Chapter 5

Henry gently lowered his mother to the floor and tucked his jacket under her head. Nervously, he checked to make sure she was still breathing and let out a sigh of relief. She was still alive, but seeing her collapsed on the floor this way made him anxious. Henry grabbed his phone and called Emma. He'd had about twenty texts from both of his mothers wondering where he'd been. He knew she'd answer her phone immediately waiting to hear from him.

"Henry!? Where are you? Where have you been!?"

"Mom! I need you to come back to Mom's! She's collapsed in the kitchen and I can't wake her up! Please help me!"

"Stay right there, Henry! I'm on my way!"

Emma whipped her car around in a U-turn. She'd been patrolling the streets and all the usual places trying to find him that night. Her heart was racing and her stomach was turning at the thought that Regina was in trouble once again. Emma hit her steering wheel with the palm of her hand, sobbing in anger with herself. What was she thinking? She never should have left her in that condition. She should have stayed with her and told her how much she loved her. She should have stayed and fought for her. She should have made her listen to the truth of what had happened between her and Hook that day at the docks. Her foot pressed the pedal to the floor while she prayed she wouldn't be too late. Her car came to a screeching halt in front of the mansion. Once again, Emma found herself running into the house. She went directly to the kitchen where she found Henry hovering over Regina's non-responsive form. Her heart dropped to her stomach.

"Oh my God! Regina!" She gently shook Regina's shoulders and felt for her pulse.

"Mom, you have to help her!"

Emma looked at him desperately. "Ok. It's gonna be ok. I'll try."

She held out her hands over Regina and closed her eyes as she concentrated her magic over her. After a few moments, Emma gasped and dropped her hands. "It's not working! I can't break it! I think she put herself under a sleeping curse."

"You're magic isn't going to break the curse that way."

"You have to wake her up, Henry."

"No. I can't do it."

"Henry," she cried out desperately, "we don't have time for this! Wake her up! She needs true love's kiss!"

"I know! That's why you have to give it to her!"

"Henry, for God's sake! We don't even know if I am her true love. Please! Just wake her up!"

"No, Mom! You can do this! You need to start believing in your love! Start believing in her. Fight for her. Fight for you both."

Emma choked out a desperate sob as she looked down at Regina. She looked so peaceful and so far away from her. All Emma knew was that she wanted her back. She needed to see those deep brown eyes staring back into her soul. Henry put his hand on her shoulder.

"You can do this, Mom. I believe in you."

Emma pulled Regina up towards her and cradled her head in her arm. She let her other hand come up to brush her hair from her face and cup her cheek. She allowed herself to fully experience what it was like to hold Regina this way. She'd wanted to hold her, and touch her in such a loving way for so long now. Her touch remained delicate and caring as she caressed her cheek. She let herself remember all the good moments they had shared before everything went wrong. She remembered lying in bed next to Regina that night, playing with her hand as they talked into the wee hours. It didn't take long for her to feel all that love for her queen swelling within her heart. A single tear escaped her eye as she whispered her name.

"Regina…I love you."

Emma pressed her lips against Regina's and let all the love in her heart flow through her. Anxiously, she pulled back and looked down at Regina expectantly. Her heart began to race when Regina remained unresponsive.

"Regina! Wake up!" She began shaking her desperately. "No! No! Henry! Kiss her! Help her!"

Henry panicked. "It was supposed to work! Mom! Wake up! Emma you didn't believe! You have to believe!"

"Regina! Come back to me! Come back to me and let me love you! Come back and forgive me or hate me! Just come back to our family, Regina, please," she cried desperately.

Emma crashed her lips against Regina's once more with all the passion she could muster, and a wave of magic swept over them, stronger than any they had felt before. Regina's eyes began to slowly open, giving Emma a confused look. "Emma?"

"Oh, thank God," Emma exclaimed, kissing Regina again. "Don't ever scare me like that again! What were you thinking!?"

"What?"

"Mom…" Henry began.

"You put yourself under a sleeping curse!? Why would you do that to me, to Henry! We need you! What if it hadn't worked!?"

"I didn't put myself under a curse. I don't know what happened. All I remember is sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee…"

"You didn't take any more of that stuff?"

"No. I stopped after you and Henry left."

Emma helped her sit up while still keeping her arms around her for support. "I don't understand. Who would have done this to you?"

