Chapter five

Emma pursed her lips. The message chain in front of her was much bluer than she would have liked, and she wasn't sure whether sending another text would be overkill or the thing that would finally make a typing bubble pop up.

For once, it wasn't Regina she was waiting on. It was Ashley.

They hadn't spoken that much over the past few weeks, but all of a sudden she seemed to have fallen off the grid entirely. Her read receipts also seemed to have been switched off, and the gaps between her replies were getting longer.

Emma frowned and scrolled up to the last message she'd received from her. Thanks for putting me in touch with Regina – I'll email her if I have any questions. This whole thing is getting a bit overwhelming. After that, days of silence.

Glancing up to make sure Ingrid wasn't about to storm over to her desk and threaten to demote her to the mail room, she dialled Ashley's number and waited for her to pick up. She knew she wasn't going to get an answer long before she reached her voicemail message.

That evening, Emma found herself helping Henry with his math homework while Regina busied herself making dinner. As soon as there was a lull in the short division, she asked, "Hey, Regina?"

"Mm?"

"Have you heard from Ashley recently?"

Regina looked round from the stove. "Should I have?"

"Who's Ashley?" Henry interrupted.

"Stop looking for an excuse not to do your homework," Emma replied, placing her hand on the top of his head and swivelling it back in the direction it should be facing. He giggled and went back to his work. "She's not replying to my texts. I'm just a bit worried about her."

There was a long pause. Regina turned back to the stove and continued stirring.

"I'm sure she's fine," she said eventually.

"Do you know something?"

"Why would I know something?"

"She knows something," Henry chimed in, not looking up. "She's deflecting."

"How do you even know what that means?" Regina asked.

"You send me to private school."

"Last week you asked me if Arendelle is a real country."

"Regina," Emma snapped. "Can you focus on me for a second, please?"

With a sigh, Regina turned the flame down and walked over to the table where her girlfriend and son were sitting.

"I'm still making enquiries about Gold," she said slowly. "And trying to sift through an awful lot of information. A lot is happening and I'm not sure whether Gold is aware of it or not – but I imagine he must be, since Neal was so irate about it."

"If Gold knows, that won't be good for Ashley."

"I know. But I haven't heard anything specifically about her, I promise."

Emma nodded. "Okay. I'm just… worried. If something happens to Gold then he won't hesitate in taking her down with him. I want to make sure she's okay – she might be a bit dumb, but that doesn't mean her career should get ruined just as it's beginning."

Henry was watching them curiously, which meant it was impossible to discuss any of the real details. Emma wasn't sure it mattered, though: Regina was watching her thoughtfully, her arms folded and her nose slightly wrinkled.

Eventually she leaned forward and kissed Emma's cheek. "I'll look into it. Alright?"

"Okay," Emma replied. When she turned her head, Henry was staring at her. "What?"

"I want to know who Ashley is."

"It's just someone your mom works with. It's not exciting."

"Oh. Okay," Henry said, looking down again. After a beat, he asked, "Is she pretty?"

"I mean… I guess. Why?"

"You're not going to date her instead of Mom?"

"What? Kid, just because I like girls doesn't mean I like all girls. I know your mom's a pain in the ass but I'm planning to stick around even so."

From across the room, Regina snorted. Henry, though, smiled.

"Good," he said, going back to his homework. "We like having you here. Even if you're worse at math than I am."

Ever since Emma had dragged Ashley out of an exhibition by her elbow six weeks earlier, Regina had decided it was probably safer for her to not show up to any for a while. Emma knew that wasn't the full reason – after Neal's angry phone call, Regina was adamant that she was going to keep her safe from him. Emma appreciated it. But, after two weeks had passed without Emma attending a single event, she was surprised and slightly annoyed to realise that she missed them. Regina was still disappearing to gallery openings and cocktail parties a few times a week, and Emma, sitting at home by herself waiting for her microwave dinner to be ready, was beginning to feel left out.

"Hello?"

"Hey," Emma said, slotting her phone against her shoulder. "Did you say you had some gala on Friday?"

There was a beat of silence before Regina replied, "Yes. Why?"

"I was thinking I might come along?" she said slowly. It was the first time she'd ever had to ask. "I have that new Alexander McQueen dress to wear and I miss hanging out with you and laughing at all the other snobs together."

