Emma tried to make her hair manageable as she subtly watched the two women talk over the books. Okay, so she was anything but subtle and staring straight at them but it was kind of weird. When she'd left they'd been on opposite sides of the room barely looking at each other. Now they were sitting side by side grabbing the other's attentions freely to show off some passage they'd found.

Belle was friendly. Like super friendly, especially when drunk - not that Regina needed to know about that. But friendly with Regina, the woman who'd imprisoned her for most of her life? Unheard of.

"Are you going to keep staring or do something useful?" Emma shook herself out of her daze and met Belle's smirk with a roll of her eyes.

"You know, I expect that kind of sass from her." Emma grumbled rising from her seat behind Regina's desk. All she'd done was spin around and doodle on bits of paper. Only because Regina had locked all of the draws with a flick of her wrist when Emma had made her way over. Total buzz kill. It wasn't like she was planning on snooping. Much.

She slipped her phone from her pocket as it buzzed. Henry.

Are you guys okay? Is the house still in one piece? Are you still in one piece?

Emma looked over at Regina who was staring at her own phone with a smile. "He totally gets that from you."

"The correct grammar or sass?" Regina smiled as she met Emma's eyes.

"Both." Emma shrugged and walked out of the study. It was too weird for her.

She chuckled to herself at how she found that situation weird compared to fighting a dragon underneath a library. Storybrooke was definitely a strange place to live.

She set her phone on the bench as she opened the fridge. She could do with an after-nap snack. Pity Regina had hidden her stash again.

Her phone buzzed against the counter. She passed it off as another sassy comment from Henry until it began to ring. She answered with sigh at seeing the name on the screen.

"I'm fine, David."

"Good, but not the reason I called."

"Your daughters well-being is not good enough reason to call? How dare you."

David chuckled across the line. "You know what I mean, drama queen."

"My preferred title is either Saviour or Princess or Sheriff, deputy. Better remember who your boss is."

"Regina's my boss. You're just the poster girl of the sheriff's station."

Emma cringed. "Okay, never call me poster girl, ever again. And ew."

"Agreed." David said. Emma laughed at hearing his own cringe over the phone as he thought back on his words. "Anyway, this was merely a courtesy call to say Evan's coming to stay with you."

Panic mode was instantaneous. "What? Why? Is everything okay?"

"Hey, hey. It's fine. We're fine. But in order for me to distract your mother from your... predicament, I need to, you know, distract her."

"What?"

"Distract her. You know with... other things. Parent things. Like-"

"Oh. Oh god! I totally don't wanna know that. Ew! Come on! I don't need to hear that." Emma tried hard to block out the mental images from her mind. But having seen them in real life already it was hard to forget.

Snow White and Prince Charming were supposed to be paragons of innocence. And what he was implying was anything but innocent.

"Ok, ok. I get it, still traumatised." Emma heard her brother fussing in the background. "But the reason I was calling..."

"Oh, right. I'll just have to ask Regina." Emma slowly made her way toward the study, poking her head round the corner at the two women immersed in their books.

"Why do you have to ask?" David huffed as Evan's gurgles grew louder.

"Cause it's not my house, David." Emma rolled her eyes as Regina turned with a wondering expression. "Hey, is it alright if we look after Evan tonight?"

"Why?"

"Trust me, you don't wanna know the answer to that question." Emma shivered as her imagination decided to torment her. "Anyway, can we?"

"I don't see why not. But he's under your care."

"Em?" Emma lifted the phone back to her ear watching Regina smirk at the pages.

"Yeah, I'm here."

"So, all good?"

"I think so." Emma held the phone to her shoulder as she stepped up beside the couch. "What's that supposed to mean 'he's in my care'?"

"It means I'm going to enjoy watching you flounder about while trying to change a diaper." Regina smiled kindly up at Emma. Emma narrowed her eyes at the woman. This was a challenge. And Emma was going to win, no doubt about it. Regina claimed to know all about her, but there were still a few secrets she kept. Maybe it was time to let her in on one of them.

Emma shrugged as Regina's expression changed at her nonchalance. "Fine by me. Yeah, it's all good, David. When you dropping him off?"

The doorbell rung as David spoke, "Now?"

"You're a dick." Emma groaned hanging up and turning for the door. "David's here. You alright to keep searching for tings while I entertain Evan?"

"We'll be fine, Emma." Belle answered before Regina could say something that would have them bickering again. Regina narrowed her eyes at Belle as she shrugged and turned back to her book.

Regina leant back against the front door. She rubbed her tired eyes that were aching for a break. With a sigh she pushed herself from the door. Belle had been a massive help. Although the beginning had been tense Belle was not one to sit idly by, and was truly remarkable after all she'd been through.

Regina made her way to the kitchen stopping at the doorway to the living room. She smiled at watching Emma on her stomach playing with Evan. His smile was all gums as he laughed at whatever ludicrous face Emma was making.

"I'm totally serious, Evan. Our family's nuts. Full on crazy. But you'll love it." Emma said tickling his chin as he giggled again.

"You're good with him." Regina spoke up in the quiet as Emma picked him up to sit in her lap.

"You sound surprised." Emma said, eyes on Evan but the smirk on her face was all for Regina.

"Well, I honestly never gave it much thought." She sat down on the armchair in both Charming's line of vision. Smiling instantly as Evan watched her closely.

"Lot's of kids in group homes, Regina." Emma said. She stood Evan up, his feet kicking the small collection of toys surrounding him with glee. "Someone had to look after them. It's always nice when someone cares."

"I know." Evan's babbling was the only thing keeping the room from total silence. Both women were lost in their thoughts of less than stellar childhoods. Wondering what would have happened, what would have changed if someone had cared just that little bit more.

"What would you like for dinner?"

"Food." Emma met her eyes with a wide grin causing Regina to shake her head with fondness.

"Unbelievable." She whispered loud enough for Emma to hear as she left the room. Evan's giggles filling up the house. It had been so long since she'd herd the joyful sounds of a child's laughter in her home. Hopefully once they sorted this whole marriage mess out they'd still let Evan visit.

He was probably the least annoying Charming member.

Apart from Henry, of course.

And maybe Emma.

Only when she wasn't being a complete pain the neck, of course.