Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Once Upon a Time.

Don't Look Away

- By MegannRosemary

"Hey."

The brunette startled, her knees banging against her desk and the sleek silver pen fell from her grasp with a clatter.

"Shit sorry," Emma mumbled, hurrying around to collect the pen from the floor. Her hand brushed against the other woman's knee as she rose and she was surprised when she met bare flesh instead of the rasp of nylon pantyhose.

"What are you doing here?" Regina huffed, tucking the pen into the drawer and smoothing back her dark locks.

"I was driving by on patrol and I noticed that the light was still on." She cleared her throat, "You've been working too hard Madam Mayor."

"I have a town to run Sherriff Swan."

So they were back.

They were back to the nicknames, back to their nine to five jobs, back to normal.

But there was a softness that enveloped them, a whisper of sweetness and a hush of warmth.

Where their teasing had been filled with harsh words and mistrust, it had been replaced with affection and understanding.

"Look Zelena has been gone for over a month now, it's time you gave yourself a break."

"Who says I need a break?"

"I do." Emma shrugged, focusing on floor as scuffed the toes of her boots on the marble. "And uh Henry does too."

A grimace formed on perfect red lips and Emma's heart sank. Henry's memories hadn't been recovered and it was a constant source of pain to the older woman. To Emma as well, for how she longed to shared her greatest joy in life with someone, the only one, who could truly understand.

"He likes you, you know," She blurted, but the words sounded hollow and fake even to her.

Regina stood up quickly, her chair skidding across the floor, and she began to quickly shove papers into her supple leather satchel.

Emma was at a loss and merely stood by as the other woman moved sharply about her tasks. Tentatively, she held out Regina's coat, and waited as she slipped her hands in the sleeves.

Regina locked the building and they headed to their respective cars.

"You may go now Sheriff, you've done you civic duty."

"Want me to follow you home?"

"Why would I want that?" There was only pleasant surprise beneath the mask of exaggerated horror.

"In case you wanted company."

She hesitated for so long that Emma thought for sure she'd say yes, but she shook her head. "No thank you, I have work to do."

"Don't stay up too late," Emma reached out and squeezed her arm before she got into the cruiser.

She didn't catch the slight lift at the corners of her lips, the hint of a smile and the promise of happiness.

"Regina!" Emma stuck her head around the door of her office, giggling when the brunette's head bobbed comically in surprise.

"Emma, you startled me."

"I know," She chuckled, "It was kinda awesome."

Regina hummed disapprovingly, but her lips quirked with the ghost of a smile.

"What are you doing here on a Saturday?"

"Working."

"Obviously," Emma rolled her eyes, "But it's Saturday and it's Storybrooke, so c'mon is there really that much work to do?"

She hesitated for a moment, and Emma pounced, "Aha! I knew it! C'mon let's go."

"Where?" The older woman managed to ask, but she was already standing, slipping into her blazer and shouldering her purse.

"Frederick organized a game of soccer for the kids, Henry will be playing."

"Oh." The weight of twelve years rested on that single syllable, twelve years of Saturdays, twelve years with the boy she'd raised as her own child.

Emma tugged on her sleeve and let her hand slide down crisp material until it settled in Regina's palm. For a few moments their hands clasped as she tugged them out the door, before Regina took her hand back to close up behind them.

They walked the couple blocks to the field and settled themselves at the top of the bleachers.

The two women watched as Henry took the ball down the field and scored on the empty net. He was collecting his soccer ball when he caught sight of his mother and waved excitedly. He stopped for a moment in the middle of the field when he noticed Regina was there as well, and a wide grin spread over his face. He gave a thumbs up and jogged to join the rest of his team in drills.

Emma nudged the brunette, "See, I told you he likes you."

Regina ducked her head, to hide the simultaneous grin and sting of tears.

The whistle blew and the game began.

They were lacking proper jerseys and their own blue versus red shirts gave way to some confusion and much laughter as the ball got launched in the wrong direction on several occasions.

Henry's team was down by one in end of the second half when Grace, a lightning bolt on the field, got the ball. Emma grasped Regina's thigh, her fingers dancing across the skin at the hem of her skirt.

"C'mon Grace, c'mon Henry is right there. Pass. Pass. Pass."

She did.

