Author's Note: It has been 10 1/2 weeks since I last updated and I apologize. Life got crazy busy over the summer and now that I have a family (partner and step-kids), writing kind of took a back burner and then work happened, but I am going to try my hardest to get back to writing and updating this story since I am determined to see it done! If you're still with me, thank you for still reading! We still got a ways to go yet :)

"True loves?" Beth laughed as she sat at the small table in the dusty old kitchen with Emma and Mr. Gold. "Are you freaking kidding me right now? This is some kind of a joke, isn't it?"

"No," Emma said quietly, her cheeks burning. "I'm not joking. Not about this. Why would I joke about having something like this with someone I don't even know?"

"I mean, it is Regina," Beth said and she shook her head. "Regina doesn't do love. She told me she can't—"

"It is what she believed," Mr. Gold supplied. "I doubt she very much believes it herself even though it very clearly happened."

"And you," Beth said as she looked at the old man. "I thought you were the bad guy, the villain?"

"I was the Dark One, dearie," he said with a scoff. "Just be lucky I chose to be on your side instead of against it, hmm?"

"But why?" Beth asked and Emma sighed. They'd been through this a few times in the last hour or so they'd all been talking and the man that had once been beyond the wall had been silent as he stood by the ancient coffee maker and sipped his third cup of coffee. Black. "Why this side if you're, you know, evil?"

"Do you know why I ever became the Dark One in the first place, dearie?"

"For your son?" Emma offered.

"Because I was a coward," Mr. Gold said and he sighed as he picked up the spoon beside his coffee mug and gave his coffee a little stir. "I was a coward and I wanted to prove to my son, to Bae, that I was anything but a coward. In turn, of course, he ran from me. I have been looking for him ever since. This curse on Storybrooke, it was meant to be broken, you see. Cora, that wretched woman, tried to ruin it for everyone, for me."

"By taking Emma and Regina and placing them in another curse?" Beth asked. "So, what do I have to do with all of this?"

"You weren't a part of the prophecy, dearie. For all intents and purposes, you don't exist."

"Uh, she very much exists," Jefferson said, the first word he'd said since Emma let him out of the room that had been his prison for the better part of the last twenty-eight years. "She's sitting right here, Imp. Plain as day. Existing as much as you and me."

"I've been in this town since I was born and—"

"And you, aside from Henry, are the only one who has ever aged," Mr. Gold said. "Have you ever wondered why that is?"

"Because I'm special?" Beth asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I don't know why, so why don't you tell me since you seem to know everything."

"You weren't meant to survive the curse," he said and he looked over at Emma for a second. "Only one was meant to be the Savior. You weren't even supposed to have survived birth."

"Well, here I am, living and breathing and surviving. Why is that?"

"Magic."

Emma scoffed but she reeled back when Mr. Gold just scowled at her and turned his attention back to Beth.

"Magic, dearie. You and Emma possess some very powerful magic, the purest in all the lands. The kind of magic only those born to the parents who are True Loves."

"Our parents," Beth said as she looked at Emma. "Our parents are Snow White and Prince-fucking-Charming?"

"A twist of fate has been set into motion, but by whom, by what is anyone's guess. Perhaps, it is the author of this book. You found it, didn't you, Emma?"

"Ye—yes, I found a book. Pretty damn important book, isn't it?" She asked and all she got was an incredulous look from all three sets of eyes that were on her in the room. "Cora took it from me."

"She devised a plan to get you to retrieve the book when the time was right. It was protected, but because you found it—"

"How do you know so much?" Beth asked and she leaned forward, placing her elbows down on the table in front of her. "Are you just telling us what you think we want to hear?"

"What you choose to believe is on you, dearie. I, however, have spent twice your lifetimes searching and waiting for the moment I can see my son again," he said and he paused, clearing his throat as he looked over at Jefferson and motioned for him to leave.

Emma watched as the man she'd never seen the face of but felt a certain connection to even despite the situation in which they met—and which had been their destiny, their fate.