She could feel Regina smiling even as she awkwardly paused.

"If you don't think that dress is okay then that's fine," Emma continued after a moment. "I can find something else."

Another silence.

"Emma," Regina said eventually. "I'm not sure it's a good idea for you to come along."

"What? Why?"

"Things are just… a bit complicated at the moment. I don't want you getting caught up in the middle of it."

Emma couldn't believe the crushing disappointment that came over her. "Did I embarrass myself that badly last time?"

"No, darling. Besides, I let you come back after the night when you knocked a whole tray of shrimp cocktail out of a waiter's hand – you taking Ashley for a drink certainly wouldn't be the tipping point."

"I guess," Emma frowned. "But I don't get why I'm being barred. Is it because of Gold?"

"Of course it's because of Gold. He's furious with me and I don't want him cornering you and making your life difficult. Besides, Neal will be there and that's not an encounter I want to put you through."

"I'm not going to hide because of him."

"I know you're not, but while all of this is still going on, I'd like to keep you safe. Please, just… stay at home."

Emma's face fell. "I'm never allowed to go to an event with you again?"

"Of course not. Things will change. I…" Regina paused, deciding whether this was a smart thing to admit, before she said, "I feel like I might be on the cusp of something."

"Really?"

"Maybe. It's hard to say. Things move slowly and then happen all at once. But I'm hopeful, and that's a start."

Pushing aside her disappointment, Emma forced some chirpiness back into her voice. "You're going to kick his ass, aren't you?"

"Darling, I'm far too civilised to beat up a cripple," Regina said smoothly. "But I do plan to ruin his life, yes."

Emma laughed. "I love you, you sociopath."

"I love you too. Are you free this weekend?"

"I always am."

"Good. I'll ask Tamara to book us somewhere nice for dinner."

When they hung up, Emma was torn between feeling hopeful and feeling like she was being pushed further and further away from the life that she'd accidentally come to love. What had once been a chore had somehow become something she enjoyed, and now the glitz and pomp and glamour of a world where everyone had a paintbrush in one hand and a stack of dollars in the other was something she actually missed. Walking into a room with Regina on her arm was the most exciting part of her week. If she wasn't welcome there, Emma couldn't help but wonder if she'd be welcome anywhere anymore.

On Friday night, as Regina went to the fancy gala on the other side of town, Emma went to bed early and laid staring up at the ceiling. She couldn't help but feel a little uneasy – she still hadn't heard from Ashley, which wouldn't be altogether that worrying if Regina hadn't been so adamant that things were about to move. Emma had been trying to help, but if by finally giving Gold what he deserved they ended up destroying Ashley's life in the process, it wouldn't be worth it. Whatever Neal had done to Emma – and what Gold had done by willingly scooping him up like an abandoned puppy – it wasn't worth hurting someone else in the process.

She fell asleep eventually, but her dreams were scrabbled and infuriating. When she jolted awake at 2am, her first thought was that it was because even her subconscious was fed up with her worrying.

But then she heard it. Footsteps.

They were out in the stairwell, but they'd come to a standstill outside her front door. Emma waited, wishing she'd triple checked that the door was locked before she went to bed. There was a long pause, and eventually she managed to convince herself that it was her next-door neighbour struggling to find his keys after a night out. But then another noise came: her front door squeaking open.

She bolted upright in bed. Her bedroom door was closed, but even through it she could hear the soft footsteps padding into her living room. Icy cold sweat suddenly sprung up along Emma's forehead and shoulders, and she threw her legs over the side of the bed. As the footsteps continued across her apartment, she spun round, looking for something – anything – she could use as a weapon.

Eventually she grabbed the bedside lamp. It was from IKEA and not particularly heavy, but she suspected even her shaking hands could deliver a pretty good blow to the side of his head if she managed to spring on him as he opened the door.

It was Neal. She was certain of it. The footsteps were light, but he was obviously trying not to wake her. She briefly imagined what would have happened if she hadn't woken up, but then shook the thought from her head. That didn't matter – what mattered was fucking killing him before he could get to her first.

The footsteps reached her bedroom door. There was a pause.

As soon as the door started edging open, Emma lifted the lamp above her head. The figure in the doorway stuck its head through the gap and looked toward the empty bed.