"Wait…you woke me up?"

Henry sat back nervously as he watched their exchange and remained quiet. Emma smiled at her. "I did…"

"You…you broke the sleeping curse. You…you kissed me?"

"I love you, Regina."

Tears flowed freely from her. "Emma, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I was so scared. And then when I saw you with Hook…"

"I wasn't with Hook, Regina. You must have left before I kneed him in the balls."

"You what!?"

Emma laughed for the first time in days. "Yeah…he was on the ground for quite a while, I assume. That's where he was when I left him. Counting his jewels."

It was Regina's turn to laugh, as she framed Emma's face and kissed her. "I love you."

Emma gave her a teary smile. "I love you too."

"You don't think Hook did this, do you?"

"Uh, Moms?"

Regina turned and framed his face. "Henry! Oh, Henry, I'm so sorry…"

"Wait. Mom, it's ok. Listen to me. I know who did this."

"You do?" Emma asked.

Henry nodded shyly. "I did it."

"You did what!" they both exclaimed in unison.

"I'm sorry, Mom. It was the only way I could get the two of you to believe. I didn't want you to get hurt. I knew Emma would break the curse. I didn't know what else to do. You guys were starting to scare me. It was getting out of control. I had to do something drastic."

Emma was shocked. "Henry, I can't believe you would do that to her! You used dark magic on your mother!? She could've been lost to us forever! What if it hadn't worked? What were you thinking!?"

Regina felt Emma's hold on her tightening, and she brought her hand over hers in an effort to calm her. "Emma…it's all right."

"No it's not! I almost lost you," she cried.

"But you didn't. You saved me." She turned to Henry. "I know you weren't trying to hurt me, Henry, but that was very dangerous. I don't want you using dark magic ever again. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Now, I need you to tell me how you got your hands on a sleeping curse to begin with." The fear she felt for his answer turned her stomach.

"I convinced Belle to help me. Please don't be mad at her! You have to promise not to take it out on her."

Regina sighed in relief. "While I'm not going to promise not to have a word with her, I'm just glad you didn't make a deal with Gold."

"Of course not. I'm smarter than that."

Both women shot him a look that made him blush. "Ok, so maybe I'm not the smartest guy in the world, but it worked, didn't it?"

Regina sighed and pulled him close. "You're lucky I love you more than life itself."

Emma held both of them in her arms, vowing to herself she'd never let them go again. Henry helped her get Regina to her feet and up the stairs once more. Regina sat on the edge of her bed and ran her hand through her hair. "This feels like the longest day."

"Tell me about it," Emma laughed. "You need to get to bed, Kid. Everything is gonna be fine."

Henry nodded and hugged Regina tight. "I'm glad you're ok, Mom. I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart," she said as she kissed him.

Emma walked him to the bedroom door. "You're not leaving, are you?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying here to look after your mom."

He smiled and hugged her tight. "Goodnight, Mom. Love you."

"Love you too, Kiddo."

Once she shut the door, she turned back to look at Regina. All that had happened between them began to fully sink in. Emma made her way to the bed and wrapped her arms around Regina. "I'm staying here tonight."

"Thank you."

"And tomorrow night, if you'll let me."

"I'll let you stay as many nights as you want. Just promise me we'll never get that lost again," she said into Emma's shoulder.

Emma placed a dozen kisses on top of Regina's head before framing her face to look into her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you. We're in this together. You and me. No more running."

Regina shook her head. "No more running."

"This isn't going to be easy, Regina, but I want you. I need you. I love you."

"I love you too."

"I'm scared. This is scary as hell for both of us, but nothing compared to the fear I felt at the thought of losing you."

"I know. I don't ever want to feel that again. I was so empty without you."

They kissed each other passionately as if they had been doing it for years. All their love, sadness, forgiveness, and relief went into that kiss. After a few moments, their lips breathlessly parted, and Emma caressed Regina's cheeks with her thumbs as she lovingly gazed into her eyes. She wanted to always remember what the world behind those deep brown eyes looked like. As much as they longed to make love to one another, tonight the need for assurance was stronger than passion. While Regina freshened up in the bathroom, Emma found the t-shirt she had slept in the last time she had stayed with Regina, and discarded the rest of her clothing on the chair next to the vanity. This left Emma in the t-shirt and her underwear. Under normal circumstances, she would have been more apprehensive about such a bold move, but now was the time for steps forward. When Regina came out of the bathroom and saw Emma standing on the other side of the bed waiting for her to get in, she took a deep breath. Emma looked so beautiful in all her simplicity. This is how Emma would look every night at home in her bedroom. The move made by Emma stilled Regina's heart, signifying that this was real. They were really doing this. They were going to be together. Regina laid her robe across the end of the bed and crawled in with her. Switching off the side lamp, Regina snuggled up into Emma's arms. Emma placed a kiss on her head and began to lightly rub her head, back, and arms. Regina wrapped her arms around her and sighed contentedly.