"You two, you are connected. It's one of many branches of this story," he said and he gently removed the spoon from the mug he was still slowly stirring. "It's up to you, Emma, to break this curse this town has been in for the last twenty-eight years."

"Think I can break it the same way I broke the other?"

Mr. Gold just laughed. "It is something to try, but not guaranteed. True Love's Kiss comes in many forms, whether it be with a lover or between a parent and their child. Now, this book, do you know where it is?"

"Cora took it from me back in Boston," Emma replied. "She probably has it hidden here somewhere."

"Jefferson?" Mr. Gold called out and Jefferson quickly appeared in the kitchen doorway. "Can you have a look and see if the book is here?"

"Yes, of course, Rumplestiltskin."

"Mr. Gold is fine," he said. "In fact, once the dark curse is broken, I plan to leave and never return."

"To find your son," Beth said and he nodded. "So—"

"Cora had him trapped," Emma blurted out. "In the first part of the curse. We broke it so that means he isn't there anymore, right?"

Anger marred the old man's face and then he simply nodded. "As would anyone else who that spiteful bitch put there as well."

Beth looked at Emma and shook her head. "How do you know we can trust Jefferson to bring that book back to us when he finds it? How do you know he's not working for her? How do we know that we can trust you?"

"Benefit of a doubt, dearie," he drawled, but the anger on his face was still clear to see and Emma gave Beth a pointed look for her to stop edging the old man on. "The book, once Jefferson finds it and returns with it, will be in your hands. I have no doubt that it will provide you with the answers you need to break this curse."

Emma sat there and stared at the old man, and something deep inside of her believed every word he had said. Did she trust him? Not at all, but he knew more than he should and that made her want to keep him on their side if it helped them—her break the curse.

"You know what, let's just get out of here, Emma," Beth said as she got up from her chair, but Emma didn't move. "Emma? Come on, we can just leave. Riley—"

"No," Emma said. "I am not leaving without that book."

"What is so damn important about this book?"

"You have no idea," Emma said under her breath and Beth slowly sat back down. "When we were trapped in that curse in the Enchanted Forest, we met a witch by the name of Calais. That book tells the future."

"Knowing what is to be isn't always a good thing," Beth said and she looked like she was raging a war within herself, a losing battle. "Why does it matter so much to you, Emma? A few weeks ago, you had no idea any of us existed. You didn't even care—"

"Everything has changed, Beth," Emma said and she stared at her twin, wondering if everything was going to change yet again. "The things that I didn't know about before, the things I didn't care about—these are the things that are a part of my life now."

"Life and this branch of your fate are in a constant state of change," Mr. Gold offered nonchalantly. "If this is the path you are choosing, then follow the road it leads down."

"It can't be that easy," Beth said. "Can it?"

"It can," he said. "If only you allow yourself to take the path instead of trying to avoid it. Your life, Beth, has always held meaning, you just didn't know it until Emma Swan came into it."

As skeptical as Beth had been, Emma saw a spark in her eyes for the first time since they all sat down to talk. There was a lot more to be discussed, a lot of it having nothing to do with the man that sat across from them or the man who had been held captive for twenty-eight years. When they were alone, they would talk, as Emma had quite a few questions for Beth regarding their prior sexual relationship and how that would affect the future.

Emma wanted nothing more than to get the book and leave, to return to Riley, to hold her daughter in her arms after days of being apart and not knowing if she'd ever see her again. But, that wasn't her only priority. She needed to find Regina, she needed to be sure that Regina was okay, she needed to see with her very own eyes that everything was back to normal. She also needed to make sure that Henry was okay, too.

Everything else could wait until she was reunited with her daughter, her son, and the woman whom she'd shared True Love's Kiss with. Her priorities were that of her family and to think the only family she had just a few weeks ago had only been her daughter, it was everything she had spent a lifetime wishing for.

Her family, however, was far from complete. Her and Beth's parents were still trapped by the curse, not knowing who they truly were, and until the curse was broken, her family would remain incomplete.

"I think I've found it," Jefferson said as he lingered in the doorway, his face pale and unreadable.

"Well, where is it?" Mr. Gold asked as he rose from his chair.

