is going to say.

The audience settles down when Mr. Gold stands and moves to the platform. He thanks them for returning to the second half of the program and informs them what's coming up next.

Emma tunes out what he's saying and continues taking deep breaths. It is then that she feels a hand on top of her own. Looking next to her, she notices Regina is in the seat beside her. She briefly wonders how she had missed Regina sitting next to her. Her brain must have assumed the professor would rather sit with her colleagues. "Don't worry, you will be great." Regina whispers.

"I suddenly don't remember what I was planning to say," Emma whispers back, horror filling her eyes. However, she is thankful she had at least prepared slides and a video presentation she could rely on.

A small giggle leaves the professor's mouth, trying to inject some levity to the situation. "Don't worry, keep it direct and truthful. Just simply tell them about what you do, and why you do it."

Emma nods at the sound advice and takes another meditative breath.

"And now," Gold says. "I would like to welcome to the stage, another successful graduate of ours, Emma Swan." He steps back from the microphone to clap for her.

Emma takes Regina's hand and quickly kisses her knuckles. Without looking at the woman, she walks to the stage. Emma shakes Gold's hand, and he hobbles back to his seat in the first row. She looks at Regina who is smiling at her, and if Emma isn't imagining it, the ex professor has a lovely shade of pink covering her cheeks.

"You got this," she whispers to herself and clears her throat nervously. "My name is Emma Swan." She begins, looking out into expectant faces. The first slide shows up on the screen next to her, and chuckles can be heard from the audience.

"Yes, that is me," Emma grins. "That is from when I first arrived at this college, I was 18." Emma looks at the screen and notes the big messy, probably, uncombed hair. She smiles to herself.

"Next slide please," Emma requests. "I've always wanted to say that." Emma jokes, earning a few laughs.

"All right." Emma re-centers herself and looks up at the screen. "This is after I'd been here half a year. And that little boy is my son." Emma hears people murmuring. "Yes, I got pregnant very young, though it was not my intention. But it happened and I would not have it any other way." Emma smiles brightly, the love for her son shining through.

"Now I have a question for all of you," Emma walks away from the mic to the edge of the stage and looks around the multi-tiered room. "How many of you are attending Storybrooke College right now?" Several hands go up. She nods and takes a few more steps. "Okay, so, what is Professor Mills most known for?" She continues and smirks at the question, knowing for sure Regina was asking herself where the hell she was taking this.

"She's strict," someone yells from the back, and Emma nods. "Yes, she can be. What else?" She doesn't dare look at Regina and moves away from where the woman is sitting.

"And a bitch," a male voice pipes up from the other side of the room. This gets a few sniggers. Emma walks back to the mic. "My friend, you know you will die in her next class, right?" Emma smirks and they all laugh at the guy who said that.

"Anyway, that may be what you think about her, who she is. But I know firsthand, she is not." Emma says. "She is so much more. Okay yes, she may be strict but... next slide."

There is a picture of a 19 year old Emma, with her son Henry but this time, Regina is in it too. And they are smiling brightly at the camera. "This was taken in my second year. People didn't know about my son because I kept it a secret. I didn't want people to treat me differently because of him." Emma takes another breath and looks back to the audience again.

"However, somehow people found out during the summer and by the second semester here, everyone knew. Students and even some of the faculty called me names and/or picked on me. Yes, even in college." Everyone in the room can see how serious and affected she is.

"I had two jobs, rent to pay, school work to do, and a son to take care of. And the only freaking person who helped me in that time was Regina Mills." The whispering going around the room increases in volume.

"Now I haven't seen her since I graduated six years ago. But I cannot begin to describe how much this incredible woman, well, saved me, really. I would not have survived school or been a good parent without her." Emma points towards the professor.

"She moved deadlines for me and helped with my homework after office hours." Emma chances a glance at her friend and notices the shock on her face. She moves her eyes back to the audience. "And it was even okay if I brought my son along to class when I could not afford a babysitter." Emma gives them a teary smile.

"You may think she is only what you said. But the reality is, teenagers, life, and circumstances can be horrible but some of the teachers here are really nice and are willing to help you." Emma says.

"So, after I finished with school here, next slide please." Emma speaks enthusiastically. The screen shows a picture of Emma in a firefighter's outfit. "I joined the fire department. It is something I am extremely passionate about. Why did I want to do this, you may ask? I don't have a definitive answer. I think I just wanted to help people, in somewhat the same way Miss Mills has helped me."