"I feel like I just slept for a year. I'm so tired, but nowhere near sleepy."

Emma chuckled. "I can imagine. It's ok. Just rest and let me hold you."

"I'm sorry, Emma."

"Shh, it's ok. You don't have to say it anymore. It's over. I'm sorry too. I'm sorry I was so hard on you."

"It's ok."

"No, it's not. I was an ass. I should have been more understanding. I was just scared."

"Me too."

"Luckily, tomorrow is Saturday and we'll have the whole day to make it up to each other."

"You're not on duty?"

"Dad said he'd cover me."

Regina smiled and snuggled in closer to her. "Emma, I'm still afraid."

"So am I. But it'll be ok as long as we talk to each other and we're honest with each other. Mom is rooting for us."

Regina raised her brow and looked at her. "Isn't that ironic."

"Yeah. She said it weirded her out at first, but she supports our happiness."

"She'd better."

Emma laughed. "You'll never really get over the joy of holding that over her head, will you?"

"Would you?"

"No. Not if she were responsible for taking you from me. I'd probably go on a rampage too."

A deep rooted fear set in as she held Emma closer. "What if something takes you away from me too?"

"Nothing is going to take me away from you, Regina. No pirate, no mothers, no curse, no monsters. It's just you and me. We can get through anything together."

"Together…I don't know if I'll ever get used to that."

Emma smiled. "I know. But in a way, we have kind of gotten used to it with Henry."

"I suppose."

"We'll get used to this new togetherness too, and it'll be just as strong."

Regina had to ask. "Did you know you would break the curse?"

"The sleeping curse?"

Regina laughed and nudged her. "Yes, that curse."

"I didn't, actually. Henry was the one who pushed me. I was afraid I wouldn't be enough. I thought Henry had to do it."

"You doubted your feelings or mine?"

"I guess both, but more yours."

"Emma, I was a wreck without you. I've never felt so weak and vulnerable."

"Regina, you have to promise me right now you'll never do what you did. I was so scared and so angry seeing you strung out like that. No matter what happens, you can never ever do that again, do you understand? Not to me and especially not to Henry."

"I know. I promise. I'm sorry. I'll have to talk to him tomorrow and apologize."

"It's ok. I understand. But we love you and we need you, ok?"

"I still can't believe I'm hearing those words."

"Well, believe it. You're going to be hearing them every day from now on. I love you, Regina Mills."

She giggled. "I love you, Emma Swan."

They laid together in silence and just held each other all night long until sleep eventually overcame them. They spent the remainder of the weekend together, healing and making up for lost time. Monday morning rolled around and Regina had insisted on Emma staying the night again. Emma was more than happy to oblige. Regina was up first so she could shower before Emma. She packed Henry's lunch for school and finished gathering her things for work while Emma and Henry got ready. They all left early to go to Granny's that morning for breakfast together. The morning crowd was both surprised and relieved to see the Sheriff and the Mayor out and about in good spirits. What surprised them more was how good those spirits were. Emma and Regina had walked in holding hands and sat next to each other in the booth rather than across from each other like they had in the past. To anyone, they looked like a happy family. Emma and Henry had ordered chocolate chip pancakes and attempted to persuade Regina to order the same. However, the Mayor decided to stick to the apple pancakes and gave the other two one of those classic eye rolls as they taunted her with bites of chocolatey sweetness on their forks. Towards the end of their meal, Regina cleaned up the syrup and chocolate on Henry's face in motherly fashion and Emma teased her. She turned to Emma and fussed over her in much the same way, causing Henry to laugh. He was more than relieved to see his mothers together and happy again as they should be. Still, the display had the town buzzing by lunch time. Especially since Emma had kissed Regina under the archway as she left the two of them to get Henry to school while she headed for the station.