"I tried to take it," Jefferson said. "It's protected by magic."

"Show me," Mr. Gold demanded and Emma, along with Beth, followed Jefferson and the old man out of the kitchen and down a hallway to a room that was dark aside from where the book sat on a small table and it was glowing. "Blood magic."

"Blood magic?" Beth asked.

"Only those who are blood-related can break this spell," he said. "It seems that Cora didn't anticipate Regina ever returning to this realm when she cast the spell to protect the book."

Emma frowned. "We need Regina."

"Yes," Mr. Gold said with a heavy sigh. "We need Regina, but…I am not certain she will trust me, she has no reason to."

[X]

She was skeptical. She didn't trust the Imp. She had never trusted him, even when she was young and stupid and learning magic for the first time with him. She knew Beth did not trust him and she was having a hard time reading Emma to see if she trusted him too.

She had barely been out of the hospital and back home for all but five minutes when Emma and Beth knocked on the front door. Henry was elated to see them both, flinging himself first at Beth and then at Emma, both women not sure how to react. It was in those few minutes of the reunion on the front steps that Mary Margaret showed up with Riley.

It pulled at Regina's heart when she saw the emotional reunion between Emma and her precious daughter. She wrapped her arms around her son and held him tight as Emma and Riley snuggled into one another, both crying tears of happiness.

Once they were inside and Mary Margaret took the children into the den while Regina, Emma, and Beth went into the study to talk. It took everything in Regina not to ask Beth for a few minutes alone with Emma, seeing how their moment had been torn from them so quickly. She tried to ignore the swarming of thoughts rushing around in her head as the three of them settled down on the sofas by the fireplace, Emma and Beth on one and Regina alone on the other.

They both took turns talking about what had happened when Emma had woken up from the curse trapped in the old farmhouse where Regina's mother was holding them both captive. She was surprised to learn that the Imp had made her mother disappear with magic, though neither of them could tell her what he'd done with her. Regina knew after hearing that, that she would not be able to trust him until he told her exactly what he did with her mother.

When they told her of the book, of the spell protecting it, she grew angry. Rumplestiltskin wanted that book and not for the reasons he had given to the twins. Everything with him came with a price and she warned them that they were foolish to trust him.

But, despite that, Regina knew they needed that book and that they would have to do whatever it took to get it, even if that meant she would be the one to break the spell her mother cast over it.

"I will need to go to my vault first," she said as she relaxed back on the sofa, her eyes barely leaving Emma. "I need some supplies. My magic, it's not as strong as it should be just yet."

"When do you want to do that?" Beth asked and she looked over at her curiously. "Today?"

"In a rush, are you?"

"No, just kind of want to go home and take a really long, really hot shower and knock back a few drinks just to forget about the fucked up couple of days I've just had," Beth sighed and she shook her head. "I'm sure you two want to do the same. I can't even begin to imagine what it's even been like to have gone through everything that you just went through."

"Yes, it's quite good to be home," Regina said softly and she caught the small smile that Emma flashed at her briefly that stirred the butterflies deep in her core. "May I propose a proper dinner? Everyone is invited, of course."

"Lasagna?" Beth asked as she leaned forward and Regina could practically see her salivating already. "Yeah?"

"Yes, of course, if nobody minds eating late."

"Definitely don't mind," Emma said and Regina just beamed in delight. She wasn't ready for Emma to leave just yet. "As tired as I am, I feel like I am just bursting with energy right now."

"As do I," Regina agreed and she stood up from the sofa slowly and ran her hands down her fresh slacks she'd thrown on before the twins had shown up at the door. "I could use some help preparing dinner. Would one of you mind?"

"I would love to help, but that shower is really the only thing on my mind right now," Beth said and she rolled her shoulder until it cracked a little. "Do you mind if I head home, shower and come back for dinner later?"

"I don't," Regina said and she felt the butterflies in her stomach jump excitedly. "Emma, would you mind helping?"

"I suck in the kitchen," she muttered under her breath. "But uh, just tell me what to do and I'll do it. At least as best as I can."

"See you guys later," Beth said as she quickly rushed out of the study and left them alone.