"Next slide," Emma requests. It is a picture of her and the rest of the crew from her fire station. "This is my family. As you may notice, not many women, but that keeps the drama to a minimum." Emma laughs and a few chuckles go around the room. "And if you're wondering, the answer is yes. You can always swing by our location, even if it's just to look at the hot muscled guys." Several people whistle and Emma laughs.

"To prepare for this lecture, I hired a cameraman to film us doing a standard practice drill. I wanted to show a short clip about just the training, but the fire happening on the same day was unexpected so we just taped that instead. Enjoy."

Emma walks back to her seat next to the brunette. Emma smiles at her then focuses on the screen. The lights dim and that's when Emma feels a pair of soft lips press against her cheek. Turning her head she sees Regina smiling brightly at her. 'Fuck it,' Emma thinks and leans in, kissing the brunette on the mouth for just a second. She pulls back with a scared smile, hoping she hasn't made a mistake. Her body sags in relief when she sees Regina is smiling too. They take each other's hand and together watch the screen.

SQSQSQS

"Rolling," the cameraman says and then Emma is on screen. She is wearing a snug tank top that shows off her muscular arms and a hint of well-defined abs.

Several people whistle and whoop at the screen. Emma laughs and shakes her head. Goosebumps break out everywhere when the word "Nice" is breathed into her ear by Regina.

"Miss Swan, I must say you are a splendid specimen of humanity." Emma is glad the dark room is hiding her blush. She shushes Regina and hears the woman giggle.

"Hi, I am Emma, and this is our fire department." You then see Emma walking around the fire station explaining a couple of instruments and pieces of gear.

She walks outside to the training ground and another round of whistles erupt when a couple of her team members are seen training without their shirts. Emma laughs out loud again.

Suddenly the grunts of exercising men are interrupted when a piercing bell is heard and red strobe lights start flashing. The video jumps a little as the cameraman chases after the now running crew.

"All right guys, there's a fire at the high school and there are still kids trapped inside. Let's go!" An older man already in uniform informs them.

Two-thirds of the firefighters run to get there gear. Emma comes back no longer wearing her tank top. She is now dressed in thick pants, a standard fire retardant jacket and a helmet in her hands. There are two massive red engines and the firefighters quickly jump inside, including the cameraman. The siren is turned on and the fire trucks race to the high school.

"All right," Ben shouts from the head of their fire truck. "Seems like a kid started a fire in the chemistry lab and it's gotten big. More than half of the kids are still inside because they keep the doors blocked to prevent trespassers." He explains.

The audience gasps, and some people start whispering to each other.

The fire trucks arrive at the high school, and you see flames shooting out of the windows. You could hear bystanders and parents screaming, calling out names and looking for their kids in the mayhem. The police have already arrived and are actively helping families reunite. Media vans are seen in the distance, fast approaching.

Emma and her team jump out of the truck and immediately grab oxygen tanks and masks. Everyone from her truck shrugs their equipment on and they all run into the inferno.

Several from the other squad set up barriers and start ushering the people away from the building so they can set up the command center. Other firefighters are unrolling hoses and coupling them to several fire hydrants so they can start to put the flames out.

The cameraman is not allowed to go inside the building but you could still see and hear the firefighters inside the blazing structure as they move about and call out to students.

Emma feels Regina's hand tighten around her own. Emma turns to look at the brunette and smiles. "It's gonna be okay, I'm still here." She whispers, pressing a quick kiss to her ex professor's lips.

Seeing Regina smile made Emma smile too, and the feeling of Regina returning her kiss, no matter how brief is something she could not begin to describe. Emma squeezes Regina's hand and kisses her again, already addicted. Comfort and reassurances given, they turn back to the screen, but Emma couldn't stop from stealing glances at the woman every now and then.

There was a loud scream from a woman, and the camera points to her. It was at that moment that the woman dropped to her knees and cried. She must have just found out that her kid was still inside.

You see and hear a pair of ambulances arrive, behind the wailing woman. The camera points back to the building where a couple of emerging firefighters have a few kids with them. The camera zooms in on Emma and she is seen carrying what looks like a young child, probably only a freshman. Walking next to her, are two more students who are stumbling and coughing a lot.

One firefighter runs to them and guides the kids to the ambulances, as Emma's team run back inside.

Five minutes later, Emma and her crew come running out of the building announcing they had the last of the teens. It is not a large school so thankfully they could take all the kids out in a couple trips.

