"I don't want any cake!" Regina stormed out of Granny's, Emma followed hot on her heels.

"Damn it, Regina! You're trying to make my birthday all about you, and you weren't even invited to the damned party. You could at least be civil and eat a piece of vanilla cake," Emma yelled, waving her arms and feeling fed up. She wasn't even sure why she was chasing Regina down and holding out a plate of cake. She shouldn't even care.

Regina stopped and turned on a dime, "I prefer chocolate. I came to your regretful party because it was the only way I could see Henry. Congratulations, Ms. Swan, you've won."

Emma slowed down as she caught up to Regina as she rounded the building and ducked into the alley where her car was parked. She deflated at the realization that Henry had ignored and thwarted all of Regina's attempts to interact with him the entire night, opting to fawn over Emma. That must hurt.

"I'm leaving. See to it that he doesn't eat too much sugar," Regina's posture shifted as her shoulders slumped in defeat, but her eyes were still on fire, blazing into Emma's.

"Hey, let's talk about this…I've been gone, he just wants to spend some time with me," Emma reached for Regina's arm before she could get to her car. She held out the cake sliver with the red iced 'E' on it as a peace offering, and mustered a weak smile.

"I brought you back here, did you even know? Charming probably left that out of his heroic account of it," Regina looked at the cake as if its very existence irked her. Her eyes shifted upwards to give Emma the same scornful look, but she pursed her lips in contemplation and jerked the plate from Emma's hand.

"No…," Emma shook her head in confusion. Words temporarily escaped her as they stood seething and staring one another down.

"See, just come back inside and try it. Granny made it and—" Emma cut off midsentence, shocked to find her chest now covered in a mess of cake. Regina narrowed her eyes in challenge, watching with amused abandon as she ground the cake into Emma's skin.

"Bitch!" Emma screamed.

"Blonde!" Regina stepped closer, wiping her sticky fingers on the sleeve of Emma's jacket.

Emma's immediate reaction was to shoot Regina the universal look of 'you're really in for it now,' and grabbed the handful of crumbs and smeared icing, shoving it back in Regina's face. Yelling, "Eat it!" was a bit over the top, but Emma felt justified.

Regina's head whipped back, as she lunged for Emma's throat, and bellowed "What the hell are you doing?!"

The impact was lost when Emma started to giggle at the sight of Regina blazing mad, her face covered in white and red. Emma ducked the first blow, but couldn't avoid Regina's knee as it connected with her stomach. Managing to get a fistful of black hair in her sticky hand, Emma yanked and toppled them both to the ground. Regina recovered first, straddling Emma as she railed against her, and let out her pent up aggression, "He is my son. My. Son. And I don't want your fucking cake!"

Emma simply blocked Regina's fists with her forearms, as Regina wailed on her. Regina's strength weakened as the tears started down her cheeks and her fists continued to pummel, but slowed until she was barely knocking. All traces of the fighting spirit seeped out, and Regina fell wearily against Emma's chest.

Now, instead of blocking her, Emma sat up and pulled her tight, the compulsion to comfort overwhelming and coming out of nowhere. She rocked her like a sleepy child as the dam of emotion broke wide. Emma felt tears stream down her own cheeks; the anger and hatred dissolving like vapor into the air.

"I don't want any cake…" Regina murmured as she took in a shuddering and labored breath, "I just want Henry…."