Rumplestiltskin winced as he heard Emma and Regina's bickering fill up the police station. He and his grandson had been minding the sheriff station in relative peace while the two women went to get lunch.

"Children need a positive role model on which to base their eating habits on. Henry's going through a growth spurt and he needs nutrients, not grease!" Regina waved an offended hand at Emma's brown bag.

Emma nodded seriously. "Okay, so it's a good thing he's already got you as a role model for eating habits. I'll just have to be a role model for actually having fun." With a grin and a flounce away from Regina, Emma dropped the bag in front of Henry.

"I have fun!" Regina stared at Emma.

Mr Gold went back to reading his paper. Henry swivelled his computer screen towards his mother. "Thanks for lunch. Mom, you left your emails logged in. Something about a prison reunion?"

"Yeah I meant to stay logged in, no one but family uses that computer." Emma concentrated on inhaling her hot chocolate for the moment, hoping against hope that Henry would forget she went to prison.

Regina had stopped eating her salad to listen a moment, but her eyes fell onto Emma's lunch. "Ms Swan, is there a reason your grilled cheese sandwich is…wiggling?"

Gold looked up in interest. Perhaps this new foe of the Sheriff's would be a worthy ally, someone he should investigate.

He reviewed this opinion as a horrified Emma threw her lunch away from her, nearly hitting him as it went. "Worms! My sandwich! REGINA!"

Regina ignored the whimpers coming from Emma and pointed at the discarded brown bag. "See Henry, fun. Me being fun."

Henry looked pained. "No, you being Evil Queen. Emma has no lunch now."

Regina sighed and snapped her fingers. A new sandwich appeared in front of Emma. "It now has three types of cheese, onions and grilled sausage. It's also made of seeded bread."

"No worms?" Emma asked hopefully.

"No worms."

Emma picked up one half and took a small bite. "Oh it's good!" Emma moaned.

"I didn't teach you the darkest of magics for this." Mr Gold muttered in Regina's direction.

"Sorry." Emma looked as contrite as she could with a mouthful of cheese. "So, where is it? The reunion?"

Henry swallowed his bite and checked the computer. "One second...oh. It's New York."

"What?" Regina asked, suspicious of the sudden quenching of her son's upbeat voice.

"It's uh, not far from where Dad lived."

Emma put her hand on Henry's shoulder. "Let's see?" She asked. Henry pulled up the distance in silence. "45 minutes away from where Neal's apartment is. I guess I need to clear it out."

Regina had pulled up to look at the screen and pointed at it. "That's right by a river. I need adequate frogs."

"There's loads of frogs around here."

"Adequate frogs, Emma."

"Adequate frogs like the hundreds of tadpoles that hatched in the animal shelter before the first curse ended? And have probably grown to be frogs now?"

"If you had read the shockingly short introduction to basic potion making book I leant you, you would know that adequate frogs are ones without a trace of magic. Ordinary."

"Wait so all the frogs are magical around here?"

"Since when have frogs had the ability to form parliaments in the rest of America?"

"Hey I didn't get to see many animals because of you know, being an orphan, then getting unfairly imprisoned, then dealing with trying to make a living-"

Gold cut in. "All creatures in Storybrooke are magical."

"Oh. So I guess when David joined the animal shelter, it was kind of more important work than we thought."
"Quite right Ms Swan," Gold continued, after a look at Regina showed her still smouldering. "It has been quite the task since the second return to Storybrooke, making sure the animal limitations have held up. That flying monkey you encountered in New York was particularly alarming." He stood up and grabbed his cane. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must get back to my shop. Coming Henry?"

"Uh, yeah. Mom can you get me a jumper? I guess it's kind of cold…"

Regina gave Henry an 'I'm your mother and I told you so' look and disappeared in a plume of purple smoke.

Emma smiled at Henry. "Thanks for holding down the fort. Oh and Gold- uh-"

"Yes, Ms Swan?"

"What's an inadequate frog?"

"A dead one."

"Oh."

Emma felt a little bold as she directed her father, mother, Leroy, Granny, Ruby and the nuns on how to run the town in her absence.