The clip cuts to a firefighter, in a white tank top much like Emma's and a uniform shirt thrown over his shoulder. "I love my job. You get to save people's lives. It's like you get to do something for the community not everyone gets an opportunity to do. You give them a chance to escape when they may not see a way out anymore. You get to help someone, like only a firefighter, a doctor or somebody like that can." He smiles. The name seen written on the tag of his shirt is 'August'.

"I mean," another firefighter appears on screen. "There are so many good things to take away from this job. You get to save people's lives, yes but also, there are the animals that need our help. We rescue them too. It doesn't always have to be big televised fires, even if it's not that big a deal, it's a big thing for me to help the people or their animals." His name tag reads, 'Graham'.

You see the firefighters walk around ambulances to go comfort the people. They get lots of hugs and handshakes and you can see that the people are really thankful for what they do.

SQSQS

The screen goes black and the lights turn back on. It is completely silent when Emma walks back to the stage. She is overwhelmed when she gets a standing ovation, everyone clapping and cheering enthusiastically.

After a while, the people sit down and Emma is still on stage smiling. "So yeah, that is what I do, something I'm passionate about. I've been doing this job for six years now, and I've never regretted applying for it." Emma beams. "Thank you. Are there any questions?"

Once more there is a round of applause. She smiles and a pink tint comes creeping onto her face. A couple of hands are raised for questions. "Yes." Emma points at a young teenage boy.

"How did you come to have a job interview at the fire department?"

"Well, I remember desperately seeking a job when I graduated college. I mean, I had a four year old at the time so I could not afford not to have a job. So I lined up job interviews everywhere really. The fire department was just one of many. I was already in shape so I knew if they called me in, I could pass the firefighter physical ability test. I knew it'd be tough but I'm glad I got the job." Emma smiles and moves on to the next raised hand.

"Yes, you." She points at a lady who looks like she's somewhat older. She is most likely a staff member.

"Aren't you ever afraid that something might happen to you? Because you may think you are the hero, but you have son, so why not take a safer job and be a more responsible parent?" The woman asks.

"Okay first of all," Emma says, a bit pissed at the way the girl was telling her how to live her life. "I never said I thought I was a hero, I just do my job damn well, there's a difference. Second of all, my son is more than happy I have this job and is proud that I am his mother." Emma informs the girl with narrowed eyes. "So please, do not tell me what kind of job I should have or the parent I should be."

She quickly dismisses the woman and focuses on the other raised hands. "Yes you, please."

"You saved my little brother from that fire," The guy says, he looks like he is in his early twenties. "My parents and I can't thank you enough for that."

Emma's spirits are instantly lifted. "You are more than welcome. How is he doing, has he recovered?" She asks.

"He is doing great! He'll be so happy you asked about him. Thank you so much, again." The guy sits back down, clearly happy.

"It was my pleasure, I am glad he is doing well."

Mr. Gold walks up to the stage and moves to the microphone, signaling Emma her time is up. "Ladies and gentlemen, that's all the time we have for our firefighter." He says, not even smiling. It's no wonder some of the staff think he's a beast. "Thank you, Miss Swan." He nods and Emma waves as she walks back to her seat.

The moment Emma sits down, Regina's hand reaches for hers again. Smiling at each other, they play with each other's fingers barely listening to Mr. Gold finish his introductions as the new speaker approaches the podium.

It takes another hour till the conference ends. With great relief, Emma and Regina leave the room, fingers interlaced. The event finally over, Emma's son joins them. The blonde is about to reintroduce the boy Regina hasn't seen since graduation when a shout interrupts her.

"Regina." Someone yells. 'Ugh' Emma thinks, there's only one person...

Robin comes running over to them like an uncouth idiot, and Emma reflexively holds the brunette's hand a bit tighter. She feels Henry press against her, probably in reaction to her body language.

"You want to have dinner?" He asks and places his hand possessively on the brunette's arm.

"Sorry Robin but-" Regina starts to say but is interrupted by Emma.

"She already has a date," Emma smirks and takes Robin's hand and flings it off Regina's arm.

Robin narrows his eyes. "So what, you're a dyke now?" He mocks.

"Robin," Regina exhales. "This is a school. You know better than to use such a derogatory word." She reprimands, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Regina, please, I thought you left that phase behind you," he questions and puts both his hands on Regina's shoulders.

"Hey bro, don't touch her," Emma orders and places her hand on his chest, pushing him away gently.

"Don't you touch me, you filthy dyke," Robin rages, his face twisting in disgust.

