About a year later

"Henry Mills put down the pen and back away from the paper," Regina warned as she ordered her son to stop writing and go get ready for bed. He had finally found his 'thing'—the thing where he felt like he fit in and truly belonged. It wasn't an outdoor campy physical work thing, no, but he was good at it and no longer was on the receiving end of being teased or bullied.

Emma thought it was since he projected an air of confidence now. He had an energy that no one could mess with, and she was proud of him and felt privileged to be such a trusted influence in his life.

"No one uses pen and paper, gahhdddd," Henry huffed as he reluctantly closed the lid on his laptop and pushed away from his desk on his chair. He had grown two inches since his birthday and he now officially a teenager.

"Goodnight, Henry, I love you," Regina stepped away from the door and let Emma have a turn.

The brat was as tall as she was now.

Some say the teenage years are the hardest ones to parent through. Adolescence is the time when the child starts to distance himself from his parents, but ever since Henry discovered he really was amazing at writing and joined a creative workshop group, things had just clicked into place. His relationship with Regina had improved a great deal in Emma's opinion, but she also knew she'd had a hand in that.

"Henry, get your beauty sleep and don't stay up 'writing' under the covers, because I need you to help me with that job application in the morning," Emma told him with a wink and smile. She wished him a good night and closed his door.

She took a deep breath and made her way downstairs following Regina into her spacious study. Now was the time where she would usually start a fire and Regina would prepare mugs of cocoa or open a bottle of wine depending on what kind of day they'd experienced. Recently, since the weather was warm she'd make a pitcher of sweet and refreshing lemonade. It reminded Emma of camp.

"Let's go sit outside," Emma suggested, "I was off work today and so I didn't get any fresh air."

After they returned from their fabulous cruise, and the camp was settled- Cora had hired full time help to take care of the horses, Regina and Emma both realized they were effectively unemployed.

Being that Emma had nowhere particular that she called home, Regina invited her to check out her digs. It was only meant to be temporary, just to see where things would go, but things went extremely well.

The couple walked out onto the back deck and sat down on the porch swing, swaying softly as they ended up entwined together in each other's arms. Emma loved cuddling with Regina for many reasons, (not only because she smelled like warm vanilla sugar.) The couple had been getting closer, talking through their feelings and enjoying each other's company every day since Emma had come to call this house 'home.'

She'd been working as a lifeguard at the public pool in the small town where Regina lived. Everyone was friendly and respectful. She'd only been living there a few months, but Regina got her a look for a position with the Sheriff's department. She just had to fill out the application and turn it in. It would be Emma's first 'real' job that had promise for a career, and the thought excited her to no end.

It would be a sign of permanence. She was putting down roots, and making a commitment. She had been so engrossed in life with Regina she hadn't even realized the strength of the bond they'd already made when she moved in. (They'd also been so busy banging like bunnies she barely noticed when the six weeks had passed and Henry came home from his grandparent's.)

Then he started school and Emma had sort of just fallen in with a job as a lifeguard for the indoor pool, and after the ground thawed and the sun warmed up, she went to the outdoor pool, and helped with the horses every other weekend. She found out she was very good at riding and really enjoyed it.

"Do you see that really big, bright star right up there tucked into that busy cluster of smaller stars?" Regina pointed up into the sky.

Emma nodded, thinking about how calm and beautiful her girlfriend looked when she was feeling relaxed and happy. Here she treated Emma as an equal and partner and the decisions that they made, they made them together.

"That's Capella and that whole set of pointy stars is Auriga—or The Charioteer," Regina explained. It wasn't the best time of year to view it, but at least she hadn't asked Emma to haul out the telescope.

"I know you have the horse camp, but it's not the quite the same-I know you miss camp Auriga," Emma said displaying sympathy as she pulled her girlfriend in toward her body tightly. Flashes of memories- of big storms, and shared nights of passion, sex in vans, wet sex in the showers, and hot sex in the woods flashed through her mind like flipping through a photo album.

Regina shrugged and took a moment to gather her thoughts, "I miss certain aspects of it. Mostly, I am relieved I don't have to deal with all of that scrutiny and fear of failure anymore."

"Me too." Emma joked, "The horses are much more laid back; the horses don't judge or upload crotch shots to the cloud."

Regina shoved her and laughed. "Besides I have everything I need, and everyone I truly care about with me right here, every day. I'm a lucky bitch."

Emma felt the exact same way.

She gave Regina a kiss and then they both snuggled closer, content, swinging on the porch, and looking up into the bright beautiful night sky.

The End

….

A/N: Wow, okay that's it. Only took two years to finish! Thank you to everyone who has stuck by me in support from the get go, Beegoddess, JuiceCup, LurkAmo, Redcharcoal… and so many great friends I've made along the way!

I would love to hear your thoughts so leave a comment, or a kudo. 2017 will be a great year! And to reiterate, JuiceCup and I will be co-authoring a smutty spin-off. So look for "Swimming in My Lemonade" very soon. In the meantime, keep the lemonade flowing. (Never forget that I did it before Beyoncé ;)