Henry stumbled once over a clump of grass but then righted himself and took a solid swing at the ball.

"Scoreeeeeeee!" Emma jumped to her feet and threw her arms around Regina, "He did it, our son did it!"

"Emma," Regina gasped, the word resonating in her soul.

"Sorry, I got excited and I just forgot."

"It's alright." She glanced up at sparkling emerald eyes, "I enjoy hearing it, I miss it...I miss him."

They both glanced at the boy tearing across the field with his shirt pulled over his head. There he was, and yet it wasn't the same.

Emma drove her home, Henry chattering animatedly in the backseat and making her promise to come to every game.

As they said goodbye on her front porch, Emma murmured, "So you never really answered my question, is there really that much work to do?"

Regina shook her head once. Twice.

"Then why?"

"It's better than the alternative," Regina glanced back at the empty mansion, sadness filling her eyes.

"Well just so you know we have a standing date for the Saturdays to come alright?"

"A date?"

"Oh uh not like that...I mean...uh...unless you want." She clapped her hands over her mouth and glanced back at Henry in the car. "I'll see you, ok?"

"Good bye Emma, thanks for a lovely day"

The blonde threw a wave over her shoulder and slid into the Bug.

She didn't notice the soft smile and the charming blush that filled the brunette's features with a happy glow.

Emma stomped through the halls of the mansion, her deep voice booming, "Regina you better not be working!" She walked easily through the door of her home office, having made herself long since comfortable in the brunette's mansion for the past couple months, ignoring all boundaries and taking any unlocked door as a open arm invitation.

Regina looked up, guiltily to her credit, from the blue glow of her computer screen.

"Mhmmm," Emma stood over her as she saved the document and allowed Emma to close the lid on the lap top. "I thought you were on summer vacation?"

"It's called..."

Emma pressed a finger against her lips, "I don't care what it's called, as of five o´clock yesterday city hall is closed and you have two weeks where I expect you to do absolutely nothing."

"But..."

"Shhhh, we'll keep you busy." She winked, "I promise you won't get bored."

On cue the croak of a teenage boy on the verge of puberty called out, "Ma where do you want the food?"

"Henry?" Regina's hands flew to her hair and straightened her outfit.

"It was his idea," She nudged her, "Why don't you go change into something more comfortable and meet us out back.

She found them on the back lawn, Emma collapsed under a pile of what looked like teal lumber, but on closer inspection was teal Rubbermaid planks and aluminum poles. The blonde shrugged helplessly from the ground, "The picnic table was supposed to assemble in three easy steps."

"Did you read the instructions?" Regina asked, though she evidently knew the answer when she pulled them still folded in four from the empty box.

With a few hints and peals of laughter the three of them managed to get the table standing and the food laid out.

"We brought make your own tacos. It used to be our special Friday night dinner in New York, but your first day of summer vacation seemed like a pretty good idea."

"Why thank you Henry."

Emma groaned, "It took us all morning to cut all the vegetables, but look we even chopped mushrooms."

"Emma says they're your favourite," Henry piped up.

The blonde blushed.

"Anyways," He continued, "She didn't do any work, I did it all. All she does is grate the cheese."

His mother shrugged, "That's the best part."

"She eats like half of it and then gets a belly ache before we can even have ice cream," He rolled his eyes in clear consternation at the supposed grown up in his life.

Emma powered though the ice cream sandwiches they had after dinner, belly ache or not, teasing Henry about his chocolate smile and softly brushing the crumbs from Regina's lips.

For the second time that day she felt her mouth beneath her touch, soft and full. For the hundredth time in as many days, she wondered what it would be like to feel those lips beneath her own.

Regina welcomed the two Swans into her life, but the pain of Henry's memories was forever a deep chasm between them. Emma's attraction, she knew, spurred from long before their year apart, but these new feelings ran deep and true.

To act on them would be suicide.

If Regina felt the same way, and how could she, how could they ever be a family.

Henry would forever be a constant source of pain to Regina.

Emma couldn't do it to her, couldn't even think to ask Regina to live in such a world where the previous eleven years were an open wound, burning with acid.

