Blue Valentine:

Life was complicated for Emma Swan, not that it ever was easy but she could use a break. Maybe a nice vacation in the Caribbean, she could use the sun and Henry would love the beach. Speaking of the kid, she was late to picking him up. Again. She really tried to be on time but she couldn't leave her client in the middle of the trial. She did what she had to, she hoped Henry would understand.

Walking up Mifflin Street was a special kind of hell; the memory of when she used to live here with a wife and a son still lingered fresh. That and she knew Regina, her ex-wife and Mayor of Storybrook was going to be on her case about being late to pick up their son. But still she mustered up some courage and knocked on the door.

"You're late." Regina answered curtly when she opened the door.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." Emma said not wanting to hear Regina's reproach. "I got caught up at work."

"That's hardly surprising." Regina said opening the door wider as a silent gesture for Emma.

"Is he still awake?" Emma asked glancing up the staircase. "I know it's kind of late."

"I don't know." Regina said. "He thought you weren't coming."

"I'm sorry, I was-" Emma tried to explain.

"You got caught up at work. I've heard this before." Regina said, having heard this same excuse so many times before, it was easy to finish Emma's sentence.

"I'm sorry." Emma said this time looking sincerely apologetic.

"I'm going to go get Henry." Regina said as she started to go up the staircase she stopped and did a half turn. "You could have called at the very least."

Emma was left alone in the foyer, she look at the now emptier walls. She remembers how the walls were filled with family pictures, now there were fewer pictures on the walls. It pained her to think about her failed marriage and how she failed to give Henry a real family.

Emma is driving with Henry from Storybrook to Boston like they usually so every Friday night the difference is that the usual chatty boy hasn't utter a word since leaving Regina's house. This is a matter of concern for Emma.

"I'm sorry for being late." Emma apologized once more.

"Again." Henry muttered under his breath.

"I know I haven't been the most punctual parent as of late, but I'm really trying, kid." Emma said. "I'm trying to make this arrangement work but sometimes it gets really, really hard."

"I know. Work is important. I get it." Henry said resigned.

"Not as important as you are." Emma said ruffling Henry's hair finally managing to get a smile out of the boy. "I love you."

"I love you too." Henry said quickly forgetting Emma's lateness and enjoying the time he had with his mother.

When they got to Emma's apartment Henry went straight for the balcony, he loved seeing all the city lights, it was different from Storybrook. The view is nothing short of breathtaking and Emma gives Henry a moment to take it in.

"What's on your mind, kid?" Emma asks after she put Henry's discarded backpack on his room.

"Nothing…" He said shrugging his shoulders noncommittally.

"Come on, you know you can tell me anything." Emma said sensing that he was holding out on her.

"Mom has a boyfriend." He spitted out shocking Emma in the process. A weave of jealousy crept over Emma.

"A- And h-how do you feel about that?" Emma asked not really knowing how to react.

"I've known for a while but mom finally told me this week." Henry said with that unreadable expression he most definitely inherited from Regina.

"Do you like this new boyfriend of hers?" Emma asked knowing she was completely out of her depth.

"Graham's cool and all but sometimes he tries too hard." Henry said.

"She's dating Graham!?" Emma asked to no one in particular. "She's way out of his league." She muttered under her breath.

"He is not her True Love so I'm not worried." Henry said with certainty. "You are. You just need to talk to mom and fix things. You say you're sorry, she says she's sorry and then we'll finally be a family again."

"Henry…" Emma looked for the right words to say but failed to find them. Somehow Henry got convinced that his mothers where meant to be and refused to accept that their marriage was over.

Two years ago:

There are boxes lying around all over the house, all of the boxes have in common the 'Emma's Stuff' scribbled in front of them. When Regina goes into the living room she sees Henry taking out stuff from inside the boxes. There are books and CDs lying all over the floor.

"Henry, what are you doing?" Regina asked confused. Emma and her have been fighting more often than its normal these past few months and after the last fight when things almost got physical and Henry saw part of the fight they decided to call it quits. Emma was moving back to Boston and Regina was staying here in Storybrook. Henry was yet to come to terms with his parent's decision.

"I'm putting mom's stuff back." Henry said as he continued hard at work. "She's gonna want them there when she comes back."

"Henry, dear, we talked about this remember?" Regina said squatting down to be at eye level with her son.

"But you guys fight all the time, you just have to say you're sorry for kicking her out and then she'll come back us." Henry said it like it was the easiest thing on the world. Like saying sorry could fix a broken marriage.

"It's not that easy, dear." Regina said stroking Henry's cheek.

"But she's your True Love, you have to stay together, you have to." Henry insisted. "Please."

"Its over Henry, Emma is not coming back." Regina admitted to her son and to herself for the first time.

"But I love her!" Henry cried out loud. "I love her."

