August barked out a laughter, and Emma didn't have to see him to know there was a smug grin on his face. Her few days at his apartment let Emma know that with his time home, he had caught quite a bit of daytime television. Translation: August was into soaps. The sound of his pleased laughter was a sure sign that he soaked in Emma's life vicariously like the soap operas on his TV. "First off, no one said anything about being in love. Second, she's pretty, huh?"

"I didn't say that," Emma whispered, heat rising to her cheeks as she eyed the door in fear that Regina might overhear their conversation.

"Are you denying it?" Emma's silence was enough for August and prompted him to ask, "are you blushing?"

"No," Emma said forcefully, an octave higher than she intended. She looked up at the door again in case her volume jarred anyone. So far she was in the clear. August's pleased chuckling was beginning to grind on Emma's nerves. They may have been older now, but fighting side by side clearly did nothing to take away August's big brother mentality when relationships were involved, especially when those were Emma's relationships. Emma sighed, running her hand through her hair and huffed out a groan in compliance. "Yeah, she's really gorg- you know what, no, this is not what we're talking about right now."

His chuckle grew into a laugh. "Okay, Em."

She smirked for the time being, claiming that as a battle won. "I'll be back to Boston in a couple days."

There was another pause from August, but this time Emma could tell he was concocting something. Instead of interrupting, she waited until he spoke again. "You should stay," he revealed sincerely.

Emma shut her eyes, partially fearing his suggestion yet relieved at the same time. Her week with Regina and Henry had been nothing short of amazing. Any fears and worries she had upon her arrival were completely wiped away with the more time she spent with them. Like the homes she had lived in as a kid, the schools she had transferred in and out of, Emma knew it wouldn't last. Not only would she be back in Georgia in less than three weeks' time, but Regina had work, and Henry was due back in daycare. The euphoric bubble they had lived in over the past week was soon to pop, and it would be in everybody's best interest if Emma just accepted the fact.

"I can't," Emma reasoned after a long pause.

"You can't, or you won't?"

"Regina's going back to work tomorrow," she argued. "She already took a week off to show me around, and she's the Mayor."

"Did you ever think maybe she wants you to stay too?" At Emma's scoff, August continued persistently. "Come on, Em, you were always chasing after you want whether you were allowed to or not, what's so different now?"

"The threat of a potential record will help ease that some," she answered dryly.

"You're not some teenager who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks anymore," he reminded her. "You came home from a year-long tour. If some sleepy town is your happy place, then why leave it? Stay."

Emma bit her lip and leaned forward to rest her elbow on the desk. "Is that an order, sir?"

August chuckled once, not from amusement but rather as a preclude before he embarked his words of wisdom. "No. It's up to you two."


"You live here, Emma?" Henry asked, casually sipping his juice from a big boy cup as he, Emma, and Regina sat around the dinner table that night.

Emma's eyes widened comically while Regina's eyebrows shot up toward her hairline. The two women shared a hesitant glance before turning toward the three-year old who continued to sip on his apple juice.

Emma leaned over and squeezed Henry's arm apologetically. "No, I gotta go back to Boston soon."

"You do?" Regina asked suddenly.

Emma whipped her head to the brunette who was burning a hole in Emma with her steady gaze. If Emma wasn't mistaken, she could have sworn she saw a hint of disappointment pooling in deep brown eyes. She was fairly adept at reading people, and despite the wall Regina maintained for everyone else, Emma continued to see right through it. Though that constant insecurity of overstaying her welcome creeped to the surface of her skin. The military couldn't kick her out, not if she followed orders, but her foster parents, hell, her real parents, August, and even Regina, they all had a say in her time in a place. But there Regina was with disappointment in her eyes, and the cycle repeated all over again.

Emma shook her head to clear her mind and shrugged half-heartedly. "Well I got to go back to Georgia in a couple weeks."

Regina briefly knit her brows as if she forgot Emma's time with them was limited. To be fair, Emma nearly forgot too. Before she could open her mouth to suggest they come to Boston with her or for her to stay longer or anything, Regina nodded and painted on a tight-lipped smile, one, Emma came to notice, she used only while she was discussing politics or accommodating her many mayoral duties. She had never used it in Emma's presence, and that left a sour taste in her mouth. "Of course."