In the moment of confusion, Emma stepped forward. The second she realised who was actually waiting in her doorway, she screamed.

"Regina!" she blurted out, dropping the lamp with a clatter. "What the fuck?!"

Regina hurriedly reached out for the light switch and flicked it on. "What do you mean, 'what the fuck?' Why were you about to beat me over the head with a piece of IKEA homeware?"

"Because it's two o'clock in the fucking morning and you broke into my apartment."

"You gave me a key, you imbecile!"

"To use during daylight hours! When I've invited you round!" Emma collapsed back onto the bed and pressed her hands against her face. "Fuck. I thought I was about to die."

"And you chose a lamp as your method of self-defence?"

Emma spread her fingers and glared up at her. Only then did she notice that Regina was wearing a floor-length ballgown. In spite of the panic on her face, her cheeks were flushed with something that looked like excitement.

"Regina," Emma said, taking a few deep breaths to slow her heartbeat down. "What the hell are you doing here?"

To her immense surprise, Regina grinned. Emma was tempted to grab the lamp again.

"Why are you smiling?" she asked. "What's going on?"

Regina's beaming expression brightened. "I did it."

"Did what?"

"I did it," Regina repeated, kicking the door shut behind her and approaching the bed. Ignoring the fact that her dress probably cost upwards of $5,000, she climbed onto the mattress and tucked her legs beneath her.

"Regina, it's 2am. I'm tired and my pulse is currently at 160. Can you just tell me what's going on?"

She suddenly found herself with her face resting in Regina's hands. She frowned, wondering whether she should pull away.

"I did it," Regina repeated for the third time. "Gold. He's done."

The penny finally dropped. "What? How?"

"Oh, Emma, it was marvellous," Regina said, still grinning. Her hair was slightly wild and her mascara was smudged under one eye. "My lawyers have been investigating for weeks, but people like Gold are always adept at covering their tracks, so we were struggling to come up with anything. Two weeks ago, I was close to giving up."

"Right," Emma said. Regina let go of her face and shuffled back until she was leaning against Emma's crumpled pillows. "So, what happened?"

"You gave me an idea. Like you often do."

"I did?"

"You asked about Ashley," she clarified. "I hadn't heard from her, but you were worried and I decided to reach out to see if I could help with anything. And no," she added before Emma could interrupt, "I wasn't being sneaky. I promise. I was trying to be useful."

Emma wasn't entirely sure she believed her, but she nodded anyway. "Okay. And did she respond?"

"She did. It took a few days – I think she was nervous – but eventually she emailed me and said she'd find it very helpful if I could give her some advice based on the contract she'd signed."

The mischievous glimmer in Regina's eye made Emma laugh. "So she sent you her contract?"

"She did."

"And you had proof of what he's being doing?"

"Well, not at first. The contract confirmed everything we already knew, but that wasn't enough to actually get him in trouble," Regina said. "He was playing dirty, but none of it was strictly illegal."

"Okay. So… why are you so pleased with yourself, then?"

"I called her," Regina continued. "And I told her about my concerns. I'd asked my lawyer to look over the contract, and he spoke to her too. We said we might be able to help her out of it if she was having doubts, but we would need more information. It was entirely up to her."

Emma let out a long, relieved sigh. "She decided to trust you."

"She did."

"What did she send you?"

"Everything. All the emails they'd exchanged, the amendments she'd suggested and he'd scrapped – and, mostly importantly, contacts."

"Contacts?"

Regina was positively beaming by this point. "Once she realised how bad things actually were, she asked me out for coffee. I asked why we were talking face to face, and she said it was because she was almost certain Gold had access to her emails."

"What? How?"

"He's a sneaky little imp, Miss Swan. I can't say I was surprised."

Emma shuffled closer and crossed her legs, her earlier exhaustion suddenly gone. "Then what happened?"

"We met up, and she told me that some of her other friends had been approached by Gold too. Ashley was the only one who actually signed with him, and she only recently found out why."

Emma didn't ask for more information, because Regina was already whipping out her phone and reading aloud her favourite section from an email. "'Ms Lucas, it's Mr Gold again. It seems you have decided not to take me up on my most generous offer to represent you – something you will soon realise is a mistake. I'll give you 12 more hours to reconsider, otherwise you might find it surprisingly difficult to ever find a career in art again. I look forward to hearing from you.'"