"I know." Regina said holing onto the sobbing boy. "I know you love her, I love her too." Even though her eyes betrayed her, she tried to stay strong for the boy whose whole world was coming apart.

On Sunday's late afternoon Emma and Henry from Boston to Storybrook singing songs on the radio at the top of their lungs, in between songs they stuffed their mouths with junk food bought at a gas station. This is behavior that Regina would not approve of but it was their little secret.

Regina ran to the door the moment she heard the loud rhythmic knock. There are only two people in this world that would knock like that. =

"Here I bring you Sir Henry, safe and sound." Emma said her hands resting on Henry's shoulder.

"Hi, ma." Henry said giving Regina a small hug. "I found my DS, it was at mom's, I'm going to go find my charger." He said as he ran up the stairs.

"Henry! What have I told you about running in the house?" Regina called after Henry.

"Sorry." Henry's voice was heard from a distance.

There was an awkward pause between Regina and Emma now that they didn't have Henry as a buffer it was hard to know what to do next. They weren't in bad terms but they weren't exactly friends.

"So…" "Did Henry…." They both said at the same time.

"You go first." Emma said.

"No, please." Regina said. "Say what you need to say." She said as she led Emma inside the house.

"It was nothing, please." Emma said. The politeness between them was painful. They walked over to Regina's study where Regina gave Emma what she called 'Henry updates'.

"I just wanted to ask whether Henry did his homework or not." Regina said in her usual poise manner while Emma tried not to make eye contact as she sat down in front of Regina.

"He did." Emma said. "I'm not a complete incompetent parent, you know." She said with a hint of hostility.

"I wasn't implying- I was making sure that his homework was done." Regina said noticing Emma's tone.

"Whatever, Regina." Emma said. Regina's mistrust hurt her so she did the only thing she knew how. "Congratulations by the way." At Regina's confused look she decided to elaborate. "You and Sheriff Graham, I heard you guys are a thing now."

"Henry told you didn't he?" Regina asked already knowing the answer.

"You sure as hell didn't." Emma said.

"I didn't realize I owed you any explanations regarding my personal life." Regina said. Emma stood up from her seat in the sofa to pour herself a glass of the scotch Regina always had lying around for guests.

"Excuse me? You cannot just help yourself. This isn't your house anymore." Regina said.

"And whose fault is that?" Emma said as she sipped on her drink.

"Lets not-" Regina said. "This isn't your house and I'm not your wife. I don't need to give you explanations about what I do with my personal life. We are not having any conversations regarding my relationship with Graham."

"You do need to talk to me about these things, especially when they involve my kid." Emma said.

"Any decisions I make involve Henry and myself not you, dear, not anymore." Regina said.

"He is my son and I need to know everything that goes in his life you cannot just bring a strange man into this house without consulting it with me first." Emma said.

"Now he's a strange man? Wasn't he your drinking buddy a while ago?" Regina asked with a good dose of sarcasm.

"You know that's not what I meant." Emma said putting her drink down.

"I don't need to consult a thing with you." Regina said. "All you need to do is pay Henry's child support on time and not disappoint Henry. But we all know how you're doing in that department."

"Fuck you, Regina, just fuck you." Emma said angrily.

"Not anymore you wont, dear." Regina replied coolly as Emma stepped up closer to her.

"Is that so?" Emma said a hair away from Regina's face. Emma's hand was resting on Regina's neck pulling her even closer.

"That is so." Regina said trying to hold on to what little control she had left. Deep down she knew what was about to happen, they've been here a number of times before. The heated arguments, the resentful reproaches, the hateful kisses and the angry sex…it was all too familiar.

"Fuck you." Emma muttered against Regina's lips.

"Then do it." Regina said before she clashed her lips against Emma's.

Clothes were discarded on the floor and bodies laid sedated on the sofa. They both knew that what had just transpired between them was a mistake; they crossed a line that should not ever be crossed. Now they both had marks on their bodies that would remind them for the next few days of the huge error they had just made.

"Could you pass me that glass?" Emma asked pointing to the glass half filled with scotch on the table closest to her ex-wife. Regina pushed the glass into Emma's hand before she stood up to put her clothes back on. "Are you happy? Does he make you happy?" She asked as she watched Regina getting dressed.

"I'm not having this conversation with you." Regina answered.

"Is just a question." Emma said after she began getting dressed herself.

"A question I refuse to answer." Regina said checking herself in the mirror. "Is that concept so hard for you to grasp? And must to mark my neck like this? You barbarian."

There were many questions left on Emma's mind like: Does he make you happier than I did? Did I ever manage to make you happy? Can we go back to the start and being all over again?

"I'm sorry." Emma said not looking Regina's general direction. "I'll leave you alone now. Tell the kid I had to go but that I'll call him tomorrow before he goes off to school."

"Emma…" Regina called after her but it was too late, Emma was already gone. "I'm sorry too."