-x-x-x-

It still comes as a surprise how different everything is right now.

It should scare her. Like it used to do. It should make her run. Like she used to.

But looking at the two people talking quietly to each other, while sitting on the swing-set and leafing through a book together; Emma thinks that for once, change isn't such a bad thing.

Something she wouldn't have thought possible a year and a half ago.

-x-x-x-

Emma listens, as Henry patiently explains the powers of some superhero to Regina and she grins at the way Regina smiles at their son. The way she gives him all of her undivided attention, despite the fact she probably doesn't understand much of what he is telling her.

Chuckling lightly under her breath, Emma flicks her eyes across the park. There were a few other people there, though not many, and almost none were paying much attention to them. This, she would call progress too, even if people in general were still slowly getting used to Regina walking around on the streets, and though most people still gave her a wide berth.

Emma catches a little movement from the corner of her eye but doesn't pay much attention to it. At least until two slender arms encircle her waist from behind and a chin comes to rest lightly on her shoulder. A soft, slightly lingering kiss is pressed against the side of her neck and Emma's smile grows as she places her own hands on the ones resting on her stomach.

"Something on your mind dear? You seemed deep in thought."

"You know I'm surprised you didn't insert something snarky in there about thinking too hard or something."

"Hmm," Regina hums. Puffs of warm air are tickling along her throat and cause Emma to shiver a little in the light embrace. "It's still bothering you, isn't it?"

"I guess it sort of is yeah," Emma hedges, avoiding deepening their conversation for the moment. She needs a little time to sort her thoughts, after everything Regina told her this morning.

Regina's hands slip from the light hold Emma had on them before any passerby has time to take notice. She's not surprised to find Regina moving to face her, an expression of concern flitting across her features. She casts a quick glance at Henry, his feet poking a little at the sand below him to keep the swing in motion. He seems completely occupied with one of the two new comics she and Regina had gifted him, and Emma keeps her gaze centered on him for a few precious moments more, before returning it to Regina's expressive eyes.

"It's not..." Emma starts. She thinks a little ahead then, of where the conversation might lead and grasps one of Regina's arms, leading them to a secluded row of trees. "The things you told me this morning, they won't stop tumbling through my head, Regina. I keep thinking of that day, when your mother passed away, and I just..I know it's silly but, I keep wondering if there was something we might've done differently you know?"

"Dwelling on that wouldn't bring her back to me, as much I wish that was possible at times," Regina tells her, casting her eyes downward for a moment. Her shoulders are tense and a hand rakes along a few errand strands of hair, tucking them back behind her ears. "As much as it..." Regina's voice chokes up and she has to clear her throat before she speaks up again. "As much as it pains me to admit it, it is probably better this way. I did not see, who she was at the time. I believed that if we acquired Rumple's dagger, things would change. They would finally go our way, and I..longed for my mother's love, Emma, I longed for her approval."

"Which is why you pretty much followed her blindly."

"Yes," Regina says in a tone dripping with regret. "I did not truly understand that she would never change, that she would forever remain this poisonous presence in my life. Not until she was about to..to kill Henry." His name is spoken so softly and yet so very lovingly, that it makes Emma's heart ache.

They are both quiet for a moment after that, Regina seemingly lost in thought, and Emma has no idea what to say at first. The memories intertwine with the thoughts she's had about everything that happened ever since that fateful moment.

"I still think you did right by her," Emma says as she leans in and caresses the side of Regina's face, peering into eyes gone dark with emotion. "By spreading her ashes at sea. And I'm glad we talked a little about your mother's connection to the sea, even if it dredged up some painful memories."

"It's not as painful as before. Though there are times when I regret that I wasn't there to spread her ashes myself. But it's something I'm learning to live with, and talking about it with you helps me process things Emma, helps put things into their proper perspective"

The words Regina says do register in her brain, but at the same time, Emma's thoughts wander. It's like a trigger, this whole conversation. She tilts her head a little, gazing into the general direction of the harbor. If she inhales just long enough, she can smell the saltiness permeating the very air, even if she can't actually see the sea from where she's standing. It's close enough anyhow. And just closing her eyes would make the memory play itself on repeat right along with it.