"She's quite eager for that shower, huh?" Emma laughed and for a second, Regina thought she sounded a little nervous. "I could really use a shower too."

"As could I. I haven't had much of a spare moment since returning from the hospital. I do suppose it will have to wait," Regina said and she walked over to the liquor cabinet. "Would you like something to drink, Miss Swan?"

"We're definitely past that," Emma chuckled throatily as she walked up behind Regina. "Way past the whole Miss Swan thing."

"Yes, I suppose—"

"Christ, Regina," Emma groaned in annoyance. "Did that kiss change nothing between us? Because the way I see it, it changed—"

"Everything," Regina finished as she spun around to face the blonde. "It changed everything, Emma."

"Yeah."

"Can I ask just one thing?"

"Anything."

"Can we let it go for a day or two?" Regina asked and she frowned at the crestfallen look on Emma's face. "We've only just returned home. We have to retrieve the book and find out what Rumple did with my mother."

She also needed to find out just how long Rumplestiltskin had been with his own dark magic, too. Despite what he had told the twins about leaving Storybrooke to find his son and never return, Regina did not believe it would be the last they saw of him.

"I can do that for you if you can do one thing for me," Emma whispered and Regina closed her eyes as Emma's hands fell to her waist. "Can we finish what we started before?"

"Are you asking to kiss me?" Regina asked, her eyes still closed as she focused on the feel of Emma's hands on her hips and the warmth and softness of Emma's breath that fell upon her lips. "You didn't ask before."

"So," Emma drawled out slowly and Regina inhaled sharply as she felt the gentlest of touch by Emma's lips against her own. "Does that mean I can?"

Regina, with trembling hands, placed them over Emma's and ran them up her arms slowly, wishing she could feel Emma's skin beneath her fingertips and not the roughness of her white long-sleeved shirt she had on. She stopped when she reached Emma's round and firm shoulders and grasped at her shirt.

"What are you waiting for, Miss Swan?"

"Just because we broke the curse with a kiss, doesn't mean I can kiss you whenever I want now. I want your permission. I want you to tell me that it's okay."

That you want me to, was the message that resonated through Regina. She blinked open her eyes and looked into Emma's. The green was so much more prominent in the dim light of the study and she could almost see a hint of blue mixed in. She had stared into Beth's eyes before and found nothing, many times over, but Emma was different in every way.

Regina looked down at Emma's lips while slowly licking over hers, the anticipation to feel those lips and that tongue again was almost becoming too much. She was yearning for more. She slipped her hands from Emma's shoulders to the nape of her neck and inhaled deeply before closing the hairsbreadth distance between them. Their lips had barely touched before Emma was reeling back and it took Regina a few seconds to realize why.

"Mom, can everyone stay for dinner?" Henry asked and Regina sighed as she watched Emma casually step away and run her fingers through her hair.

"Yes, of course. We were just going to have a drink before heading into the kitchen to prepare the lasagna."

"Awesome!" Henry exclaimed and he nearly ran out before stopping short. "Mary Margaret can stay too, right?"

"Of course, dear. I have to show my gratitude for her taking you in while I wasn't able to care for you."

"You still don't like her, do you?" Emma asked once Henry had run out of the room.

"Not at all," Regina said as she turned her back to Emma to pour them each a small glass of aged Scotch she'd been saving for a special occasion. "But that doesn't mean she cannot stay. As I said, I have to show my gratitude for taking care of my son. And your daughter."

"She still has no idea who she really is, does she?"

"No."

"Is there any way that we can change that in case we can't, you know, break this curse anytime soon?"

"Do you honestly think she'd believe any of this?" Regina asked and she turned to hand Emma her glass. Upon Emma's dumbfounded look, Regina nodded. "Exactly."

Emma once again looked nervous and Regina watched her as they both took a sip from their glass. She had no qualms about Henry seeing them together, especially locked in a kiss or embrace, but after seeing Emma's reaction, she wasn't sure what to think.

"So," Emma said quietly. "How about we get started on dinner, yeah? I'm starving."