Yet when they lay on a blanket beneath the apple tree to read that afternoon, Regina propped herself up beside her. She took Emma's hand with a secret smile, her thumb drawing in small, absent minded circles as she turned her attention to her book. Emma lost all rational thought, focused instead on keeping her breathing even, her heartbeat steady and keeping herself from turning just ever so slightly, leaning over just a few inches and brining them to sweet surrender.

And sentencing them to a lifetime of pain and suffering.

When sun slipped towards the horizon Emma and Henry said their reluctant goodbyes with a promise to return for dinner the next night. Henry forgot he was nearly a teenager, as he reminded his mother every day, and wrapped his arms around Regina's waist, "Thank you Regina, you're pretty awesome when you're not running around like a crazy person."

"Thank you dear."

"You are pretty awesome, " Emma breathed, leaning in for a similar hug and her traitorous body shifted to drop a kiss on her cheek.

She turned quickly, hoping she wouldn't see the pain that would surely be in the other woman's eyes.

She didn't see the way the brunette grinned, from her full red lips, to her shining chocolate eyes, to the way she glowed from her very soul.

"Guyssss, I'm doooooneeee," Emma peered out of the kitchen, searching for her dinner companions.

She'd convinced Regina to let her use her kitchen to make a special back to school meal. Regina agreed reluctantly, for after all she'd been the one to teach Emma to cook. The blonde gleefully kicked her out and begged for it to be a surprise.

A few hours later, her masterpiece was complete.

She wandered out in the living room and found Henry deep in a pile of comic books.

"Hey kid, dinner's ready."

"Oh hey mom," He didn't look up from the pages.

"Where did you get those? She asked.

"Upstairs," He mumbled, "Hey did Regina have a kid?"

"Why do you ask?"

"There's like a room up there all full of stuff, I dunno maybe he went to college or something."

"Oh...Well we haven't talked about it." Emma shuddered, there it was again, the knife that twisted deep in her belly, sending arcs of pain and draining the life from her. "Uh, where's Regina?"

"In her study, she said something about making a few calls."

"I'll go find her, " She said absentmindedly, "Go wash up for dinner."

Emma padded down the hall, now comfortable in the large mansion to come and go as she pleased, to slide around in socked feet and to change the channel on TV with lighthearted teasing.

Though many things had changed, many lines had blurred and then been erased entirely, entering Regina's study was not something she chanced without knocking.

She knocked with Emma Swan flare and pushed the door open, smiling to herself when she saw the brunette at work. Her glasses perched on the end of her nose, a pen twirled in the fingers of her left hand, while the pen in her right furiously scribbled on a yellow legal pad. She was utterly adorable and breathtakingly beautiful.

The blonde sauntered around and perched herself on the desk, she let her hair fall forward and her body thrust forward suggestively.

She smirked when she noticed a brief stutter and a polite apology tumble from Regina's plump lips.

Emma's thoughts swirled through the impossibilities, the ramifications of their relationship, but always came back to rest on the bright spark of hope and the endless future that lay before them.

At last Regina ended the call and Emma took her hand, stilling her motions and preventing another hour long call to some committee or another. "Dinner is ready..."

"But..."

"No buts, other people want to have dinner too, c'mon." Emma tugged the pens from her grasp,

"I just..."

The blonde pulled her into her arms, her gaze falling to full lips, inches from her own, "Don't make me..." She stopped and turned swiftly, "Just come..."

She paused on the threshold to the kitchen, "Oh uh Henry found his room."

"He what?!" She hissed, "Why didn't you tell me!"

"I got distracted...but he asked if you had a kid and I said that we haven't talked about it, which is the truth at least."

"Alright," She smoothed her skirt and took a deep breath before entering the kitchen.

The fates weren't playing on their side that evening, no sooner had their plates been piled high with food, did Henry ask, "Hey Regina did you have a kid?"

"Well..." She sighed and Emma reached to take her hand beneath the table. "I did Henry. I had a son, but he went to live with his other mother about a year ago."

"That sucks," He mumbled around a mouthful of pasta. Then he brightened suddenly, "Actually that's great, because my mom has a chance now." He babbled on, " She likes you, you know, and now I know you can like, like her too. Maybe I'll get to have two moms too, maybe I'll get to meet your son, maybe I can have a brother! Maybe you guys can have another kid because I'd really love to have a baby sister, I bet the girls would all want to come over if I had a baby sister..."