"Do you remember our altercation at the pier?" she questions as she opens her eyes again and finds Regina studying her closely. Her expression is unreadable, but her hand brushes along Emma's own every now and then, something that has became quite the common occurrence whenever they were standing as close as they were now.

"When I thought you were going to set me on fire, and you threatened to send me sailing into the water instead?"

"Yes I do remember.." Regina leaves the sentence hang, her brow furrowing as she stares into Emma's eyes, like she's trying to figure out where their conversation is going. "But I don't understand how.."

"I saw you there before.." Emma finally confesses as she fidgets with the hem of the shirt peeking out just below her jacket. "That's what has been bothering me since this morning. I just..I forgot about it for the longest time and then when we talked this morning, I remembered. And I..wanted to tell you right then, but then my parents called and Henry woke up and..I couldn't find a good time to do it."

Instead of getting a reaction, Regina just gives her this incomprehensive look. Emma avoids Regina's eyes as she raises one of her fingers to her mouth and starts to nibble on the nail nervously.

"You mean when I was at the pier, mourning the loss of my mother?"

"Yeah..."

"I don't understand why you are telling me this."

"Well I.." Emma sighs and leans back against the tree behind her. "I was there, and there was no one else. I couldn't quite see, but I knew you were...crying, I saw the way you held yourself, the way your body shook and I just.. I wanted to..comfort you, even then," Emma says, surprised to feel Regina clasping her chin between a thumb and forefinger, forcing her to look up.

"I know, Emma."

"No, you don't understand," Emma exclaims vehemently, as she stubbornly avoids Regina's eyes. "I was just..so angry at you, at everything and I couldn't deal with, so I left you there. And I..sometimes wish I hadn't. Like a part of me regrets that I ran and left you there. A part of me wonders if things would've been different if I..."

"Emma, stop talking," Regina interrupts her rambling. The fingers on her chin fall away, only for both of Regina's hands to gently envelop her face between them.

"W-what are you.." Emma's eyes open wide as Regina leans in, resting their foreheads together.

"I knew you were there."

Oh. Emma's mouth drops open with those words, the revelation rendering her strangely mute all of a sudden. That though, was something she hadn't expected to happen when she started off her rambling confession a few minutes ago.

"I will not tease you about your lack of subtlety again dear," Regina tells her, as she smiles faintly, her fingers trailing along Emma's cheeks slowly. "I think it was..your empathy that I sensed, even with the distance that separated us. You have so much capacity to love, to care, despite the anger you felt, I could sense this. You might not have known at the time, but in a way it was soothing, your presence there."

"But.." Emma wants to protest, but finds her lips otherwise engaged for a moment when Regina draws her in for a slow tender kiss.

"Everything was too raw, Emma. I had just taken my own mother's life, and before that there were the proceedings in Gold's shop. I didn't have any control over my emotions, let alone my magic. Things wouldn't have ended well, had you approached me at the time."

Despite Regina's assurances, Emma still felt a bit unsettled by the whole thing. She wonders if it radiates off her, this tension, or if it's somehow readable on her face, the way Regina looks at, the way Regina's fingers continue to stroke her face so soothingly. Emma is mesmerized by the way Regina's expression softens even more and this time they both lean in, lips meeting somewhere half-way.

Emma melts into the kiss. One of her hands moves up and her fingers weave themselves through strands of Regina's silky brown hair. She nips at Regina's lower lip, licking her way inside the moment Regina parts her lips to emit a soft gasp. Somewhere, in between the heady kisses, she thinks that she might never tire of this. The way Regina kisses. The way Regina lets herself be kissed in turn. It's a give and take between them and Emma loves the way she can make Regina moan with a few well placed licks and sucks.