"Yes, of course," Regina nodded and gestured to her. "Follow me, dear, and I'll teach you how to make the best lasagna you'll ever taste."

[X]

It was quiet around the table as everyone finished eating. Regina had gone as far as digging out an old, expensive bottle of wine for the adults to drink and allowed Henry soda instead of water or juice. Beth had returned just in time for dinner, freshly showered and changed, which made Emma envious she'd been able to wash the dirt and grime off of her that had built up over days being held captive in that dank old basement cell.

Nobody spoke of what had happened over the last handful of days, a silent agreement made upon them not to speak of it in front of Riley and Henry. It made small talk feel awkward and Emma could see the tension building in Regina just being around Mary Margaret for the period of time she'd been at the house.

Emma sat almost across from Regina at the table, sandwiched between Henry and Riley, with Mary Margaret sitting next to Riley and Beth beside Henry. It was almost comical at how Regina had purposely moved one seat over to leave an empty chair between herself and Mary Margaret.

"Where will you and Riley stay tonight?" Mary Margaret asked as she broke the heavy silence around the table. "Assuming you aren't making the drive back to Boston tonight."

"Kind of impossible to make the drive back tonight when my care isn't here," Emma replied. "I—I hadn't thought that far ahead."

"You and Riley are more than welcome to stay here," Regina offered casually. "I have a guest room with a bed you two can share."

"Well—"

"Can we stay, Mommy?" Riley asked as she tugged on the sleeve of her shirt. "Please, Mommy?"

"We can have a slumber party!" Henry said in unison and his smile faded quickly when Emma just shook her head. "Please, Emma? I know you and Mom have been gone for days, but it's just for tonight. You said you hadn't thought that far ahead and Mom just offered the guest room for you and Riles."

"Riles," Emma said as she looked at her daughter. "Since when does anyone else other than me call you that?"

"Henry does!"

"I thought that was our special thing?"

"It is," Riley pouted. "Henry is my brother—"

"Half-brother, kiddo, but Regina is his mom now, remember?"

"They are still family," Mary Margaret added and Emma sighed as she looked over at the woman that was meant to be her mother and yet appeared to be the very same age as her. "They're only children, Emma. Let them have this, if even just for this moment in time."

"Please," Regina said as she looked straight at Emma. "I want you and Riley to stay. I insist."

"I guess we can—"

"Yay!" Riley exclaimed. "We're staying!"

"Just for one night, Riles," Emma said calmly. "One night and tomorrow Regina, Beth and I have something we need to take care of and then I'm going to figure out how to get us home."

"I can take you guys," Beth offered. "I have to get the car I borrowed anyway."

"Sounds good to me," Emma said and she licked her dry lips as she avoided the intense stare that Regina was giving her. "One night, Riley, and I want you in bed at your normal bedtime. Which was," Emma paused to glance at the clock on the wall and frowned. "Ten minutes ago."

"Let them stay up," Beth said and she gave Henry a playful nudge in the shoulder. "Their moms just came back. They deserve a night where bedtimes don't matter, don't you think?"

"Do you want any help with the dishes, Regina?" Mary Margaret asked as she was the first to rise from the table. "I could help clean up and head off."

"It's fine, dear. You're a guest. Henry and I will take care of things. Beth?" Regina said and Emma watched the two of them exchange an unknown look. "Will you show Emma and Riley to the guest room and show Emma where the towels are kept, please?"

"Yeah, of course."

Emma took that as her cue to down the last of her wine before following Beth with Riley out of the dining room and up the grand spiral staircase.

"You've really spent a lot of time here, haven't you?"

Beth paused on the landing and sighed. "Yeah, I have. Look, Emma, what went on between Regina and I—"

"It was just sex."

"It was, but it was something else. It was a play of power," she said quietly and cleared her throat as Riley looked up at her curiously. "Come on, kiddo, let me show you how big the bed is you'll be sleeping on tonight! It's probably the world's most comfortable bed."

"My big girl bed is better."