"What did you just say?" A little boy's voice speaks up next to Emma.

"You heard me you little shit," Robin bellows and smacks the back the kid's head hard.

Emma is a nanosecond away from exploding. Who the hell does this fucker think he is, hitting her son? But Henry reacts faster, kicking him hard in the leg and slamming a powerful tiny fist into his stomach. "Death to you, demon!" Henry yells. But before it escalates further, security reaches them, having already been on the way when the shouting had started.

SQSQSQS

They are all standing in the parking lot outside the school. After the altercation with Robin, they decide to have dinner at Emma's. Ruby, a friend since college, has joined them as well. Fortunately, she doesn't know about the Robin thing since she had been outside the school chatting with her old college sweetheart. She can act a rabid wolf when the ones she loves are attacked.

"Emma you should just drop Henry and me off at the supermarket. This way, we can get some things while you show Regina where you live without us interrupting." Ruby says and winks at the blonde.

"Yeah Ruby, then I get to pick what we eat," Henry giggles.

Emma just thinks it is really cute that the young boy has no idea what Ruby is really talking about. So she just smiles and shakes her head. "Okay fine, but please get something I like too." Emma grins.

"Of course, Mom," Henry hugs her.

"Oh hell, just give me your keys. That would be easier." Ruby grabs the car keys from her hand. "See ya in an hour!" Ruby shouts over her shoulder and the long haired woman and short haired brunette boy start running away.

"She hasn't changed a bit, has she?" Regina smirks.

"Not really, no," Emma laughs.

Regina walks to her car, Emma following the brunette. "Jesus." Emma whispers, "Sweet ride." She says, very impressed with the SL series Mercedes Benz.

"Thank you." Regina's smile is smug as they settle into the car.

SQSQS

"All right well, I wasn't expecting company so don't look at the mess, okay," Emma warns, embarrassment warming her face.

"Don't worry," Regina smiles and takes the blonde's hand in her own. "Show me."

Reassured, Emma nods, taking the house keys out of her pocket and opens the door. They walk into the small apartment and Emma gallantly takes Regina's coat and bag. The door leads right into the living room, and when you look to the left, you see an open kitchen. The small room looks a bit crowded but with a large leather couch, a tv and a love chair squeezed in, it's expected.

In the kitchen are the usual appliances including a small table with four chairs. What is unexpected are all the family pictures up on the wall.

Emma bites her lip and watches Regina, looking for any reaction. "It's really nice Emma." The brunette says.

"Thank you. Want a tour?" She asks bashfully.

"Sure," Regina answers eagerly and smiles brightly.

"Okay, this way," Emma says, walking through the living room. "So as you can see, this is the living room and there's the kitchen." Emma points to the bright kitchen.

Emma continues to walk to a narrow, hallway look-like area. She points to the signs on two closed doors. "Bathroom and toilet." She says. There are two signs, one reads 'bathroom' and the other one 'toilet', hanging on the doors.

"And this way," Emma whispers playfully, and they walk up the small stairs in the back of the living room. "This is Henry's room." She pushes the door open. The room is definitely a child's room. "He likes adventures, so I gave him this top room. The stairs alone is the start of an epic story for him." Emma smirks as she reminisces how happy the then six year old boy had been when she told him he could sleep in this room.

"It looks like a great child's room, Emma," Regina smiles

"Yeah, it makes him pretty happy," Emma smiles back at the brunette, closing the boy's door.

"Um, this is the guest room," Emma walks over to the door next to Henry's room. It is just a bed, and nothing else. But it is functional and good enough for now.

"And where do you sleep, if I may ask?" Regina flirts.

"That would be this way," Emma blushes and they walk back down the stairs again. Just behind the stairs is another door, which Emma opens and they stand in the doorway.

There isn't much either, but it has a queen sized bed, a place to put her clothes in, and even a small vanity with a mirror. "It's not a lot but I have more than enough." Emma says, not daring to look at the brunette, afraid that she may have failed her or something.

"It looks very cozy, and I like it a lot," Regina smiles and steps a bit closer to Emma. The blonde feels a warm soft hand on her chin, making her look at the other woman. When Emma stares into the brown eyes, she melts.

They just gaze at each other for a moment, both woman smiling, just getting lost in each other's eyes. Then Emma leans in and presses her lips to the smaller, older woman's. She wraps her arms around Regina's waist and pulls her closer, feeling the other woman's arms wind around her neck.