Blinking, Emma asked, "What the hell is that?"

"That, my dear," Regina replied coolly, "is extortion."

There was a long pause. Emma thought her head might be exploding.

"So you've got written proof of him extorting people?"

"It seems like it. There was also a delightful amount of blackmail to be found elsewhere. It's a shame, isn't it?" Regina asked, tilting her head back against the bed frame. "That this accidentally ended up in the hands of the authorities."

Emma couldn't help herself: she burst out laughing.

"Regina," she spluttered, crawling forward and kissing Regina's hot cheek. "You are the sneakiest little shit I've ever met."

"I realise that. But I still fight clean," Regina said cheerfully. "Gold doesn't. That's the difference."

"So what happens now?"

"Well – for the past few days, I haven't been certain. My lawyers were the ones speaking with the authorities and they couldn't tell me anything while it was being investigated. But then at the event tonight, the most unfortunate thing happened."

She flicked through her phone again, barely containing her laughter. When she revealed the screen, Emma shrieked.

There was Gold, being led out of the gala with a policeman on either side of him. In the background were dozens of gossiping faces – and among them was Neal, scowling and already trying to slip away.

"He's been arrested?" Emma asked breathlessly.

"Not yet. He's being questioned. But my lawyer called me a few moments after this to inform me that he won't be allowed to do business in the meantime, and if he is charged, it's likely that most of his contracts will be deemed invalid. All his artists will be cut off."

Emma paused, unsure what to make of that. On the one hand, it was a good thing – no one would be trapped by his ridiculous terms and conditions anymore, plus Neal would finally be screwed. No one else would dare work with him – not after what happened with Regina and Emma, and certainly not after being tarnished by Gold's own sticky brush.

But on the other hand, that left a lot of young artists suddenly unemployed. The art world was cutthroat, and just because Emma knew Gold was no good didn't mean his artists would be happy to see him behind bars as well.

Regina saw the indecision on her face and, for one last time, went in search of something in her emails. She handed the phone to Emma without a word.

She found herself faced with a draft email, addressed to Regina's legal team.

Good evening all,

Thank you again for your exceptional work on the Gold issue. Over the next few weeks I'll be working to ensure you're all suitably compensated for your efforts.

Regarding the possibility of Gold's employment contracts being terminated, I'd like to discuss the logistics of me offering my own services to each of those affected. It would be entirely optional and with significantly reduced terms – perhaps a month's exhibition each, with Rocinante Holdings taking 20 percent commission. While I admit I wouldn't sign most of these artists voluntarily, I'd like to extend the gesture of goodwill to help them during this process.

I imagine only a handful will accept the offer, but if you were able to draw up a draft contract to this effect for each of them, that would be great.

Emma's heart fluttered. When she looked up, Regina was looking particularly pleased with herself.

"You see what you've done to me?" Regina asked, not sounding the slightest bit annoyed. "I've gone from vindictive, money-driven demon to a vaguely considerate human being. It's a disaster."

"But…" Emma swallowed. "Will this even be profitable for you? These artists might not be any good."

Regina shrugged. "That's entirely possible. But I have plenty of money, and it's my fault these people will soon be out of work. If I can assist them for a few months and help stir up some name recognition, they'll be fine. The first step is the most important one, after all."

She already knew the answer to her next question, but Emma had to be sure. "And… Neal?"

"He can rot in hell," Regina said. "I'll take on anyone who needs my help, except him. I promised I'd ruin his career for what he did to you and that's exactly what I've done. I can finally relax now."

"Relax," Emma repeated, laughing. She shuffled closer and lay down on the pillow beside Regina. "That'll never happen."

"No – probably not."

Regina slid down to join her, her expensive dress be damned, and draped an arm over Emma's waist. For a moment they lay in silence, the room brightly lit like a single candle against the pitch-black night. Then Emma quietly asked, "Did you do all of this for me?"

Regina answered honestly, like she always did. "Most of it. What he's been doing has always been wrong, and maybe I should have stepped in earlier. But us rich folk are notoriously bad at acknowledging the problems going on around us when they aren't affecting our own wallets."

Emma chuckled. "True. You are a disgusting snob."

"Shut up."