With that, Regina turned to Henry and looked pointedly. "You, young man, have a bath with your name on it."


"How come Emma go?" Henry asked as Regina sat on the lip of his tub, the water warm and frothed with green watermelon scented bath wash.

"She has to go back to work, sweetie," Regina explained, tipping his head back to ease a cup full of water to wet his hair.

As usual, he covered his eyes and blew raspberries at the trickles of water that escaped his head to track over his mouth. Regina couldn't help but glare playfully, using her hand to wipe his face dry before reaching for his shampoo.

"She come back later?" Henry had now commandeered one of his many toy sail boats, dunked it under the water, then sprung it up from the depths of the tub, effectively splashing the floor, the wall, and his mother in the process.

Regina paused in wiping off the water droplets from her cheeks as she took his question into consideration. Would Emma return? She knew it wasn't up to Emma whether she was sent overseas. How often did they get shipped out anyway? Surely one was enough and Emma could fulfil the rest of her duty at home base. Regina was going to have to ask Sidney to dig into the ins and outs of the US Army for her.

"Mommy?" Henry reclaimed her attention.

"Hmm?" Regina snapped to attention and squeezed a healthy portion of shampoo into her palm before lathering it into her son's hair.

"Emma come back?" He repeated, though this time he stopped his playing and held his mother's gaze. Regina had to suppress her chuckle when the look Henry was giving her was the same one she gave her subordinates when they failed to meet her standards. Nurture seemed to take precedence in that case.

Regina rinsed off her soapy hand into the water then palmed Henry's cheek, smiling softly at the hope and wonder brightening his eyes. "I hope so, dear."

Satisfied with the answer, Henry continued his playing, first sculpting his soaped hair into a single spike before making an engine noise with his lips as he and his boat traversed the bath.

Regina found, as she sat on the closed toilet lid watching Henry play in the bath, that she was extremely nervous about Emma's leaving to Boston. They never discussed the length of time Emma would be visiting, though Regina had just assumed she would stay for the duration of her leave. Of course she would want to return to Boston. August was the closest thing she had to family, and she would want to spend as much time with him as possible, especially as he dealt with his recovery.

It suddenly occurred to Regina how much she enjoyed Emma in their life. Emma had come waltzing in some beat up monstrosity, and for the first time in a very long time, Regina felt a companionship that was different than being a mother to Henry or a Mayor of a small town. The camaraderie was there over the course of their letter-writing, but this past week had strengthened that. Regina had taken a mini vacation after all. The only other time she had taken days off of work was when Henry had come down with that unnatural stomach flu, and she and Henry had spent a day or two in the hospital investigating the cause. And now it seemed the days were cut short. Perhaps she could persuade her to stay. But that wouldn't be fair. But when did Regina Mills ever play fair?

"I'm raisin-y." Henry held up his wrinkled hands to show his mother who smiled fondly, tearing herself away from her thoughts and returning to her spot on the lip of the tub to grab his palms and press kisses to each finger.

"Yes you are, my little grape," Regina said tickling under his arm. She ran the faucet and unplugged the drain before reclaiming the cup and filling it with new water. "Let's get you rinsed up, dear."


"That kid likes his stories," Emma whispered as Regina partially closed the door of his room.

Regina let out a breathy laugh, paired with a face that indicated her years of motherhood certainly had her experienced in the art of bedtime. "You have no idea. You're lucky you weren't here a few weeks ago when he somehow convinced me to read his entire collection of Dr. Seuss. We have ten books, and they're not short either."

"Weak," Emma teased, following Regina to her study where she poured them a drink.

Regina sat on one end of the couch, sipping casually on her cider as Emma sat on the opposite end, a foot curled under her leg after she had settled her drink on the coffee table, on top of the coaster as she had learned. The clock on the mantle ticked slowly, and in the quiet of the room, the soft tick amplified making the silence known. After thirty ticks, to Regina's count, she opened her mouth to break the silence. "Emma-"