Commercials played on the screen, promoting new releases and the candies at the concession. The field was beginning to crowd with people chatting with their friends, waiting in line for food, or sitting in or on their cars. All the cars parked had their radios tuned into the drive-in frequency, and from what Emma could tell, it was an unspoken agreement to blast the volume of their radios and roll down their windows. Emma had put their own volume to a reasonable level, loud enough to hear the movie but low enough to talk.

By the time they were settled back into the Volkswagen, their popcorn and candy littering the dashboard in front of them, the sun had gone down completely, and Emma was passing the popcorn to Regina.

"Indulge me?"

"You think I wouldn't after the purchase I made?" Regina took the bag haughtily and elegantly ate a popcorn, making the infamous movie-going snack seem like a five-star restaurant meal.

Emma smirked and held up the drinks, water, juice, and a bottle of pop, before leaning over to the dashboard and fluttered her fingers in contemplation of her selection. She finally settled on the Junior Mints, popping open the box and tearing into the bag. Tossing the chocolate covered mint ball in her mouth, Emma shut her eyes and moaned. "It's like those girl guide mints but even better."

"I bought those specifically for me," Regina said, stealing the box from Emma's grasp. She placed a chocolate delicately in her mouth and sighed, revelling at the melting chocolate and mint pooling in her mouth. A pair of eyes were steady on her, and it took her a moment to realize Emma had been watching her every move. Suddenly self-conscious, Regina cleared her throat and swallowed, handing the Junior Mints back to the blonde. "What?"

Emma shook her head suppressing a smile. "You just looked really nice just then."

"Eating chocolate?"

"Just being happy," Emma grinned. "It's a good look on you."

Regina rolled her eyes, but the blush appeared on her face nonetheless. "I'm finding more reasons to be so."


They sat in the bug, munching on popcorn, candy, and chocolate, much to Regina's surprise. She had never done this before, and without the prying eyes of the town or having to be the model mother for Henry, Regina felt as if she could relax and let her guard down. Her stomach may not thank her in the morning, but for now, she was content with watching Scottie trail Madeleine to the bouquet shop. She and Emma exchanged commentary every now and then, Emma scoffing at Scottie for stringing Midge along while Regina appreciated the cinematography of the piece. Despite the gear shift separating them, they leaned toward the middle, their shoulders pressed against one another as the popcorn bag was positioned precisely on top of the cup holder.

Rowdy laughter filtered in through Emma's half opened window, and they turned to see a group of teenagers sitting in the bed of their own pick up truck simply talking to one another. Loudly. They made no motion to watch the movie, and from their obnoxious behaviour it looked as if they didn't care.

Emma rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I really wish I wasn't like that when I was a kid."

Regina laughed lightly. "Emma," she said softly and nudged the blonde's shoulder. "You are so young."

"I'm not that young."

She laughed again. "You're probably only a few years older than those kids you so desperately loathe."

Emma scrunched up her face and glared at the teens again, realizing that she probably would have done the exact same thing at their age. Only five years ago. She shuddered at the thought.

"You don't feel that way." It was an observation rather than a question on Regina's part.

The blonde shook her head and let out a chuckle of her own. "Sometimes I forget until you withhold alcohol from me."

"I can't imagine going through the things that you've gone through already," Regina admitted before turning a shy eye to the blonde. "You're very strong."

Emma snorted. "It's not even really about strength. It's just me getting by."

"Surviving."

"Exactly."

Regina stared forward for a moment, watching the black and white film pass as Scottie saved Madeleine from drowning. She rolled a shoulder casually. "I used to do that. Living day after day in the same routine. But then I got Henry, and everything changed after him."

"What made you want to adopt?"

It took Regina a few moments to contemplate her answer. Her mind had been filled of memories of Henry since the first day she had travelled to Boston to pick him up, and her life had been better ever since. There were moments where she doubted her abilities at being a mother, but every time he looked at her, and every time he said "Mommy", her heart fluttered with absolute joy.

