Well the only thing that I know how to find
Is another vice
Mmm, another vice

"Emma? Emma, wait!" Regina called out to the vacant beach. She looked left then right, unsure which way Emma may have gone. She froze for a minute, wondering if she should go back and wait at the house for Emma to return, knowing her bag and car were still there.

"Emma, I'm not giving up on you. You deserve happiness, too." She screamed out loud to nobody, her voice just washing away like the tide crashing on the shore.

She exhaled and decided to go left, following her gut feeling and praying it was correct. She ran as fast as she could, assuming Emma was probably running as well.

She quickly learned that she was wrong when she saw the long, blonde locks flowing in the wind but Emma's feet buried in the sand right where the tide reached its highest point on the shore.

Regina approached her slowly, afraid to scare her off and make her run again. When she was only a few feet away, she froze and just admired the way Emma was looking out at the water. She smiled then took a few steps forward until she was next to Emma.

"This is my favorite view. Do you want to know why?" Regina said softly.

Emma didn't look at her but she nodded slowly.

"Looking out and seeing nothing but the water for as far as the eye can see is soothing. It looks as if the water tapers off into the sky and it becomes one. There's nothing more settling than that."

"I agree." Emma said flatly as she dropped down to sit in the sand. The way the moon reflected on the water made her feel better and she kept looking out, thinking about what Regina just said.

"I'm sorry, Emma." Regina whispered as she sat down beside her in the sand as the water came over her toes, sending chills down her spine.

"I want the same things you do," Emma said so quietly that Regina barely heard it. "I want to be with you and be happy and have a family. I never knew I wanted any of that or could ever have that until I met you."

Regina reached out and placed her hand on Emma's smooth thigh and rubbed her fingers in slow circles. She remained silent, unsure of what to say next.

"I told you I'm hard to love... I run when there's a problem, I can't face my fears, I'm stubborn, I'm more afraid of who I am and what I want than I care to admit, and as messed up as this sounds, I always thought being alone was all I was good at. I don't need close friends or a family or a relationship. I had myself and could take care of myself. Being alone isn't as bad as it sounds." Emma's words kept pouring out and Regina watched her intently as Emma continued to speak while keeping her eyes on the horizon.

Regina once read that people find it easier to speak their minds when they are side by side and not looking directly at each other and she assumed this was the case. Emma could pretend she was just venting out loud to herself, but here she was, soaking up every word that formed on Emma's lips and even some of the thoughts she imagined were going through Emma's head.

She reached out her arm and wrapped it around Emma's shoulders, pulling her closer. "Regardless of all of that, it doesn't mean you're damaged or hard to love, it just means I need to fight for you and that's what I intend to do."

Emma finally turned to face Regina. "This is exactly what I meant when I said I don't deserve you."

"You deserve happiness. If that happiness isn't with me, then I can stop pushing you since I'm sure I'm not making this easy for you but —"

"No!" Emma yelled, cutting Regina off. "You make me happy. It's me that's getting in the way, Regina, don't you see that? I don't understand how you are even still here..."

"Emma, I think I made myself clear that I want to be with you. I told you... Nobody has ever made me feel the way you make me feel and that is worth fighting for. I told you I'm ready when you are. Whether that's today, tomorrow, in three months, in three years... I just know I want you."

Emma's green eyes were full of tears but she refused to look away from Regina. She knew she was telling the truth and, even though she didn't understand why, Regina truly wanted her.

"You really want me?"

"Yes, Emma. I want you and all the things you see as flaws in yourself. They're part of who you are and they're beautiful and they made you strong and resilient and brave. I know you say you're fine on your own, but you don't have to be on your own forever."

Emma exhaled and her chest quivered as a tear fell down her cheek. Regina wiped it away with her finger then pulled the blonde into her arms. As soon as her head leaned against Regina's chest, a soft sob escaped her lips and she muffled something against her chest.

"Hmm?"

"I don't want to be alone."

"Then I promise, you'll never be alone." Regina kept her arms around Emma and rubbed her back gently as she kissed the top of her head and let her continue to cry.

When Emma calmed down, she looked up at Regina and crashed her lips against hers.

"Can we go home?" Emma whispered.

"Home?" Regina asked, her heart racing.

"Yes, home."

Regina laced her fingers between Emma's and helped her up. She pulled her in for another kiss before walking back toward the beach house with their fingers intertwined.

Six Years Later

"R'gina." Emma mumbled, her voice full of sleepiness. She rubbed her eyes to allow the light in slowly then gave them a few seconds to focus.

She grabbed her phone off the nightstand to check the time but saw the picture of her and Regina on the beach that Ruby took of them and she just stared at it and smiled, her heart full of love.

"Well, it's about time you woke up, bum. I hope you're hungry."

"I'm always hungry," Emma smiled and Regina swooned at her adorableness.

"Oh, I'm aware. What kind of wife would I be if I didn't know you had the eating habits of a child?" Regina laughed and reached down to grab Emma's hand. "I made us breakfast but you can't have it in bed today."

Emma pouted, "Why not?"

"I have some incredible news and we need to celebrate with a formal breakfast and some mimosas, so let's go eat on the balcony."

Emma jumped up. "In my favorite spot?"

Regina nodded and pulled her in the direction of their balcony.

"Regina! This looks incredible," Emma said as she grabbed a piece of bacon off the plate and shoved it in her mouth.

"Thanks, babe. Try the avocado toast. I put tomato on it just the way you like it."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "You mean to say it's just the way you like it. I like the bacon! But if it makes you happy, I'll have the toast, too."

Regina grabbed a slice of the toast and went to put it on Emma's plate but Emma pulled the plate away.

"Nuh uh, not so fast! What's the news?"

Regina smiled and put down the toast then grabbed the two mimosas and handed one to Emma.

"First, I'd like to take a second to tell you how happy you make me."

"Awe, Gina. Getting all mushy on me now to avoid telling me the news?"

"Oh, shh. Let me say this first." Regina said then kissed Emma to get her attention. "When I first saw you, I was immediately drawn to you. Everything about you intrigued me and all I wanted was to know more about you. You lied and told me your name was Ashley and I tried my best not to laugh. I always know when you're lying and that time was no different."

Emma laughed and Regina couldn't help but join in.

"It took some time and determination, but I finally figured out how to bring down the walls you had up. You thought it was you versus the world but quickly learned that you didn't need to be alone. You were a stubborn woman, that's for sure. Hell, you still are. But I love you just the way you are and wouldn't change a single thing about you. When we moved into this beach house together, I thought it was the happiest day of my life. But then you asked me to marry you a year later and that was the happiest day of my life. And then on our wedding day, I decided that day was the happiest day of my life. It's safe to say that any day I spend with you by my side where I get to fall asleep beside you and wake up in your arms is a perfect day because I get to call you mine. And now, I'm hoping today is another one of our happiest days."

Emma was crying as her grin continued to grow. "It's Henry, isn't it?" She whispered through her tears of joy.

"Yes, Emma." Regina nodded as her tears of happiness started to flow. "The adoption went through. I just got the call this morning! Henry is officially our son," she beamed with joy.

"I love you so much, Regina."

"I love you, too. Remember when you said you wanted a family? Now we have it!"

"Emma, you've been my family since the moment you agreed to be my girlfriend. Hell, you had my heart long before that. And I could not ask for more. But I know we will both love Henry and raise him the way we do everything - together."

Emma leaned in and kissed her wife. She pulled away momentarily and whispered, "you're perfect" before their lips crashed together again in unison with the waves crashing on the shore below them.