Gold was officially invited but he had stood back from the crowd. Emma nodded at him as she walked past and he muttered, "If you can't stop evil getting in and uprooting the town while you're here, I don't know why you think this will help."

Emma flinched, but didn't have a chance to reply with a comeback as Gold turned and walked sharply away. She didn't have long to wallow in her apparent uselessness as Sheriff before her parents reached her.

"That was wonderful Emma," Snow smiled at her.

Emma smiled at Snow. The other woman's arms twitched and Emma turned to David before she was subjected to a hug.

"Here's the keys to my office."

"Okay, thanks Emma. Have fun at your meet-up." He patted her on the arm. "We'll miss you."

Snow grasped both Emma's arms and gave her a soul-searching look before speaking. "Don't forget to call if you need to talk. I know it might be hard bringing up all those memories." Out of the corner of Emma's eye, she saw David backing Snow up with a sympathetic-to-bad-memories head tilt.

"Thanks, but the actual prison part wasn't too bad. For some reason our guards were totally cool, they hooked up Crash Bandicoot to the TV, they didn't get violent and they brought us apple pie on Thanksgiving!" Emma mustered a reassuring smile towards her parents, who were looking faintly horrified. "Oh, you meant Neal didn't you? Thanks I'll totally call if the memories get too much or whatever…"

Emma winced as she walked away from her parents, but she didn't quite know why. She found herself in front of the mayor, who had packed her things in Emma's Bug already and looked impatient to leave.

"Now that my town won't be razed to the ground whilst left to the care of morons, care to leave?"

Emma felt a sense of relief when Regina spoke. At least someone in town didn't want to talk about her feelings.

"Doesn't make it your town just because you made it. Cursed it into existence." Emma muttered.

Regina stopped walking and turned to Emma with her arms folded. "Fine, make your own town then. Go on."

"Well I have light magic; I don't go around cursing people-"

"My town is well-designed, has good infrastructure and keeps up with the times. If you ever attempted something of this scale, I have no doubt we would be stuck in the Dark Ages, dragons running amok, knights revolting at every turn and princesses being captured left right and centre."

"And no wifi!" Chirped Henry.

"Hey kid." Emma hugged Henry. "Gonna miss us?"

"I guess so. But Ruby's promised to play video games with me tomorrow, so it shouldn't be too bad!"

"And no doubt Granny will ensure you have completed your homework first?" Regina asked.

Henry looked downcast.

Emma nudged him. "Yeah kid, homework's important. You have to strike up a perfect balance of teacher's pet and smart if you wanna stay up all night playing video games." Henry's eyes widened and Emma realised her mistake. "Did I say all night? I meant until your bedtime. Or 10 minutes before so you can brush your teeth. Or maybe I meant four hours before, so the screen time doesn't mess up your sleeping…"

Emma risked a glance at Regina.

"Goodbye Henry. Be good and call me anytime." Regina hugged him close and turned to walk towards her car. Emma almost breathed a sigh a relief when Regina added, "And for your information, I consider two hours without screen time before bed adequate."

"So, what's the plan?"

"Why are you doing that?"

"Doing what?"

Emma looked over at Regina, whose face held a perfect look of confusion. Too perfect.

"You're acting like I'm in charge. It's your adequate frogs as well as my reunion and ex stuff."

As Regina pursed her lips before her reply, Emma's eyes were drawn to them. The lipstick hadn't smudged even a tiny bit despite the fact that they had been driving for hours.

"As Sheriff you should be used to a certain level of control over situations," Regina spoke with her 'Madam Mayor' voice, which was slightly condescending and entirely snobbish.

Emma huffed and asked, "What's that colour called?"

"Cherry red. Why?"

"It's nice. Think it's rubbing off a little." Emma pointed at her own lips with a flourish. "Try controlling your lipstick."

Emma would never have tried that line if she knew they were coming up to traffic, and therefore the torturous display that followed seemed to last even longer. Regina drew the lipstick over her bottom lips. Then she puckered up. She then placed her middle finger in her mouth and drew it out, so slowly.

"Better?"