"But seriously – I can't believe you went to all this trouble. Putting Gold's shady dealings aside, most people would have just been mad at Neal forever but left it at that. Only you would put your entire life on hold to make sure he couldn't do it again."

Regina pulled her closer. Emma couldn't help but noticed that the heart beating against her shoulder was steady and calm.

"Only for you," she said softly. "Everything I do is for you."

Emma's nose went sharp, and she scrunched it up against her pillow to make it go away. "Can you stay here tonight?"

"Of course. I'd like that."

She didn't move to change out of her dress, nor did either of them get up to turn off the light. They lay in the brightness, Regina's silk brushing against Emma's bare skin, until things felt quiet and safe again.

It was only interrupted when Emma quietly said, "Thank you, Regina."

She felt Regina smile into her shoulder. "Any time. Always."

Emma vaguely remembered missing the hustle and bustle of Regina's art world. Two months later, she was regretting it.

"Regina," she said, pressing her fingertips into her temples to suppress the pounding. "Please slow down."

"But this is impossible," Regina groaned, slapping a bunch of papers down onto the kitchen table. "Look at that guest list."

"We've dealt with longer."

"When?!"

"All the time. Regina, you need to calm down. You always get like this and it's always fine."

"Emma's right," Tamara said from the other side of the table. "Remember the first party you threw together? You were adamant it was all going to be a disaster, and then—"

"Yes, fine, thank you," Regina snapped, cutting her off. Tamara smirked, not taking offence. "This is different."

"Not really," Emma said, sifting through the papers. "I know you weren't expecting quite as many of Gold's artists to accept your offer, but this is a good thing. And getting them all together for a proper party will be great."

"I hate parties."

"That's a big fat lie. Look, I've even put scallops on the menu."

That immediately made Regina's face light up. "You have?"

"Of course. No grungy warehouses or metal staircases this time."

Regina sighed reluctantly. "One day, I will learn to trust you with these things."

"But not today," Emma said cheerfully. "And that's fine. Tamara, you can probably head off – I'll take care of the rest of this, and we can see each other for the final venue check on Tuesday."

Tamara immediately began gathering up her papers. "Regina, don't forget the trial starts next week too."

"How could I forget? It's been on my calendar for weeks."

Regina sounded gleeful, but she was also exhausted. The past few weeks had been hard on her – although Gold being officially charged had been the best news she'd received all year, the stress of signing on 20 new artists had been unexpected. It was made worse by the fact that all of them – particularly Ashley – were so determined not to be taken advantage of again that they had spent weeks arguing over every single point of their new contracts before they'd agreed to sign them.

Once Tamara had left, Regina collapsed into the chair opposite Emma and groaned. "I'm never taking on young artists again."

"Right. Because I'm sure the Old Masters were so much easier to work with."

Regina smiled weakly and looked down at the guest list once more. "I'm dreading this."

"You always dread these things. And they're always great."

"Not always. There was that time where only half the guest list showed up and we were done by 11."

"True, but it was supposed to be a tame one. You ended up signing Marco that night."

"Oh. That's right," Regina said, brightening up. "Maybe I should finally start listening to you."

"It'll be a cold day in hell when that happens," Emma muttered. Regina got up with a laugh and kissed the top of her head before she walked over to the coffee machine. She was just adding the water when there was a knock at the door.

"Tamara must have forgotten something," she sighed, heading for the door. Emma stayed where she was at the table, scanning the list in case she'd missed someone. For a moment, the apartment was quiet.

Then she heard from out in the hallway, "What in the hell are you doing here?"

Emma jerked in her seat, her head snapping up. Regina's voice was cold and unforgiving, and that meant it could only be one person waiting for her at the door.

She rushed into the hallway with her lungs knotting together. Regina didn't turn around when she heard her approaching, but Neal looked up at once.

"Emma," he drawled, stumbling to one side. He was still on the other side of the door and Regina's arm was blocking him from entering, but Emma knew that wouldn't be enough if he decided to shove his way forward. Regina might be terrifying, but she was still half his size.

Emma could feel her stomach shrivelling in on itself, but ahead of her, Regina just signed impatiently. "How did you even get in the building?"

"What? You don't think I fit in here?" he asked. Emma had seen him drunk before plenty of times, but this was different – he was slurring and staggering and there was a rage in his eyes that terrified her.