Emma gently pushes the brunette into the wall behind her, pressing their bodies together. It starts as a nice, tender kiss. But soon, it turns into heated, all tongue and teeth. Each woman is trying to bring the other one closer when Emma realizes her leg has slipped easily between the other woman's firm thighs. She hears Regina let out a loud moan.

"Mom?!" They hear Henry yell from the living room, as he enters house. The two women part, both are breathing heavily, reluctant to let go of each other fully. Their hands stay on the other's body. Regina's hand is still behind the blonde's neck and Emma's is wrapped around the brunette's waist.

Giggling at almost getting caught, they walk back to the living room, seeing Henry helping Ruby bring all the stuff they bought into the kitchen. Ruby smirks knowingly at the two women and winks, then turns back to Henry and the groceries.

Dinner went by quickly, way too fast for Emma's liking. Ruby went home to her boyfriend after dinner, and Emma and Regina didn't want their time to end yet so the three of them decide to watch a movie.

Henry sits in the chair completely focused on the screen. The two women are on the couch, with Regina resting her head on Emma's shoulder while Emma's arm is wrapped around older woman. They play softly with each other's hands, not really paying attention to the movie.

The movie credits begin to roll and it also feels like it ended way too fast. With a groan Emma stands up, "All right young man, off to bed with you." Emma says, clapping her hands.

"But Mooommm," Henry whines. "It's Friday and we have a guest and it's fun and I want to stay up with you guys." Henry argues and puts on his puppy dog eyes.

"Oh no, no way. You already stayed up an hour later than normally." Emma reminds him and turns off the tv. "Maybe Regina can say goodnight to you when you are ready." She bribes and picks the boy up.

Henry squeals as Emma hauls him around. Even though the boy was almost 10, he still liked his mother / son moments. "All right Mom." Henry concedes and walks up the stairs to get ready for bed.

When Emma turns around, Regina is in the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of the cabernet sauvignon Ruby bought for them. Smiling Emma enters the kitchen and wraps her arms around Regina from behind. "I like this...you." Emma whispers.

Regina turns around. "I like you, too." She takes a sip before putting her glass down and wrapping her arms around the blonde's neck.

Emma smiles and leans in, pressing her lips to Regina's. The kiss is sweet, the taste of wine lingering, and they both smile into it. When they lean back, they just pull each other back into a hug.

"It's been so long," Regina whispers.

"I know," Emma murmurs.

"I should be mad at you for leaving me without knowing anything about you for the last six years." Regina pouts.

Emma pulls back and presses the other woman against the kitchen counter and Emma leans against her. "Yeah, I know...and I'm truly sorry. That was never my intention. But now, after it's been so long." Emma clutches Regina even tighter. "I remember how much you mean to me, how much I've missed you without even realizing." Emma smiles and burrows into the crook of Regina's neck, inhaling deeply. She places a tentative kiss, followed by a gentle pulling of skin with her teeth.

Regina whimpers. "Me too, darling." She tangles her fingers in blonde hair and pulls, bringing Emma's face into view and presses a lazy kiss on her lips.

Emma smiles at the memory that suddenly surfaces.

When she received her degree in college, she marched up to the stage, to get her paper, and shook the hands of three different teachers. As she walked off the stage, Regina was standing a couple of feet away smiling at her student.

Granny, Ruby's grandmother, was in the audience with Henry. Both she and her granddaughter were wondering if the new graduate would be brave enough. Emma had talked about a plan with Ruby. Emma would walk up to her teacher and kiss her right there and then.

So here Emma was, walking towards her teacher… her now ex professor with a smile, seeing Miss Mills respond with an even brighter smile.

"Emma congratulations," Regina beamed.

Emma smiled back "Thank you. But I could not have done this without you." She said and pulled the brunette into a hug. They had never been the physical type because of the student / teacher thing. But now that Emma was done with college, she thought what the hell.

"So, Granny is babysitting Henry tonight," Emma said when she pulled out of the hug. The brunette moved them off to the side since the procession of students receiving their diplomas was still in progress. Emma then removed her cap to keep from poking Regina in the face as they talked.

"And we're having a party at her diner, you should come." She smiled. Pretty much nothing could kill her vibe today.

"Oh I don't know Emma," Regina said, looking down at her shoes. "I'm still a teacher and they will always look at me like that. I may end up a bit of a buzz kill by being there." She said clearing her throat looking back at Emma.

"That's why you wouldn't be going as professor Regina Mills, you'd be going as Regina Mills, Emma's date," she smirked.

