A/N: I'm back! A combination of missing writing, having a lot of time on my hands (as we all do at the moment) and inspiration came to me last night (March 27th – the world is changing so fast at the moment that I feel dates are going to be important).

Firstly, this is not a story which is going to feature Covid-19, although it is inspired by the current situation billions of people find themselves in at the moment – quarantine, self-isolation and lockdown. More in the A/N at the bottom but for now, I guess I'll let you dive on in!

Clicking to create a new slide, she glanced at the clock before resuming her work. The words flowed freely. She knew what content she wanted to include. It wasn't her first time lecturing on Hamlet. Nor would it be her last. The house was silent except for the rhythmic tapping of the keyboard, steadily pouring content into the slide. Soon enough, she was ready for the next one.

Another glance at the clock. Forty-three minutes late. She pursed her lips, irritation bubbling up inside her. Was it really so hard? It wasn't like she had asked for anything particularly complex or unreasonable. Just a time by which to be sure their son was home, so he had enough of the day to finish the outstanding pieces of homework.

Three slides later and she finally heard the tell-tale crunch of gravel. Taking her glasses off, she ran her fingers through her hair before picking up her cell phone and heading for the front door. By the time she reached the yard, the tardy duo were already in the garage.

"It's almost six thirty," she announced, voice clipped as she stepped into the sunlit space.

"Sorry, Mom. I got a flat," Henry explained, holding out the puncture repair kit as if to prove a point.

"Homework, young man. Now. And take a shower first, you're filthy," she added, taking in the dust and mud which was caked up her son's shins and spattered across his face.

Dutifully, he placed the kit back on the shelf where it lived and headed for the house.

"Did you have a good day?" she called after him before he reached the front door.

Her son turned and a wide smile split across his face. "It was awesome. Ma said we can go next weekend too; maybe try some of the harder tracks. I'm getting good at the small jumps and Ma thinks I'm ready to try some of the bigger ones."

The thought of her son flying through the air, clinging haphazardly to a bicycle clenched between his legs as the hard earth rushed towards him made Regina's stomach flip. But she refused to show this fear. Already she wasn't the 'cool' parent. She didn't want to give her son another reason to prefer Emma over her. Instead, she forced a smile as she watched Henry disappearing into the house before turning to Emma.

"Jumping? On a bicycle. Are you trying to kill our son?"

"Of course not," Emma muttered from her position, tool in hand, crouched on the ground beside Henry's bike which was now upside down so she could work on it.

"And do you know what time it is?"

"Nope," Emma relied, not looking up.

"I asked you to have Henry back here by five. It's Sunday night and he has homework to do."

"Yeah, I know. Sorry about that but as the kid said, he got a flat tyre. We had to patch it and then ride home. Plus, there's something weird going on with his gears. Can you hand me that spanner?"

Ignoring the request, the older woman folded her arms over her chest. "You can't just not show up at the agreed upon with our son," she pushed on. "This joint custody thing only works if we coordinate as a team. I always make sure Henry is on time for his visits with you."

"You mean for the two nights a week I'm allowed to look after my kid," Emma asked, now standing up to reach for the spanner which was lying on the workbench right next to the dark-haired woman. "Yeah, well, Henry walks from school to mine on Monday and Thursday nights. I don't think you can take too much credit for the fact that he manages that epic journey within three minutes, Regina. And we didn't mean to be late. Blame the stupid sharp stone which cause the puncture if you want something to yell at."

"I'm not yelling and I'm not blaming an inanimate object," Regina huffed. "Would it have killed you to make a phone call?"

"No battery," Emma replied, now working to loosen the gear sprocket.

"What sort of adult doesn't charge their phone before they take their son to do a dangerous activity?" Regina exclaimed. Sometimes, the levels of irresponsibility displayed by the woman now dismantling the bike astounded her. She couldn't work out how they had managed to get through thirteen years of marriage together without Emma inadvertently setting fire to their house or somehow causing them serious harm through her careless actions.

"Mountain biking isn't dangerous," Emma sighed. "We both wore helmets. And you do realise the jumps Henry goes over are barely a foot high. They're more like little bumps in the road than cliff edges. Seriously, Regina, you need to chill out."

"Chill out?"

Oops, thought Emma. That may have been the wrong expression to use. She chanced a glance at the woman, silhouetted in the entrance to the garage by the early evening sun.

"When it comes to our son's safety and well-being, Emma, I will never chill out," Regina said after a moment's pause. "And there was a time when I included your safety in that too. Now it is no longer my responsibility to care what you choose to do in your spare time but if you are looking after our son, I have a right to know he's safe."

"Henry's fine! Henry's always been fine. When have I ever brought our son back with so much as a scratch on him? He's a smart kid; smarter than me."

"That's true."

Emma ignored the jibe she'd inadvertently set up to be hit with and carried on. "He's not going to do something he doesn't believe he is capable of and he's not going to put himself in a dangerous situation. You can trust him and I would have liked to think you can trust me too."

"You know I don't trust you," Regina spat.

That sobered the blonde who finally put down the spanner having worked the sprocket free. She lay the grimy metal down and stood up, wiping her hands on her jeans which were already filthy and had long ago been designated for mucky tasks. Flecks of paint were visible beneath the mud, a sky-blue from when the three of them had painted Henry's bedroom half a decade ago. Happier times.

"I know you don't trust me as your wife any more," Emma agreed. "And you know I'll forever be sorry for breaking that trust." Regina looked away. Now was not the time to delve into the breakdown of their marriage. "But you have to trust me when I say that I would never put Henry in danger. I love our son more than anything in the world. You know that. I would and will do anything to keep him safe. So you may not trust me in the way you used to but please don't lose faith in my ability to take care of our son."