Beth laughed and Emma picked Riley up into her arms and kissed her face silly. She followed Beth the rest of the way up the stairs and into the guest room, which looked like something that belonged in a five-star hotel and not a home. Emma let Riley down and let her run right over to the queen-sized bed with expensive looking sheets, stopped by Beth before she could tell Riley not to climb up and jump on it a couple of times.

"Let her be, she's exhausted and has a full belly. She's also very happy you're back, Emma."

"I know."

"Look, I don't want things to be weird," Beth said quietly. "You know, because of what happened with you and Regina."

"It will always be weird knowing she was screwing around with the twin sister I never knew I had," Emma said under her breath. "That's all it ever was?"

"I swear," Beth said as she placed a hand over her heart. "I am in love with Graham."

"Does he know?"

"No."

"You need to tell him."

"I—I want to, but…" Beth trailed off as Riley squealed in delight when she fell onto the bed and snuggled into the soft pillows. "The thing is, Emma, you have no idea how deep this curse runs, how much control Regina has had over these people before and during it, even now."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"She has his heart."

"What?"

"She has his heart," Beth repeated. "She's had his heart since before she cast the dark curse."

Emma shook her head and Beth pulled her out into the hallway, stopping in front of a narrow door to pull out a few towels. She knew there was a lot of things she did not know, about Regina, about the curse, everything, but she had a feeling that even when she finally knew absolutely everything, it wouldn't change how her heart, her soul felt.

"Look," Beth said as she placed a hand on Emma's arm, pulling her from her thoughts. "I know Regina isn't who she used to be, not with you at least. I know deep down that Regina is a good person, I've seen that side of her."

"You've seen a lot of sides of her, apparently."

"Em, that's over. It was the moment she met you. It's never going to happen again, okay? Besides," Beth said with a soft chuckle. "I saw the way she kept looking at you all through dinner."

"Looking at me how?"

"Like she didn't see anyone else. Like nobody else existed. I've never seen her look at anyone like that before."

Emma tried not to smile like a love-sick fool, but she couldn't help it. She shrugged it off as she held onto the fluffy white towels tightly and gave Beth a look.

"Bathroom is right there," Beth said as she pointed to a door almost directly across from the guest room. "You're going to—"

"Need a change of clothes," Emma frowned as she looked down at the clothes she'd apparently been wearing for the last five days since Cora had kidnapped her from Miss Carla's apartment in Boston. "Riley is going to need—"

"Already got that covered, the bag is in the cruiser," Beth said and she idly reached up to scratch at the scar on her chin. "I'll run down and get it. You, you need a shower."

"Yeah, I know."

"You want me to keep an eye on Riley while you do that? I'll put the bag in the room while you shower."

"Thanks, Beth."

Emma watched Beth retreat into the bedroom and then smiled at the laughter that flowed out a moment laughter from Beth and Riley. She walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind her, clicking the button lock before she turned to take it all in.

The shower looked like heaven, large but not overly so. She quickly stripped out of her clothes and reached in to turn the faucet on. Steam soon filled the shower and she stepped in, moaning as the hot water rained down on her and soothed every muscle in her aching, tired body.

There were various bottles, all unlabeled, and she picked one up and opened the cap to give it a sniff. Body wash. A body wash that smelled like Regina. Emma inhaled deeply before pouring a healthy handful and began to spread it around her body, her eyes closed, her mind wandering to less than innocent places as she ran her sudsy hands over her breasts and down her stomach.

She stopped herself before she let her thoughts get away from her and picked up the second bottle as she rinsed herself off. This bottle was definitely shampoo and she tried to quickly wash her hair as her thoughts went from less than innocent to ones about worrying that her daughter was becoming too attached to life in Storybrooke.

Emma was still thinking the way she had always thought when it came to settling down. Boston had been the only place she'd spent more than six months in and a big part of why was because of Miss Carla. That woman had become family for her and Riley when they had no one else but each other. That woman was family until her life just ended because she was too old, too frail, too sick to recover.

A loud knock on the door jolted Emma from her thoughts and she gasped as she reached for the faucet to turn off the water.

"Yeah?"