"Woah woah woah kid I think you're jumping ahead of yourself there."

He blushed, "Sorry Mom, but I am growing up and I'll have a girlfriend soon."

Ok, so not what she was talking about, but they all laughed, breaking the rising level of tension.

It hung over them in a swirling mix of longing and fear.

After dinner, Henry begged to check out the rest of the comics upstairs.

The two women were left alone, faced with the reality, the collision of past, present and future.

"I'm sorry Regina..."

They stood in each other's arms, barely touching, where whispering caresses were both comforting and titillating.

"it's alright, we'd have to face it sometime..."

The past still an open wound, the present simmered with happiness and the future was their spark after years of darkness. The pain of the past would remain, as it had tonight, brought to the surface by an innocent question.

Despite the promise of pain to come if their relationship continued, that spark brought them over the edge.

And so the kiss happened anyway.

Slowly, tentatively their lips moved against one another.

Then the desires that had been simmering for three years boiled over and tugged them under.

Tongues explored the heady sensations and hands grasped and tangled in their hair, struggling for a hold on to an elusive reality.

With weak knees and laboured breaths the two women stepped into a simple embrace.

Emma brushed a lock of tangled dark hair back from Regina's flushed cheeks. "Hey," She managed, her voice shaking with the explosion of emotion and passion.

Chocolate eyes lifted their gaze and locked with emerald orbs, she smiled softly, "Hello dear."

"I guess there's no going back now," The blonde mumbled, brushing the pad of her thumb over Regina's swollen red lips.

"No, I don't suppose so." Their foreheads bumped against one another and they giggled shyly.

"One day at a time?" Emma whispered, "We've been through so much Regina, I have faith."

"I hope that's enough." The brunette sighed deeply.

Henry came bursting back in the kitchen, arms full of comics, "Hey Mom - oh sorry guys - Hey look what I found can I take some home to read, I promise I'll bring them back!"

"Of course Henry, my son would be happy someone enjoyed them as much as he did." Her deep voice wavered for a moment, then the strength returned as she bustled around the kitchen to put the dinner away.

"Want some help?" Emma asked sheepishly.

"That's all right dear, thank you for cooking dinner." She took out two Tupperware containers and heaped them with pasta, one for both Emma and Henry. "I'll see you two tomorrow?"

"Of course." Emma blushed as they reached the door, "Henry close your eyes."

He groaned dramatically and buried his head in a comic.

The two women met for a sweet kiss, a feathery brush of lips and the faint promise of more.

Henry and Emma headed down the walk arm in arm, laughing and teasing on their way to the bug.

She didn't see the way tears sprung to Regina's eyes and the way she folded her hands over her chest, her heart beating with something she hadn't felt in decades.

"Oh Emma," A husky voice floated through the glass door of her office.

Every nerve ending burst into flames and the hairs stood up on her arms.

Regina.

"H-Hey." Emma managed, carefully setting her mechanical pencil in the Storybrooke Police mug that she used as a pen holder.

"You've been working too hard dear," She intoned, her voice brushed with satin and smoke.

"I...well I've got to get this in by the end of the year." She winked sloppily, "Mayor's orders."

The brunette unbuttoned her coat and draped it over then desk before she glided to Emma's side.

In a whisper of movement she'd stepped out of her heels and straddled Emma's lap, her hands balancing on the back of the chair. She ground her hips against the rough material of Emma's jean's and the two women locked eyes as pleasure shot through their bodies.

There was a heartbeat and then their mouths were crashing together. Tongues probed deeply, teeth nipped selfishly and breathy moans filled the simple office.

Without warning, the sweetness of their kisses was replaced with the tang of salt.

"Regina?" Emma pulled back then and focused her desire clouded gaze on her lover.

A tear slipped down her cheek.

"Oh Regina, what is this really about?" She glanced at their position, worry overcoming her features.

The tears turned to sobs and Emma lifted the petite woman to cradle her in her arms. The tears flowed for a long time, dampening the collar of Emma's shirt, before they slowed enough for her to speak.

She lifted her head from her shoulder, dark eyes red rimmed and wide, "I've been thinking Emma..."

The blonde's heart sank and she steeled herself for the worst.

"Emma?"