So caught up they are in their kissing, that Emma doesn't notice someone entering their little hiding spot. At least not until she hears Henry's voice calling out for them to stop what they are doing, because they are grossing him out.

Emma laughs as Regina instantly breaks the kiss, a startled look on her face. "Sorry kid, we didn't mean to traumatize you. I do know from experience how icky it is to see your parents.." she trails off with a wince and drops her hands away from Regina's body.

She catches the raised eyebrow that Regina gives her by way of a question and shrugs. "Trust me, you're better off not knowing."

"I imagine not. One traumatized person is enough for today. And I would like to be able to be present in the same room as your parents without being confronted with some horrible mental imagery."

Emma snorts, then cringes as she thinks of... Her whole face contorts with the memory that hits her and she gnashes her teeth together in frustration. Honestly sometimes she really wishes that she could erase certain things from her brains. The mention of her parents makes her glance quickly at her watch though. At least they had a little time before the appointment, but Emma still found herself surprised by how much time had passed already since their arrival in the park.

"We should probably head over to the diner," Emma suggests. "Knowing my parents, they are already on their way, or they might in fact already be there waiting for us." She looks on as Henry stuffs his comics into his backpack in record-time. "In a hurry Henry?"

"Yeah," he says, his eyes twinkling as he looks up hopefully at Regina, "we're going to have some ice-cream right?"

"I don't think.."

She gets cut-off mid-sentence by Regina. "Sure we can Henry."

"Cool." And then he is already running off towards the direction of Emma's police-cruiser before Emma can utter another word.

"You do realize he's going to be on a sugar-high most of the evening as a result, right?"

"Indeed I do," Regina says, a deliciously evil smirk playing around her lips that raises goosebumps along Emma's skin. "I suppose you forgot that he is staying with Neal this weekend, dear."

Chuckling, Emma pats Regina's shoulder as they drew near the patrol-car. "That's really mean, Regina. And probably funny too, though knowing Neal he'll probably call up somewhere during the night whining about how Henry refuses to go to sleep."

"I think we can see it to that he can't reach to us, wouldn't you agree?"

"Still don't like him much huh?" Emma questions as she leans in for a quick peck.

"I don't like that side of Henry's family in general, so no," Regina says as they finally reach the parking-lot.

Henry's already leaning against the car, drawing imaginary circles and figures on the windows. He perks up when they arrive, and Emma can't help smiling again. He really did seem truly happy lately. And him and Regina had grown even closer after he heard what went on in the woods during the whole Ogre-incident months ago. In a way that day had brought on a lot of changes along with it. One of those changes happened to be the reason why Emma had barely gotten any sleep the night before. She flushes a little with that thought, casting a quick glance at Regina. She falters a little when she finds Regina staring right back at her, a quirky half-smile tugging the corners of her mouth upwards as she winks at Emma, seemingly knowing exactly what Emma had been thinking about and being thoroughly amused by it.

Digging into her pockets for her keys, she is startled by a hand brushing along her arm, making her freeze in place. "Regina?"

"We have some time to spare, don't we?"

"Probably, what are you thinking?"

"Could we walk?" comes the hesitating request.

Regina's eyes flicker across her face, like she is searching for something. Emma has no idea what, or if she was just imagining things in the first place. But she still finds herself nodding and pulling her hand from her jacket's pocket again. The hand that rests on her arm travels downwards, until the fingers reach Emma's own, touching them lightly before Regina's hand withdraws entirely and she walks off along with Henry. Emma stares at her splayed fingers for a moment, swearing there is a tingling she feels even now. Sighing quietly under her breath, she lowers her arm back to her side and quickly jogs after her lover, already a little ways ahead of her.

"Are you nervous?" Emma asks a little while later, after she has caught up with Regina. Henry is already a street-length ahead of them, glancing across his shoulders every now and then and rolling his eyes when they don't move fast enough.