When no one replied to his question, he said, "I came in with that nice Kuwaiti family from the 10th floor. They seem charming."

Regina briefly turned her head to make sure Emma was safely behind her before she folded her arms. "And to what do we owe the pleasure?"

"God, you still have that stick up your ass, don't you?" he demanded, his voice suddenly booming. "You've always thought you're better than me."

"Of course I have. The evidence speaks for itself."

Her voice was calm and collected and it was visibly driving Neal crazy. Emma wanted to step forward and help, but she was frozen five paces away. Any time Neal glared at her, she felt herself shrink.

"You're an interfering bitch," Neal said, leaning right into Regina's face. She didn't flinch. "Just where do you get off ruining other people's lives?"

"Ah, I see. You're upset that your boss is probably going to jail, which means there's officially no one left in town who's willing to work with you. That really is unfortunate, isn't it?" Regina asked. "Your career has had an awful lot of ups and downs already."

Neal seethed at her, gritting his teeth like a wild animal. "I'm going to kill you."

"No, you're not," Regina replied coolly. "You're going to stomp and shout, and then you're going to realise that I'm not intimidated by you and I couldn't care less about what you've got to say. It would save us all a lot of time if you'd just go home now."

He staggered forward again, but Regina didn't budge. Even from behind her Emma could tell she was rolling her eyes.

"Go home, Mr Cassidy. When will you realise that we're done with you?"

In spite of everything, Emma couldn't help but fall even more in love with her. She was like a queen, staring him down without so much as a tremor in her voice. It was mesmerising.

Neal didn't think so, though – he snarled at her, trying to decide what to do next. Then he looked up and remembered that Emma was still cowering in the hallway.

He grinned. "Want to come with me, Swan Song?"

She forced herself to reply, even though her voice was shaking. "Get fucked, Neal."

"God, Regina – you should have seen her that night she came round to my place. She was insatiable." At once, Emma saw Regina's spine go rigid. "I wonder if you've ever made her as wet as she was that day. It was insane. I'm still surprised she never came back for more."

He looked at Regina to see if his words were having an effect. After a long silence, she said coldly, "Get. Out."

"And those moaning noises she makes," he continued, thrilled to have finally found the thing that would break through Regina's calmness. "I couldn't get her clothes off fast enough. She was begging me to fuck her – begging for it. I'll never stop thinking about that night."

Emma's entire body had gone icy cold. She glanced at Regina again. Over the past two years she'd put Regina through so much unnecessary shit – the debt, the break-up, dealing with Neal in the first place and dealing with him again now. Regina must be exhausted from it all, and Emma felt sick wondering if this would finally be the moment where Regina would sigh and realise it wasn't worth it. She loved Emma, but surely she loved a quiet life more.

Neal laughed at her silence and continued. "It's only a matter of time before she comes back, Regina. You already know that. I mean, she's obsessed with me. Even when I'm working with someone else, she can't leave me alone."

More silence. Regina still didn't move.

"I wonder how long it'll be before she realises that all your money isn't enough for a girl like her, and she creeps across town to find me and see how quickly she can get me to—"

Everything happened so fast that Emma didn't even have time to gasp. Regina, who'd been standing still as marble with her arms folded over her chest, suddenly stepped forward, her pace quick and calm. Her hands found Neal's shoulders. Her knee collided with his groin so abruptly that it sounded like a sack of flour being dropped to the floor.

His face turned purple as he staggered backward, his hands cupped over his crotch and his mouth gaping open. The pain was obviously severe enough that he couldn't make a noise beyond a faint wheezing that almost made Emma pity him. He doubled over, his eyes scrunching up as he visibly tried not to cry, and Regina took another step toward him. She bent forward so she was at the same level as his wobbling, grimacing face.

She gripped his chin in one hand.

"Just in case I didn't make myself perfectly clear last time," she said, her voice low and calm. Neal looked up to meet her gaze, but didn't manage to interrupt. "If you come anywhere near me or my family again, I will destroy you and every single thing you hold dear. I won't warn you again."

With her hand still on his chin, she pushed him backward. He overbalanced and toppled to the floor, still folded in half and gripping at his testicles like they were about to drop off.

The second he hit the carpet, Regina straightened up and turned toward her apartment. Without looking back, she sauntered through the door and slammed it behind her.