When Regina got to the office, she was grateful she had brought coffee along with her. Her lackluster performance in the last week had left her far behind in town-managing affairs. She was more than a little frustrated with herself for being so irresponsible, but she couldn't help feeling renewed and happy knowing her family was whole. She had a family to go home to. She had a son whom she loved and adored, and a woman who loved her. When lunch time rolled around, Regina was overjoyed to receive a text from Emma. It had been a while since she'd enjoyed the pleasure of Emma's texts during the day, and she had missed this feeling.

Hey, gorgeous ;) Thought you might like some lunch. Special delivery.

Hmm… what are we having today, Sheriff?

Whatever you'd like, my queen.

Chicken caesar salad, please.

You got it, babe. See you soon xoxo

Babe? Really?

You know you like it.

I'm not sure how I feel about that.

We'll see about that when I see you, baby.

I like 'baby' even less.

But you don't dislike it. ;) Like I said, I'm sure I can give you a context in person that you'll enjoy.

See you soon, dear. xoxo

Regina smiled. She did like hearing Emma call her "babe" though she'd never admit it. It was such an Emma thing to do. There was only one instance she could imagine enjoying Emma calling her "baby" that sent shivers down her spine. Regina shook the thought out of her head and pushed herself to focus back on getting through her emails before Emma arrived. When she did arrive, Regina was lost in a very important, detailed email. She hadn't even looked up from her computer to see Emma yet.

"Just a second, Emma. I'm almost finished."

Emma smirked. She was relieved to see the woman she loved back to her old self again. Ever the responsible and focused mayor. There was a reason she was mayor of Storybrooke after all and it wasn't because she put herself in that position with the curse. After Snow's brief stint as mayor, the town was more than happy to have Regina back in the position. Regardless of the terror she unleashed in her reign in the Enchanted Forest, Regina was an incredible leader. Emma set the take out bags and drinks on the conference table and walked over to stand behind Regina's chair. She leaned in slowly as Regina continued typing and brushed her nose against her ear, causing Regina to shiver.

"Mmm, Emma…" She leaned her head to the side to allow Emma better access and continued with her email. Emma smiled, brushing her hair back behind her shoulder and began pressing kisses along her neck. Regina stiffened her back a little and sighed, typing faster.

"Emma…"

"Hmm," Emma purred into her ear. The sound caused Regina's fingers to stop their work and her eyes to drift closed. Emma turned Regina's chair around so that she was facing her and planted a passionate kiss on her lips. Regina's hand came up to capture Emma's face, desperately sliding her tongue into her mouth. She groaned and whimpered as she felt Emma's knee press between her legs, causing her skirt to rise.

"Ohh…"

"I believe I have an appointment, Madame Mayor."

"Mmm…what would you like to discuss?"

Emma's hands trailed down her arms leaving goosebumps. "There's a tunnel in Storybrooke I need to explore."

"A tunnel?"

Emma kissed her way up and down her neck slowly, nibbling at her ear. "Mhmm…I think it needs my attention…" she said as her hand drifted to tease Regina's inner thigh.

"Oh…yes…I agree. I think you should…get on that right away, Sheriff."

Emma allowed her fingertips to lightly brush across her underwear before removing her hand and whispering into her ear. "Perhaps after my shift is over…"

Regina whimpered at the absence of her touch and scowled at her. "You tease. You'll pay for that."

"I hope so," Emma said as she wiggled her eyebrows.

Regina rolled her eyes and pushed past her to move towards the table. In an instant, Emma landed a playful swat against Regina's backside that made her squeal in surprise. Her cheeks flushed instantly as she spun on her heel to glare at the cheeky blonde smirking at her. "You're just begging for it, aren't you?"

"Begging for what," Emma asked with a wink.

"For the Evil Queen to come out and play," she threatened in a deep sultry tone that made Emma's stomach tighten.

"God, yes."

Regina raise her brow, amused. "You're sure about that?"

"Well maybe just you first, Madame Mayor. But I'd certainly love to meet the Queen one of these days. I've seen those outfits and that evil cleavage…"

Regina couldn't help but laugh and shake her head. "Just eat your greasy junk before you get more of her than you bargained for."

"Hey! It's not junk. It's good."

"Mhmm…" Regina snatched one of Emma's fries and pressed a kiss to her cheek before sitting down to her salad. "Thank you for lunch."