Regina makes a dismissive motion with her hand, basically granting him permission to run off to the diner by himself. Emma knew that the likely reason why she allowed him out of her sight had to do with Granny's being only two blocks away, but there was another reason too. The same reason why she hadn't yet answered Emma's query. That and Emma could sense Regina tensing up the closer they got to their destination.

"Not nervous, no."

"But something is bothering you," Emma states. She got an eyeroll in response and gave her best 'what' expression in return. "Are you worried they'll turn down your suggestion? Because I don't think they will, you know? They might not exactly like it, but to me it seems like the best solution right now."

"Of course it is dear. Your parents are doing a deplorable job with running this town," Regina says haughtily, sniffing lightly as she purses her lips.

"Not that I don't agree with your assessment Your Majesty, but that's hardly a fair comparison, you do have 28 years of experience on them after all."

"I suppose I could admit to not liking the fact that I'll have an entire council of people supervising my every action," Regina mutters out sourly. "Your parents being two of them is just icing on the cake, wouldn't you say?"

"Not your every action, just the really important ones. " Emma chuckles at the condescending look leveled her way. Oh yes, it would seem Regina was entering Evil Queen mode. Though normally she enjoyed poking the bear a little, they were nearly at Granny's now and Emma wasn't particularly looking forward to cleaning up the mess, were Regina to set some of the furniture on fire. Especially not with her parents sitting on said furniture.

"Look," she says, turning to look Regina in the eyes for a moment. "It's going to be fine alright? Plus I'll be there, and so will Henry."

Regina's eyes visibly soften as they stare at each other for a long drawn out moment. And Emma knows her expression falls completely in turn. She glances at Regina's lips, wishing not for the first time that Regina wasn't insisting on this secrecy when it came to their relationship. Especially since they had been spending most of the time together lately. But besides her parents and Henry, no one knew for certain, even with all of the gossip doing the rounds. They had been pretty careful after all, cloaking their respective cars when they spent the night, or just walking for that matter. Never kissing or doing anything intimate out in the public where anyone could see. She likes to think they are getting there though. Regina was opening herself back up gradually, and this suggestion to temporarily run the town as Mayor again, until the worst of Storybrooke's problems were solved, felt like a very significant turn of events to Emma.

One of her hands raises almost instinctively. She wants to cup Regina's chin, brush their lips together for a gentle affirming kiss. But they are on the steps of the diner now, almost at the door. A quick glance sideways reveals Henry already sitting inside, talking animatedly with his grand-parents. Emma breathes deeply, preparing to step inside and face the music.

A hand on her arm stops her. And Emma wants to ask Regina what's going on, or if she was maybe having second thoughts. They are questions left unasked, fading away swiftly into nothingness as she holds Regina's gaze. There is a smile gracing her features, a look in her eyes conveying a thousand different things. They hold entire conversations, quietly, never speaking a single word. There is an intensity to it, a connection that goes so much deeper than the feelings and expressions of love they've yet to admit to each other. And slowly Emma's lips curve into the softest of smiles.

She looks down, watches as the hand traces a tantalising slow path down her arm, much like it did before. Only this time Regina's fingers linger. The pads brush lightly across the back of her hand, and then around. Gently, Regina's hand slides into her own, their fingers lacing together almost automatically. Emma's smile grows.

And as Regina presses the other hand against the door-handle, Emma wishes time could stand still for this moment. She swears it actually does too, even if it's for just a second. Just a second, before she follows after Regina, squeezing the hand she is clasping tightly as they walk through the door together.

-x-x-x-

A/N: Yes, there is no true ending. It's left open for a reason. As to how it might possibly continue. Well...that would be story for another time.

Maybe.

P.S. To all my lovely reviewers, thank you for sitting by and watching me write this chapter by chapter. It's the longest story I've ever written. You've been great, thanks!