Emma was standing in exactly the same position, with one hand on the kitchen doorframe and the other gripping her own necklace. Regina stormed toward her like a gust of wind, her face angry and exhilarated and concerned all at once, and when she took Emma's chin in her hand, it was a gesture worlds apart from the one that had preceded it moments before.

"Are you okay?"

There was no way in hell Emma could answer that. She just gawped at her with her mouth open until Regina eventually forced a smile.

"Come on," she said, guiding her back into the kitchen. "Sit down."

She went right back to making coffee, just like she'd been doing when Neal had knocked on the door. Emma shakily sat down in her chair, feeling like her skull was made of white noise. Across the kitchen Regina looked perfectly calm, but Emma recognised the agitated grit of her jaw and the fact that she was moving her hands around so quickly because she didn't want the shaking to be obvious.

Emma swallowed and forced herself to speak. "It's not true."

Regina turned to look at her with one eyebrow raised. She didn't respond, so Emma clarified, "What he said. None of that… None of that was true."

"Emma," Regina scoffed, shaking her head. "Give me some credit. I know it's not."

All Emma could do was nod. Regina finished making the coffee and brought the two cups over to the table. Only when she sat down did Emma tentatively ask, "…family?"

Regina slid a cup toward her. "Hmm?"

"That's what you said. You called me your family."

She was expecting another scoff of derision or maybe embarrassment, but Regina just smiled. "Don't sound so surprised."

When Emma didn't respond, she reached out and cupped her cheek with one hand. It was still warm from the coffee pot.

"You need to realise this," she said firmly. "You mean the world to me, and I'll do anything I can to protect you. And maybe you're not technically my family yet, but I fully intend to make you so one day."

Emma's residual shock suddenly faded into something entirely different. She grinned and nuzzled her cheek harder against Regina's palm.

"Was that a marriage proposal?"

"Hardly," Regina scoffed, putting on her most offended tone. "I'm a perfectionist, after all."

"What do you mean?"

"You expect me to propose to you at a kitchen table surrounded by paperwork? Please, Miss Swan. Besides, I can't get down on one knee when mine still hurts from assaulting someone on your behalf."

Emma laughed out loud. She reached up so she could remove Regina's hand from her face and tangle their fingers together on the table instead.

"Fine, fine. Maybe you have a bit more class than that," she admitted. "Just don't propose in a private jet – I'm still not a fan of flying."

"Why on Earth would I propose in an airplane?"

"Because I know you, and you'd somehow manage to make it more about what you'd like than what I would." Emma grinned to show that she was joking, but Regina was already gasping with fake shock.

"I beg your pardon? I would not."

"You absolutely would."

"I would not. Besides, if I wanted to propose based on something I like, it would never be 30,000 feet in the air."

Emma smiled softly. "No?"

"No. It would be in bed on a Sunday morning. You'd be half asleep and your hair would have those adorable corkscrews in it, and I'd ask you to marry me and you wouldn't even open your eyes. You'd just smile and say yes."

The words filled Emma up with a warmth that threatened to drown her. She squeezed Regina's hand and admitted, "That sounds pretty perfect, actually."

To her surprise, Regina blushed. She glanced away before squeezing Emma's hand in return.

"Well, then," she said softly. "What day is it today?"

"It's Thursday."

Regina shrugged, her thumb brushing over Emma's ring finger as she spoke. "In that case, I guess we'll have to see what the weekend brings."

Emma's heart throbbed like it was threatening to break free. All she could do was smile.

"I'd like that."

Regina's face was soft and warm as she replied, "Good. Now, get back to work, Miss Swan. Don't think you can slack off just because I'm desperately in love with you."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Emma said, then paused. As she picked up her pencil again, she added, "I'd say yes, you know."

Nothing made her love Regina more than seeing her cheeks flush pink with pleasure. She looked away, pretending that her heart wasn't brimming over, and went back to planning their party together. It was yet another chapter in their shared lives, and even though Emma was surrounded by paper and dreading having to force small talk with twenty-somethings whose favourite bands had names she couldn't even pronounce, she knew it would be okay. Just like everything was when Regina was by her side, it was going to be a strange, stressful, slightly messy kind of perfect.

THE END

Another story ended! I hope you enjoyed the return to these gorgeous, useless ladies as much as I did xxx

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