"Bag is in the room with some fresh, clean clothes for you, Em," Beth said, her voice muffled through the door and the pane of glass on the shower stall. "Henry is putting on a movie. I've already got Riley in some jammies. Will you come watch the movie with us?"

"Give me a few minutes," Emma called out and she sighed heavily as she reached for the towel she'd left on the vanity and quickly began to dry herself off.

Emma wrapped her body in one towel and used the other to dry her hair as she exited the bathroom and walked to the guest room on the other side of the hall. She could hear the chatter and laughter drifting up from downstairs and it gave her such a warm feeling that she had never quite felt before. Again, she felt a sense of home in ways she never felt before and in a lot of ways it was unnerving and it was new and unusual, but welcoming all the same.

Emma shook her head, but it didn't matter what all was happening at the moment, all that had happened, what did matter was that fluttering feeling deep inside that was so very new and so very welcome all at once. A part of her didn't want to have hope because it always fell apart, but this wasn't as it had always been and she had a feeling this wasn't something she'd ever feel again with anyone else.

Maybe there was some weight to the whole true love thing. Maybe this really was what it was. But, she didn't have any faith in holding onto hope because that had always, inevitably, failed her time and time again.

Emma opened the duffel bag that was left on the bed and pulled out the clothes inside. She gave the simple white t-shirt a quick sniff, inhaling the almost fresh scent of laundry detergent and fabric softener before pulling out a pair of Victoria Secret boy-shorts that still had the tag on. The next thing she pulled out was a simple yet practical sports bra, which was also new, and after that was only a pair of yoga pants.

That made her pull a face. She lived in jeans. Sweatpants were a downtime thing if any, but yoga pants? Again, she pulled a face, but still went on with getting dressed once she'd fully dried herself off. At least everything was comfortable, to wear awake or asleep if needed and at the moment, it was the only clean clothes she had until she could get back home to Boston.

She found a hair tie in the bag and after running her hands through her damp hair, she pulled it up into a loose ponytail. It felt good to be clean and in fresh clothes again, and after checking her appearance in the mirror over the dresser, she headed downstairs and found everyone settled down in the den and waiting for her so that they could start the movie.

"So," Emma said as she was unsure of where to sit despite the only available spot being beside Regina. "What are we watching?"

"Despicable Me," Henry answered and Riley clapped excitedly as it was a movie she hadn't yet seen. "Mom, can we have some popcorn?"

"Yes, I'll get that started. Why don't you start the movie, Henry, and I'll be right back."

"We're gonna need drinks too," Henry said and Emma took that as her opportunity to follow Regina to the kitchen.

Emma just stood idly by, watching Regina move around her kitchen to get the popcorn and put it in the microwave before pulling out some plastic bowls from a cupboard under the counter by the stove.

"There should be juice boxes in the fridge," Regina said without turning to look at Emma. "Would you like some wine? I have another bottle of what we were drinking at dinner."

"Sure, that'd be great," Emma replied with a small smile before opening up the refrigerator door and found the juice boxes neatly lined up on a shelf. "Is your whole life this organized?"

Emma mostly said it to herself as she noticed everything was precisely laid out and organized on each shelf. She heard Regina hum slightly behind her and she nearly dropped the juice boxes when she turned around to find Regina barely a foot away.

"I find it very practical to have everything in its own place."

"I can see that."

"There is nothing wrong with being organized."

"Never said there was," Emma chuckled lightly and she awkwardly looked over at the microwave. "I think the popcorn is done."

"Hmm?"

"The popcorn?" Emma said and she shook her head at the distracted look on Regina's face and stepped aside to try to stop the microwave before the popcorn started to burn. "Shit. It's burnt."

The smell of slightly burnt popcorn pulled Regina from her thoughts and she took the bag from Emma and tossed it in the sink. They just took one look at one another before they started laughing. Regina walked over to a window to open it to air out the smell and Emma just shook her in disbelief.

"How about you take the drinks out and I'll take care of the popcorn, yeah?" Emma offered and after a curt laugh, Regina just nodded in agreement.

Emma had a funny feeling that a little thing like becoming distracted and burning popcorn was only just the beginning.