"I guess." Emma said, trying for nonchalance.

"Honestly Emma. There's changing the subject and then there's this. We both know my lipstick doesn't smudge."

Emma opened the apartment. They had bought packing boxes and tape, but it didn't look like they'd need that much. She was grateful Regina didn't say anything about the lack of sustenance to Neal's life, but seeing as that was how Emma used to live her life as well, some part of her still felt like half-apologising for it.

"Neal didn't have a lot of stuff." Emma blurted.

Regina glanced at Emma, who was looking down at the floor, and said, "Well it's saved us postage to Storybrooke. What he had will fit into your Bug."

Emma smiled.

"What?" Regina asked.

"I think I had about the same amount of stuff, and when it finally got to Storybrooke Mary Margaret was a bit shocked."

"Well some people have limited possessions but a great depth of knowledge of the world and the places and people that you can meet without being dragged down by possessions. Some people have a loft apartment full of possessions and a head full of nothing but white noise and bird sounds."

"Did you compliment me?"

"Yes dear, at the same time as insulting your mother."

Emma tried to pull a stern look, but she suddenly remembered Snow's parting warning and wanted to see what Regina would think. She tried to phrase it delicately, so as to not get the same disapproval from the older woman as she had from her parents. "Snow seemed to think I should be upset about being here."

"She is quite in touch with her feelings." Regina allowed, rather than voicing 'she thinks!?' like she wanted to. "I suppose it would have thrown me if it was the same situation and with Daniel."

"Oh yeah," Emma dropped her eyes. "I guess you think I'm a heartless bitch if it doesn't affect me? After all, your grief for Daniel lasted 28 years of the curse, plus all those years in the Enchanted Forest, and here I am throwing myself at the first pirate that comes along!"

"Correct me if I'm wrong Ms Swan, but I believed your tryst with Hook was over?"

Emma nodded.

"And it's not like my grief for Daniel inspired anything good. Plus," Regina paused and spoke in a softer, more hesitant tone, "he never had a chance to betray me." Regina ploughed on, despite Emma suddenly fumbling with her beer. "Being older and wiser, I know he would have, a little thing like saying he was going to the pub instead of spending time with me, or something bigger, like-"

"Like David not telling Snow he was dying in Neverland?"

"Yes. Emma I'm not saying this to hurt you."

"I know. It's a different look on love than Snow has though. Everyone you love will betray you. Cheerful."

Regina nodded with a wince on her face.

"Neal did betray me though. I still miss him, of course, but I've missed him since I was 18. And now he's dead, and we're putting his things to rest, like we put him to rest." Emma was forcing her sentences out with a slight wobble behind them.

"Do you want to talk?" Regina asked firmly.

"No, not really. It's just," Emma laughed a bit and Regina tried not to notice how her friend's blue eyes had turned watery. She also tried to ignore the urge to take Emma in her arms and hold her until the pain passed.

"I never had something so normal." Emma's voice was stronger now and it almost helped to lessen Regina's urge to hold her. Almost.

"I didn't have parents, I didn't have a home, I didn't have my kid, but I have death."

"Emma, it's different now. I'm sorry for all your pain, you'd have so much if it weren't for me-"

"I don't blame you. When the curse broke and felt like I had to blame someone, I blamed my parents." Emma reached out and held Regina's arm, a touch too hard.

Why was that? Regina wondered, was it because Emma was angry? Or because she needed someone to hold on to?

"They gave me up. And then I gave my kid up. I feel like you fixed the circle, because you adopted Henry and loved him when I couldn't."

Regina was quite lost for words. She settled for holding Emma's hand against her arm and squeezing gently for a moment. They broke apart and packed Neal's belongings in relative quiet.

Regina judged them three-quarters finished when she stopped. "So, do you have any idea where to room tonight?"

Emma continued packing her box and yelled, "I was thinking we'd just stay here? To save money?"

"Are you kidding?"

