Regina pursed her lips but tilted her head. "Well I'm making marvelous friends with the postal workers."

"You know that's not what I mean. I'm just, I'm looking out for you I guess." Emma removed her arms and wrung her hands in her lap. Regina could see, despite Emma's bowed head and falling curls blocking most of her face that her cheeks were tinting pink at the admission.

Regina squinted again, this time in genuine confusion. "Why would you do that?"

Emma let out a snort of derision as she brought her head up and smiled softly. "Come on. I care about you. And I don't know if I'm gonna be halfway across the world this time next month, and I just want to make sure you're okay when I go. I just want to know that someone is gonna be here for you if I can't."

Regina's breath caught in her throat, and she ducked her head to catch Emma's eye, searching the deep green of them for any sign of a lie. Emma was so insistent Regina was sure that there was some ulterior motive behind her words but all she could see was genuine concern and sincerity. Would this woman cease to surprise her? "Why would you do that?" Regina asked again, softer this time.

Emma smiled and let her hand fall over Regina's knee and squeezed affectionately. "I just think the town's missing out."

"On what?"

"On you."


They had spent another twenty minutes at the park, watching as Henry attempted to make the "biggest bestest sand castle ever", but when Regina caught him dampening the sand with his juice box, she had called it a day. They were now walking home, Regina lightly holding onto the handle of the tricycle as Henry, decked out in a helmet, elbow, knee, and wrist pads as per Regina's request, rode on, constantly veering to the left and needing help getting unstuck whenever his tire caught in between the grass and sidewalk.

It was a relatively quiet late afternoon as the trio walked, and it gave Emma the chance to stop and think, something she tried to avoid for it tended to lead to the dark places of her past that she fought hard to avoid. But this time, Emma realized how lucky she had been. Standing in front of the judge giving her the choice between boot camp or juvie had seemed like a death sentence. It wasn't until right now, walking down Brighton and occasionally passing now familiar faces did Emma realize that being sent to boot camp may have been the best thing that had ever happened to her.

It got her here.

She glanced up covertly, using her hair as a shield to glance up at Regina who tsked lightly at Henry who purposely rode through a small puddle. A smile tugged on her lips as she watched the scowl disappear on Regina's face when Henry turned around, nearly bringing the tricycle with him, to grin up innocently at his mother.

Regina was known across town as being rigid, strict, and had a plan for everything that she rarely veered off from, and for some strange reason that even Emma couldn't fathom, Emma was part of Regina's plan.

"Are you all right?" Regina asked, pressing a palm to Emma's shoulder, the weight and warmth of it already a source of comfort to the young woman.

The blonde nodded, and yeah, she was all right. "Are you doing anything Friday?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Friday. Did you want to hang out or something?"

Regina furrowed her brow as if the idea of hanging out was a foreign concept, and Emma realized it probably was. "Hang out?"

Emma shrugged, adjusting the tote around her shoulder but held her head up high. "Dinner? Movie? Just the two of us?"

"Just you and I?"

"You're starting to sound like a parrot," Emma chuckled. "Yeah, I mean, you've been so awesome-" Emma glared at Regina's smirk "-with letting me into your home and sending me all those care packages and gifts. I just want to make it up to you by taking you out."

"It's really not necessary, Emma."

"I know." Emma caught Regina's hand and tugged her a little to halt their walking. Henry hadn't seemed to mind since he couldn't get very far on his own anyhow and busied himself with making car noises. Emma stared insistently into Regina's eyes and squeezed her palm. "Please? Seriously, dinner doesn't even skim the surface of how much I appreciate this."

"Appreciate what?" Regina asked with her hand still in Emma's.

"This." Emma motion between them. "You and me."

"Us," Regina confirmed as she got a feel for the word in her mouth.

"Yeah," the blonde grinned. "Us."

They remained rooted in the spot as Emma waited, unknowingly with bated breath, for an answer. A car drove by, and a family of robins flew overhead before Regina retracted her palm from Emma's and continued to push Henry in the tricycle. It took Emma another half-second to move, unsure what that meant. Her uncertainty faded and a smile ripped across her face when she saw Regina give an almost imperceptible nod.

"I suppose I can find a sitter for Friday."