Regina looked at her with wide eyes, "Wait, what?" She asked surprised. She sighed. "Emma-"

"Look I have no money and the money I do have goes to Henry. And I just want to do something for you, give you something or like…" Emma sighed. "I just want to thank you for everything you have done for me and I don't know any other way." She breathed out, playing with tassel of her graduation cap.

"That's very sweet of you," Regina smiled. "But maybe a college student party is not the best place to go to as a professor." She apologized.

"Okay, what do you want to do then?" Emma asked with all the hope she had showing in her eyes.

"There is a party down at the 'Rocky Bar' tonight. Not many students are going and only the cool teachers are planning on showing up."

"All right, that's where we'll go then," Emma's eyes sparkled again.

That night Emma picked Regina up in her old yellow bug. She was dressed in a pink, tight dress that hugged her curves, something Regina had never seen her wear before. Regina's mouth dropped when she opened the door, but Emma went slack jawed, too. Regina was dressed in a tight black dress that was low cut and ended above her knees.

They didn't really talk a lot on the way to the bar. They had decided to leave the car at Regina's house. Now that Emma was old enough to drink, she was going to. When they got to the party, most of the people were drunk already, not even noticing who entered the bar. It was packed, so Emma boldly took Regina's hand and weaved her way to the bar. Emma bought them the first couple of drinks before Regina took over for the rest of the night.

Three hours later, they were both very buzzed and dancing away on the dance floor. Someone tried to dance with Regina from behind, and Emma immediately rectified that. She wrapped her arms around the brunette's waist and pulled her as close as she could, making them grind together on the floor.

After another hour of nonstop dancing, they walked back to Regina's house. It took them about an hour instead of the 20 minutes it should have, to get there. They were way too drunk to walk without stumbling or stopping to laugh at ridiculous things.

"I had the best time ever tonight," Emma giggled, her arm wrapped around the brunette's shoulder.

"Me too," Regina giggled right back, both of her arms wrapped around the blonde's waist.

When they finally made it to Regina's home, they let go of each other. Regina opened the front door and turned around. "Tonight was a lot of fun." She grinned.

Emma smiled and with one smooth move, she was inside the house and pinning Regina to the closed door, crashing their lips together.

Both women moaned. Having no filter because of the alcohol, Emma boldly slipped her leg in between Regina's, both women grinding into each other. Slowly they stumbled to the couch, falling over when they hit the wall on the way. But they never left each other's mouths. They crawled across the floor to the couch, still kissing, all teeth and tongue. But the moment Regina hit the cool leather of the sofa and Emma settled on top of her, they fell asleep.

The next morning they laughed at the situation. Both thankful nothing happened, each having their own reasons. Emma was glad because if anything were to happen, she didn't want to have sex when drunk and she wanted both of them to remember the experience.

From Regina's point, it was because she still felt she was Emma's teacher.

Snapping out of the memory, Emma presses her lips against Regina's again.

"Mom?" A small voice floats from up the stairs. "I'm ready."

"Okay, coming," Emma smiles, taking Regina by the hand and pulling her along to Henry's room.

They both smile when they enter Henry's room; he was already in his bed. "All right kid, today was pretty fun, right?" Emma smiles and sits down on his bed.

"Yes it was," he agrees.

"Good night sweetie," Emma whispers and presses a kiss to his cheek.

"Good night Henry," Regina smiles. When Henry sits up and opens his small arms, Regina smiles a little brighter and hugs the small child.

Emma turns off the overhead light and a wall with glow-in-the-dark stars light up. "See you tomorrow sweet cheeks." Emma whispers.

"Good night mommy," he whispers back.

After another glass of wine, Regina says it's time for her to head home. Emma nods and walks the brunette to the door.

"I had a really nice time today," Regina says shyly.

"Me too, I really did," Emma smiles back at her.

They stand there for a moment, smiling at each other. Not saying anything just basking in each other's presence.

"All right," Regina whispers after a moment.

"Okay," Emma says and opens the door for the brunette. "Well, um-" but Emma was cut off by a pair of lips pressing against her own. Smiling into the kiss Emma kissed back, placing her hand softly on Regina's cheek.

They pull back a bit after another moment. "Text me when you get home okay." Emma whispers against Regina's lips.

"I will, call me tomorrow?"

"I will," Emma smiles. Regina nods with a bright smile on her face, walking out of the door. With a happy sigh Emma closes the door.