Emma smiled brightly. "You're welcome…babe."

With another eye roll from Regina, they dug into their meal. Emma told Regina she'd be late getting to her house after her shift because her mother needed her to watch the baby for a while. When they'd finished their lunch, Regina walked Emma to the door and placed a slow, sensual kiss to her lips. "Thank you for stopping by, Sheriff Swan."

"Anytime, Madame Mayor."

"See you tonight," she said in a whisper against her lips.

Emma gave her one more sweet kiss. "See you then."

After Emma left, Regina panicked and ran to grab her phone. Emma couldn't help the smile on her face when she read the text from Regina.

I love you.

I love you too.

That smile would stay with Emma the rest of the day.

….

Emma loved spending time with her baby brother, but she began to grow restless the later her parents were. Regina and Henry had finished dinner and cleaned up when she decided to see what was keeping Emma.

Still babysitting?

Ugh, yes. I don't know what the hell is taking them so long. I may be late.

It's ok. We just finished dinner. Henry is getting ready to pick a movie to watch before bed time.

Ok. I'll try to be there at least in time to tuck him in…and you ;)

We'll be waiting :)

Emma sighed and sent a text to her parents trying not to sound anxious.

Having fun?

Everything is great! How's Neal?

He's good. Drooling away.

Wonderful :) He loves you. Thank you for taking care of him, Emma.

You're welcome.

Love you!

Love you too.

She sank back into the couch with a grunt. It didn't sound like they were going to get home any time soon. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep with Neal on her chest. She didn't wake up until she felt the weight being lifted from her. David's face was a contortion of concentration as he tried to move the baby without waking either of them. Snow gazed down on them adoringly.

"You two looked so precious! My babies…" she whispered.

Emma sat up and rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"

"It's just past eleven. Sorry we're a little late."

"It's ok," she said grabbing her phone. Sure enough, she had texts from Regina.

Henry's getting in the shower now.

Any sign of the Charmings yet?

I'm going to tuck Henry in. I'll tell him you said goodnight.

Are you ok? Do I need to put another sleeping curse on those two?

Emma quickly texted her back.

Hey! I'm sorry, I fell asleep. They just got back. I may curse them myself. Be right there.

It's all right, dear. It's late and you're tired. Just go to bed and get some rest. We can meet you for breakfast in the morning if you'd like.

Are you sure? I don't mind.

It's ok, Emma. I'm about to drift off myself. I'll see you in the morning.

Ok. Goodnight. I love you.

Goodnight. I love you too. xoxo

Emma sighed disappointed as she dragged herself up the stairs towards her room. Once she'd changed and climbed into bed, she found herself staring up at the ceiling. She didn't want to be here. She wanted to be next to Regina. After debating for a few minutes, she grabbed her phone and sent Regina another message.

I can't sleep. I miss you.

I miss you too.

She smiled. What are you wearing?

Really, Miss Swan?

I'm wearing a white tank top and grey underwear.

I'm not playing this game.

Are you wearing lace?

Emma.

That sexy long baby blue nightie?

Emma Swan. Go to sleep.

Oh, come on. Give me something good to dream about at least.

Emma nearly had a heart attack when she received an unexpected picture message. It was a picture of Regina in bed wearing nothing but the t-shirt Emma wore when she spent the night and her underwear. Regina's legs were curled up and she was holding the t-shirt down between her legs as a teasing form of modesty. The expression on her face was pure provocation and desire. Emma's mouth ran dry, while other places…not so much.

Sweet dreams, dear ;)

Not only did Regina look sexy as hell, but her heart melted realizing she had done something so sentimental as sleeping in her t-shirt. She supposed it wasn't technically her shirt, but it had been designated her sleep shirt from day one. Emma turned to her side and snuggled into her pillow with the image of Regina locked in her heart. Soon, she had fallen asleep with a smile on her face.

Regina smiled and shook her head as she put her phone aside and snuggled back into the pillow that smelled like Emma. She felt young again, like she was when she was with Daniel. Being married to Leopold had aged her early. Emma had breathed life back into her in more ways than one. She had fallen asleep with a contented smile on her face, looking forward to another family breakfast at Granny's the next morning. How exquisite it was to have something to look forward to at day's end. She would cherish this hopeful feeling for the rest of her days, and the two who gave this to her.