Emma looked up at the doorway Regina had just filled. "I guess it would be kind of weird, sleeping in your son's father's bed with your son's birth mother-"

"Emma, as much as I'd love to listen to you explain the ridiculous dynamics of our family, I am not staying in this place that has been uninhabited for months and probably doesn't have hot running water, or electricity if this light switch is anything to go by." Regina flicked the light switch again out of irritation, and sure enough, no lights came on.

"I guess we need to get a room." Emma said.

Regina sighed and added, "Also, you forgot that Neal also happens to be my mother's lover's child. Oh, and your ex's ex-lover's child." Regina and Emma made horrified eye contact.

"Absolutely ridiculous dynamics." Emma gasped.

"I'm afraid we only have double rooms." The receptionist looked both apologetic and exhausted, so Emma cut off Regina's rant before it could start.

"It's one night, it won't kill us."

"Fine." Regina shrugged.

Emma's head swivelled around so quickly that the receptionist blinked.

"Fine?"

Regina nodded. "Fine. But two nights. I think you'll want some time to recover after your reunion tomorrow."

"Oh- yeah good idea." Emma stumbled over her words as her heart sped up. Emma was sure the plan had been for Regina to come to the reunion with Emma, I mean she'd sent her RSVP with plus one, and Henry would think they'd fallen out, and it was kind of a date when you thought about it, which Emma had tried not to do.

She looked up, and Regina was frowning at her, holding the room key in her hand.

"Bed-time?" Emma asked. She hoped her cringe wasn't too obvious, but then again, Regina was probably used to baby language considering she had actually possessed a baby at one point.

"It would seem like it." Regina replied.

Emma had kept very still during the night. She had been very aware of Regina on the other side of the bed, breathing steadily, in her silk pyjamas, in bed with her…So naturally her mind provided her with a thousand wonderful ways Regina would wake her in the morning.

Prodding her was not one of them.

"Emma wake up or it'll be too late to order breakfast."

"You can order breakfast? To the room?"

"This is just an ill-designed ploy to sleep more; I don't believe for one second that you've never ordered room service before. Henry gets it from you I see."

Emma ignored Regina's last comment as she threw back the covers and stood up. "Well I haven't, okay? I didn't really do places like this. Besides, how did you know that we could do that, you're not even from here!"

Regina answered by gesturing at the empty bathroom and turning pointedly back to the breakfast menu she was reading.

Emma debated with herself furiously as she brushed her teeth. The reunion was tonight, but after Regina practically declared Emma the world's biggest loser and backed out of going in the reception yesterday, Emma didn't really feel like it.

Emma emerged from the bathroom full of determination and a slight desire for breakfast.

Regina did not seem to feel Emma's resolve as she passed her the breakfast menu.

"I've been to the hotel gym already so after breakfast I'm going to do some shopping. I'll be back for around two o'clock, and I trust that my dress for this evening is safely out of your clumsy reach in the wardrobe?"

Emma glanced up and at said dress and then realised what it meant. She couldn't stop the sudden giddy feeling that welled up inside her and she grinned at Regina. "I can. Hey, need anyone to carry your shopping? I can totally be your slave for the day. Since you're coming with to my reunion thing."
Regina raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm quite alright Ms Swan. Although I expect you to be ready when I return to buy a souvenir for Henry."

Regina picked up the phone and placed an order for croissants, orange juice, coffee, fruit, and waved Emma to point out what she wanted on the menu. Emma pointed at the pancakes and Regina pointed at the choice of sauces. Emma shrugged and Regina pursed her lips and said into the phone 'We'll take a pot of every sauce with the pancakes thank you. Yes, I am aware there are 8 kinds.'

Regina hung up the phone and sat on the chair. Emma's beaming face was no reason not to continue her intended plan of painting her nails in preparation for the evening. By her third nail, her method of ignoring Emma until she gave up and found something more interesting to do worked. The television flicked onto cartoons behind her.

They spent the time waiting for the food in relative silence that was only punctured by Emma's laughs at the screen. When a knock came at the door, Emma stood up and muted the TV. She ran to the door before glancing back at Regina. "Food?"

Regina closed her eyes briefly, trying to ignore the fact that Emma was still only clad in sleep shorts and a tank top. "I'll get it," she replied.

Thank you for reading!