"Yes?" She held her breath.

"I love you." She blurted, her lower lip trembling.

A flame the colour of sunsets and blazing fires burst in her chest, powerless against the hope those words gave her. "Is that such a bad thing?" Emma asked with the last shred of rational thought.

"It's the very greatest thing that could happen, if only you could love me back."

"Don't you know Regina?"

She shook her head, looking very small and shy, like the young princess Emma never got to know.

Or perhaps she did.

"I love you Regina, with all my heart, in this world and all the worlds we've crossed." Emma kissed her feverishly, pouring her desires, her dreams into the meeting of lips and tongue.

A brilliant flash of white light radiated out from the oblivious lovers, washing over the citizens of Storybrooke.

For tears began again as they whispered low promises and clung to each other in the low light of the Sherriff's office.

"Emma I don't know how this happened."

"I don't either, but I'm not sorry." She pressed a kiss to her forehead, "I know the exact moment I fell in love with you though."

"You do?"

"It was two years ago-"

"That's impossible,"

"I assure you it's not." Emma slipped a hand beneath the hem of her skirt and began a slow caress of her thigh, "The moment I climbed out of the well and you said 'welcome back', that's when I knew."

"Oh Emma..."

"There, you said it just like that." The blonde grinned, leaning in for a soft meeting of lips.

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be, it's the greatest thing that has ever happened in my life. I'm in love with the most incredible woman and somehow she loves me too. And maybe things are a little complicated but hey, you know I would cross realms for someone I love."

"I...thank you Emma." The brunette ducked her head shyly.

"Let's take this somewhere more private, shall we?" She hummed, squeezing her thigh.

Charming and Snow came bursting into the station, "Emma what was that?"

"Oh, Regina, I didn't expect to see you here," Snow smiled politely.

"Hello dear," She responded with equal politeness as she picked herself off Emma's lap and stood, hands clasped in front of her.

Charming boomed, ignoring the situation at hand, "What was that light?"

"What light?"

On cue, the desk phone began to ring off the hook, as well as the jangle of several cell phones.

Emma sprang into action, "Sherriff Station how can I help you? Yes, I'm working on it."

"Yes I will let you know as soon I know anything."

"Yes thank you, I have been alerted."

"Yes, I'll find out."

Regina's cell phone crashed to the floor and skidded halfway across the room. Pale faced and breathing heavily, she fell back against the desk.

Emma's attention snapped to the brunette, "Regina, what is it?"

"He called me Mom."

"Who?"

"Henry."

Emma picked up the phone from the floor, "Give me a second kid." She reached for Regina's hand, lacing their fingers together, "Ok Henry you're on speaker now."

"Sure."

"So..."

"I remember Moms, I remember." He sniffled slightly.

"When did this happen?" She asked, and it took every ounce of strength to keep her voice level and calm.

"I dunno a few minutes ago, there was this light..." His voice shook, "Where are you guys?"

"The Sherriff station."

"Can I come?"

Regina turned watery eyes on Emma, pleading with every cell in her body as she swayed towards her.

"Course you can kid."

It was several long minutes where the four of them sat in the small office, the phone ringing and ringing, jangling their nerves.

The patter of small feet soon echoed down the hall, and Henry went barrelling into his mother's arms.

"Mom."

"Henry."

She simply held him tightly, tears pouring down her cheeks and falling on his coat.

Emma stood by, pressing a fierce kiss to her hair, and rubbing her back in slow circles.

"Mom, I wanna go home, " He sniffled.

"You've been home for some time," She rasped, "You and Emma stayed over last weekend."

"It's not the same." He wiped his nose on his sleeve, "Please Moms?"

"I..." Emma glanced at her father, "Can you...?"

"Yes, go on, take your family home." He gestured at the phone, "I'll deal with this."

And so they returned to the mansion, as a family of three, three hearts and souls entwined forever, true love binding them with the strength of three.

There was no looking away now, they were home in each other's eyes, emerald, hazel and chocolate. Through smiles and laughter, tears and shaky sobs, the pain disappeared into the past and the happiness of today paved bright future.

A/N: Thanks for reading lovelies, I'd love to hear what you thought :)

P.S. Also I think this little ditty helped me get through my writers block so I'll be back to updating my other stories.