Regina gazed into those green eyes, orbs which she had once been able to see her whole future in, the portal to the rest of her life. Now she just saw betrayal, sadness and regret. But she also recognised that her soon-to-be-ex-wife was telling the truth. She knew Emma would never deliberately put Henry in danger.

"I trust you with Henry," she murmured, eyes downcast once the intensity on Emma's face became too much. "But next time, call me, ok? I was worried. You were …" she pulled out her phone to check the time.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Over an hour late. It won't happen again and -"

"Emma, get in the house."

"What?" Emma frowned, looking up from the bike to which she had returned.

"Get in the house. Now!"

The terror on Regina's face made Emma obey without question. She followed as Regina rushed up the garden path and into the large home, slamming the door shut behind the two of them as soon as they were both over the threshold.

"Regina, what -?"

"Henry!" Regina called up the stairs.

There was no answer but the distant sound of water running and a tuneless attempt at singing told both mothers their son was still in the shower.

"Shut the windows," Regina said to Emma. "All of them. You do down here, I'll do upstairs."

"Regina, what's going on?"

"Just shut the windows, Emma!"

Fear made the words catch in Regina's throat even as she ran upstairs to check the all of windows in their four bedroom home. Moving from room to room, she double checked all the latches and pulled shut the small window on the landing which had been letting some of the warm spring air inside. Her fingers trembled as she secured it.

"Regina, what's happening?" Emma asked, appearing at the top of the stairs after having completed her assigned task.

"There's been an accident," Regina said, leaning heavily on the windowsill.

"What sort of accident?" Emma pressed, moving further down the landing.

"At the chemical plant. I got an emergency notification telling me to go inside because there was a risk of exposure to hazardous materials in our area."

"What?"

Regina reached for her phone and handed it to Emma. The blonde slid the relevant alert from the notification list and unlocked the phone with Regina's password, which she was yet to change. Emerald eyes darted down the brief notification which had been issued by the local authorities.

"Shit," Emma said after a few seconds, handing the phone back to Regina and leaning on the windowsill beside her.

They sat in silence, arms barely an inch apart, taking in the news. The briefing had not given much information. The name of the chemical had been unfamiliar to both women, neither particularly strong in the science department, and there was no further instruction about how long they should 'shelter in place', only that they should remain inside until further notice. As both women sat, contemplating what this may mean, Henry emerged onto the landing, towel wrapped around his waist.

"Mom? Ma?" he asked, taking in both his parents sitting and apparently staring at nothing.

"Is the bathroom window shut, Henry?" Regina queried.

"Yes. Why?"

"There's been an accident at the chemical plant," Regina explained.

"So?"

"So there are some toxic chemicals which have been released into the air and everyone within a ten mile radius has to stay inside for a while to make sure we don't get sick."

"But that plant is, like, nine miles away," Henry pointed out.

"Yes, and nine is a smaller number than ten, hence we're at risk," Emma reminded her son.

"So, we can't go outside?" Henry asked. "What about school?"

"No school for a while, I imagine," Regina replied.

"And Ma?"

Emma looked at Regina for the answer to that question. Without making eye contact, Regina pushed herself off the windowsill and smoothed out her silk blouse with the palms of her hands.

"Emma will be staying here until it's safe to leave again," Regina said before walking back down the landing and descending the stairs, both Emma and Henry watching her go.

It was Henry who spoke first, when he heard his mother's heels familiar click on the tiled kitchen surface and knew she was too far away to overhear their conversation. "You're staying here?"

"Looks like it, kid," Emma nodded, standing up as well, glancing at the windowsill and noticing that she'd left a smudge of grease. Uh oh, she'd have to clean that before Regina noticed

"Do you think you guys might -"

"Henry, you know the deal," Emma sighed, turning back to her son. "I'd move back in here in a heartbeat if your mom would let me. But it's her decision. And I don't blame her for not wanting me here, to be honest, and you shouldn't either. I'm in the wrong and I'm not going to push her into anything she isn't comfortable with."

"Yeah, but if you guys have to live together again for a few days or however long this will take, maybe she'll remember what she loves about you and you'll get back together!"

Emma offered her son a sad smile. "I wish it were that simple, kid. But a lot has happened between your mom and me. It's going to take more than a few days in quarantine to fix our problems."

"But you'll try?" Henry's face, illuminated with hope at the prospect of his mothers getting back together again broke Emma's heart. The separation had hit him hard. It was a shock, completely unexpected and although at the age of eleven he understood what had happened, he had still not accepted it, even though Emma had moved out before Christmas, five months earlier.

"I never stopped trying, Henry," Emma said quietly. "I never will stop trying to get your mom to forgive me. You know that. I still love her and always will love her. And I'd do anything for her to love me again."

A/N: Ok, so I thought a virus/medical need to stay at home was a bit close to the bone. Instead, I've found another way to force our ladies together! I've never written an AU for SwanQueen in which they start with a pre-existing relationship so I'm excited to see where it goes. I haven't really got any plans for this story and I'll be posting sporadically when I get the time to write. I'm fortunate to still be working full time (from home) but my evenings and weekends are completely free, of course.

I know we're living in scary times at the moment but we're all in this together. Reach out to friends and family if you need help. I know I'm terrible at replying to reviews/messages but feel free to reach out here too. Reviews, as always, make my little writer heart sing. See you soon! And remember – stay home, stay safe!