"Have you ever felt like you were missing something?" Regina whispered. "Like there was a void in your heart?"

Emma's breath caught in her throat. She knew all too well what that void Regina spoke of felt like. In her earlier years, she had dreamed of her parents coming to take her away, but as she grew older and less naive, she sought for a place to call her own, for people who worried for her. "Yeah," Emma nodded. "I do."

"I always wanted a child, but I wasn't lucky enough to be able to have one of my own. When I went to Boston to interview for a chance to adopt, I saw them catering Henry around the office since he had just arrived, and I fell in love instantly." Regina looked to Emma then, her eyes shining and a small smile on her face. "I was lucky to be able to get him."

"You've given him a great life, Regina." Emma took the older woman's palm and squeezed. "Not a lot of kids are as lucky as he is."

Regina hesitated a second before asking, "Do you mind if I asked what your experiences in foster care were like?"

Emma blanched which made Regina squeeze the blonde's hand in earnest. "You don't have to."

Emma chuckled and shook her head. "No, it's just, not a lot of people seemed to care. My social workers would only get me out of there if it was absolutely dire, and a lot of times, they looked at my behaviour and attitude and figured I was putting it on myself.

"There was one house," Emma continued, "the Johnson's. It's where I met August. They scooped me up after I got taken from my other placement because that family didn't buy groceries for a month so me and the older kids would take turns using our five finger discount."

Regina raised her eyebrows at that, but Emma just shrugged.

"Anyway, the Johnson's were pretty religious. They believed in faith healing, very conservative, and really strict. One time I had a really bad flu or something and was throwing up everywhere, so they got a priest to look at me, and he said to keep praying and if it gets any worse it was God's will. August snuck me some medicine before I got any worse, but after that I managed to fly under the radar with them, made friends with this girl at school who they seemed to approve of, and me and August spent about two years living there. When I was fifteen, August had already aged out of the system and was enlisted. I ran away after that."

"How come?"

Emma's face heated up, and she glanced at Regina under her lashes. "Like I said, they were really religious. That girl I made friends with? She was kind of more than that. She came over a couple times, and one day Mr. Johnson came into my room, and he saw us spring apart. I got well-acquainted with the sting of a belt that night."

Regina furrowed her brow momentarily confused before clarification dawned on her. "Oh."

"Yeah," Emma chuckled nervously, glancing cautiously up at Regina. "Does that bother you?"

"Yes."

Emma deflated and bit her lip. Tension wracked her body and she held her breath. She should have kept her mouth shut about her experiences.

"How can they lay a hand on a child for who they love?" Regina continued, making Emma snap her head up.

Relieved, Emma let out a breathy sigh and shrugged. "I wouldn't call it love, but some people have issues."

"Some people are idiots."

Emma laughed at loud and patted Regina's hand. "I hear you on that."

They continued to talk throughout the movie, drowning out the rowdy teenagers and the couples snuggling on the hoods of their cars. Halfway through, Emma had asked Regina about her teenage years if the brunette hadn't spent it gallivanting which moved them into a game of Twenty Questions, a game Regina had unsurprisingly never played. So far, she had found out about a secret boyfriend turned brief fiance Regina had in her youth, discovered the brunette had aspired to be in the Olympics for equestrian events, and that the superpower she wanted most was teleportation. Emma had divulged that she was an amateur guitar player, would spend her life eating potatoes if she had to, and had been suspended from four schools. By the time she was thinking of her next question, the credits were rolling and people began filtering out.

"I don't think we really paid attention to the movie," Regina commented.

"Scottie goes crazy, and Madeleine is objectified."

"That's Hitchcock for you," Regina said dryly, causing a snort from Emma.

"I'm gonna wait till it clears out a bit, okay?" Emma asked as she reached for the empty Skittles and Junior Mints bag, stuffing them into the empty popcorn bag.

"It's still your turn."

"I have a good one," Emma said excitedly. "Any piercings or tattoos other than your earrings?"

Regina bit her lip in contemplation.

"No way," Emma grinned knowingly. "Where is it?"