Henry sat on the floor in front of the television, his eyes glued to the screen. Behind him on the couch sat Emma, holding the newspaper, engulfed in its pages. The two were quiet as the clock struck ten. Regina appeared in the doorway.

"Henry, turn the TV off and get to bed, please," she said, nodding towards the remote control.

Emma and Henry both looked up.

"But Emma said I could stay up and watch the next episode," he protested, standing up then sitting down beside his biological mother on the couch. "Right Emma?"

"Why would you tell him that, Emma?" Regina said loudly, stomping over to the couch. "It's a school night!"

"He did his homework already, and he's being good. I don't see why he can't stay up with us a little longer," she answered nonchalantly, looking back down at the newspaper.

"Henry. Bed. Now."

Emma looked up again and met Regina's eyes.

"I already told him he could stay up," Emma said. "Don't make him go to bed now. It's not fair."

"Yeah, mom!" Henry chimed in. "It's not fair!"

"I said bed, Henry. Don't make me tell you again."

Emma stood up, dangerously close to the other woman.

"I told him he could stay up."

"And I'm saying no! Goddammit, Emma! Don't argue with me in front of Henry."

Henry was already slinking off, ascending the stairs cautiously. Although it may not have been fair, he wasn't about to start a fight with his mother. She was not one to be trifled with. The last time he'd tried to stand up for himself, she'd grounded him for two weeks. No friends, no TV, no video games. Again, Emma could do nothing but sit by and watch as he was punished. That time, Emma had done her best to protest, but she had lost the fight (as usual).

Regina glared at Emma and spat, "What the hell was that?"

"What?"

"THAT! That ridiculous display of defiance in front of my son! You completely undermined my authority."

"First of all," she retorted, "he's our son. Second of all, there's no reason he shouldn't be able to stay up later just one night when he's so well behaved. He rarely gets into trouble, and he's been especially good lately. He's been doing well in school, and I thought he deserved a treat for once. Third, who the hell are you to to undermine my authority? Do I not have a say in my own son's life?"

"It's a school night, Emma. I'm not going to argue this with you. Don't challenge me in front of him again, or you will regret it."

"Is that a threat?" Emma hissed, moving even closer until their faces were almost touching.

"Yes, it's a threat. I've raised him his whole life. I think I know how to parent my son."

"Really? Because he's absolutely miserable and you barely seem to notice."

"He's not miserable. He's just going through a phase," Regina countered.

"Alright. Whatever. I'm not doing this with you. I'm out of here."

Before Regina got the chance to speak again, Emma was already near the door, pulling her jacket on and grabbing her keys out of the bowl on the side table. She made sure to slam the door behind her as she left. She also made sure to peel out of the driveway, making skid marks on the pavement. Although she rarely talked on the phone while she was driving, she pulled her cell out of her pocket and dialed a number.

"Hey. Ruby? Do you want to go out tonight?"

Once she reached the bar, she checked her phone again and found a text from Regina.

'You're a bitch.'

She shut the phone and rolled her eyes, refusing to pay any attention to her wife's insult. Emma downed drink after drink - whiskey - until her face flushed red and her cheeks grew warm.

"I am going to have fun tonight," she slurred. "No matter what. And there's nothing anyone can do to stop me."

"Who's trying to stop you...?" Ruby asked, confused by Emma's strange behavior.

"My control freak of a wife," Emma told her, scowling.

She didn't normally drink, so the alcohol affected her more than it normally would have. She also hadn't eaten all day. (Regina hadn't been hungry when she got home, so she neglected to expend the effort to make herself a meal.) As the night went on, she quickly became belligerent.

"C'mon, guys," she said, looking at her friends. "Let's dance."

Belle and Ruby exchanged looks.

"I think maybe we should drive you home."

"I'm perfectly fit to drive, and I'm definitely not going back there."

"Alright..." Ruby said.

"Then why don't you just come home with us?" Belle asked, clearly worried about Emma's safety, knowing that there was no way they were going to let her drive.

"I'm not leaving yet," Emma said matter-of-factly. "I want to dance."

Belle and Ruby had had a little bit to drink as well, and they were buzzed, so they both shrugged and made their way onto the dance floor. Emma was almost stumbling, nearly losing her balance as they danced to the music. When she grabbed Ruby's hand and pulled her close, Ruby didn't think much of it, at least until Emma wrapped her arms around her.

"Dance with me," Emma pleaded, grinning.

Ruby pushed her away.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked. "Stop it. We're leaving right now, and you're coming, too."

Belle and Ruby each took and arm and literally had to drag her out the front door. Just as they made it outside, Emma keeled over and puked onto the pavement in front of them, the mess just nearly missing the girls' shoes.

"Oh, God," Ruby groaned.

"Gross," Belle said.

They dragged her around the side of the pile of throw up and supported her weight all the way down the street to Granny's. They got her settled in a room and sat with her until she fell asleep, all the while mumbling incoherent something-or-others that didn't make sense - but not before she threw up twice more in the waste basket next to the bed. As she fell asleep, she kept groaning Regina's name in between indecipherable phrases. She didn't check her phone - she wouldn't have been able to read it anyway - but she had a text and three missed calls.

'Where the hell are you?'

Belle and Ruby woke her with a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast, but Emma wouldn't eat. Once she sat up in bed, she threw up again, and knew she was incapable of keeping anything down. The hangover caused her head to split and throb with excruciating pain.

"We already called you out of work," Ruby said. "We just told them you were ill."

Emma groaned and held her head.

"Why did you guys let me drink that much?"

"Because nothing we tried stopped you. You pretty much cleared out the bar. It's no wonder you're sick."

"It's okay, Emma," Belle said, frowning sympathetically and taking the woman's hand. "Everyone does things they regret sometimes."

This didn't make Emma feel better.

"So what happened?" Ruby asked, staring her down, unable to keep her curiosity at bay.

Emma shook her head and sighed. What was she going to say? Should she tell them? She knew how Regina felt about keeping the details of their relationship private. But what else could she do? Who else could she talk to? These were her best friends. Surely, they would understand more than anyone.

"Regina," Emma said simply.

Belle nodded in quiet understanding.

"Yeah, but what happened?" Ruby pressed, sitting down on the bed beside her friend.

"Just something stupid, Rubes," Emma sighed. "We got in a fight over Henry. It was so dumb. I told him he could stay up, but she sent him to bed anyway. She's a control freak. She can't stand me making decisions, especially about our son."

Ruby nodded too and bit her lip.

"I'm sorry," was all she could say. "Maybe you should sleep it off."

Belle expressed her agreement, and they drew the shades in the room. They left Emma alone to rest for the next few hours until the woman was just barely sober enough to stand up, walk around a little, and eat something.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: More entertaining bits to come very soon. Subsequent chapters will be a bit more involved. This is just getting started. Please feel free to review! I always love the feedback.