Chapter 6

Chapter Notes

Disclaimer in Chapter One.

AN: My favourite thing about the response from the last chapter was that everyone assumed it was a date. You and I know that, but let's see how the ladies fare ;)

The diner was buzzing on Thursday evening. Not only was the special Granny's famous tuna fish casserole that she made only when she felt like it, but Ms. Tina Bell was bursting with news when she turned onto the patio. The running was partially due to the fact that she told the Pan boys she would buy them dinner if they stayed in school for that week - she couldn't wrangle those boys into school on a Friday even if she had pixie dust. But she had other news she was sure Ruby would thoroughly enjoy.

She pushed open the door with a strength unnatural for her petite size, the bell above it nearly falling off its hinges. The diner was crowded with Leroy and his friends huddled around two pushed together tables and sharing a casserole to themselves, the Tillmans in the corner booth with shakes in front of the twins, and a very pregnant Ashley, sitting atop the bar stool with her head ducked closely with Ruby's as they spoke animatedly.

"So she actually got Mayor Mills to wear a paper crown?" inquired the blonde.

"Yup," Ruby confirmed, wiping down the counter. "It was cute. They all had an apple drawn on it like a family crest. You really need to get out more, Ash. How do you not know this?"

"Dr. Whale says I shouldn't be on my feet all day."

"Did he say you should plug your ears too because I have good stuff."

"Hey." Tina slid onto the stool beside Ashley and nodded at Ruby in greeting.

"Did you hear about the May-" Ashley began, her eyes lighting up at the chance to share her recently acquired news before she was interrupted with a nod.

"I watch her boy for a living."

Ruby laughed and patted Ashley's arm. "I'll fill you in." She turned to Tina and held up a finger. "And I've got your order."

"So you know about the birthday?" Ashley asked.

"That's old news now," Tina said apologetically as Ruby laughed, walking toward the kitchen.

"I saw them at the toy store," Ashley said casually, taking the moment to finish off her water. "I think Emma bought Henry a bike."

"What?" Ruby backpedaled and leaned her forearms on the counter in front of both blondes.

Tina slammed the counter in excitement. "Oh! They were at the park together and there was a bike there. It was a quaint little family outing."

"Awww." Ashley pressed a hand to her chest. "With Sean working so much we don't get to have many family outings."

"And," Tina continued, leaning her head in conspiratorially, "they were holding hands."

"Shut up!" Ruby gasped.

Granny appeared from the kitchen, a spatula in her hand and a glare on her face. Ruby winced and apologized hastily but pressed for more information. "What do you mean they were holding hands?"

"Henry was spinning on the swings, and Regina was about to go into bitchy mode, but Emma took her hand and calmed her down," Tina provided with a proud grin. "I wouldn't be surprised if something was happening between them."

"Is that why Emma asked me where a nice place to eat is?" Ruby asked scandalized.

"She did?" Ashley looked to the brunette wide-eyed.

Tina pounded on the counter top in excitement again, unable to get the words she so desperately wanted to get out. It was why she had run here, after all, but this news just made everything better.

"What?" Ashley pressed, turning to face the older woman curiously.

"She asked me to babysit!" Tina finally released in a strangled breath. "This morning when they dropped off Henry, Regina asked if I would be available to watch him tomorrow night. She said it may be overnight."

"Overnight?!" Ruby squealed.

"Ruby," Granny scolded from the back. "If you don't get back to work, so help me."

"Hold on, this is important," Ruby pleaded and grabbed Tina's arm. "She said overnight?"

"Well, late," she amended.

"Oh my god," the waitress straightened, and nodded her head with finality. "The Mayor is going on a date."


"Is this a date?" Regina asked from her spot in the passenger seat as she and Emma drove along Main the following night.

It was a little past seven by the time they had finally left the mansion. Regina had given Tina a forty-five minute lecture on Henry's bedtime, his bath instructions, what snacks he could and could not eat should he wake up, where the first aid kit was and the proper way to perform the Heimlich maneuver on a child. Tina had tried interrupting, saying she was well aware of the safety protocols, reminding Regina of her occupation, but the Mayor glared and continued to show Tina the proper steps using Emma as her dummy. The daycare teacher turned babysitter shut up immediately for that demonstration.