A/N: So, if you are still willing to read my work after that painful story for Day 1, I hope this one will make you feel better. Sorry for the late submissions.

Swan Queen Week Day 2-Jealousy

"So anyway, the guy comes walking over to my table all smug and before he can even say anything… god, I can't believe I'm about to tell you this… so before he could even say a word I just grab the woman next to me, who I didn't even know by the way, and kissed her."

"Kissed her?!"

"Kissed her square in the mouth. Oh my god! I mean, like no tongue or anything. Not right then. But yeah, he looked shocked and kept walking. Man, how I laughed about that later."

"That could have seriously backfired on you, Emma. Some guys are into that, you know. Porn fantasies and all that. But… what did you mean- not right then?"

Before Emma could answer Regina's question, her cell phone sounded. "Hey Killian. We were just talking about you." Emma wiggled her eyebrows at Regina across the booth. Apparently Hook was one of the guys who were into that.

Regina wasn't really surprised but she was having a very hard time thinking about that. Her mind kept going back to the phrase not right then. What did that mean? Had Emma really kissed that stranger after the guy was scared off? And not just a stranger, a woman. I'm a woman… how come you never kissed me?

Emma's next words pulled her back from her thoughts. "Don't be jealous."

"Excuse me?" Regina's eyes widened. Had she spoken her thoughts?

"I said don't be jealous. It was sarcasm, Regina. Didn't you hear me say I am having dinner with Killian and my parents tonight? I figure that is a nightmare scenario, even for a former Evil Queen," Emma said good naturedly.

"Well, it does sound like an occasion worthy of a sleeping curse. Shall I make you a dessert to take? Apple pie perhaps?" Regina arched high one brow and dropped her voice into a dangerous tone.

"Very funny, your majesty," Emma sassed back.

"Is it too soon, dear?" Regina's full lips pouted giving her face an innocent air.

"Too soon. And if I don't get out of here soon, I am going to be late. The mayor in this town can be a real bitch if you take more than an hour for lunch." Emma stood then, pulling on her red leather jacket.

"So I've heard. But I'm sure I could put in a good word for you. She likes me." Regina winked at the blonde smiling down at her.

"That's good to know. I like you too. See you later, Gina."

Before Regina could protest the nickname that was slipping more and more from Emma's lips these days, the bell above the door sounded and the Sheriff was gone.

She likes me too…

~ (SQ) ~

"So, how was dinner with the Charming idiots and Captain Guyliner?" Regina was looking over the menu at Granny's as if she hadn't memorized it years ago. "Do you wish now I'd have made you a pie?"

"Be nice. It was fine. And I made a pretty tasty batch of brownies for dessert. Although I am sure I would have enjoyed a hot piece of your pie." Emma too was studying the menu. If she had looked up she would have seen Regina's cheeks blooming with color at her thinly veiled flirtation.

This is how it always was with them. Every day, same booth at Granny's for lunch with conversation on everything from boring town business to private, secret stories no one else knew. And flirting. Always a little flirting. Regina knew it was meaningless, at least to Emma. It was like it had always been between them. Too long stares, "accidental" touches, double entendres and nothing that meant anything. It was harmless fun. That's what Regina kept telling herself.

She knew she was playing a risky game. Since she had finally broken things off with Robin for good, she had let her latent attraction to Emma blossom into something more. But, Emma was happy with life, happy with the pirate, and Regina knew this would never be more than a fantasy. But she was content with that. That is, until she heard those words… not right then.

Ever since Emma had confided about kissing the woman in the bar, Regina had been restless. She could endure knowing Emma had kissed the filthy pirate, a flying monkey, even son of the Dark One… but a woman? She wasn't sure why that bothered her so much. It wasn't like she was jealous. Was she?

"… and then Mom said well, I guess that's what you get for not taking my advice and literally stuck her tongue out at me! Can you believe that?" Regina realized she hadn't been listening.

"That sounds like your mother. She was fond of sticking her tongue out at me too when she was a child. Speaking of tongues, yesterday you said you kissed that woman in the bar. You never finished telling me what happened. Did you explain what was going on to her?" Regina knew she was opening Pandora's Box with this line of conversation, but she hadn't been able to stop thinking about it.

"Speaking of tongues? Nice, Gina. There really isn't anything much to tell. We chatted a bit at the bar. She was very pretty, dark… Latina maybe. At last call she asked me to her place and I thought, what the hell and that was that." Emma shrugged, taking a long drink of her root beer.

"That was what?" Regina felt a little twinge of something in her stomach. Latina? Oh, hell no.

"That was that. I mean, do you want the gory details? It's barely twelve o'clock in the afternoon." Emma tried to laugh it off but there was something strange in her friend's eyes.

Calm down, Regina. Don't be a fool. "No, I don't want the details. I just… I'm just… I just didn't realize you were…" Regina lowered her voice to a conspiratorial tone, "you know… into women."

Emma's laugh sounded across the diner. "Oh god, Regina! I'm not into women. I'm not into men for that matter. I'm attracted to people, regardless of the gender. It's more about the person, you know? Like the personality. There has to be this… something… I don't know what. There just has to be like a connection, a spark… magic, if you will forgive me for using that word. It's like—"

"Magic?! Are you fucking kidding me right now? We've made magic hundreds of times, Emma. Literal fucking magic!" That tiny twinge was now a raging bull. If she hadn't been so overcome with it, Regina may have called it by name. Jealousy.

"Whoa! What the hell, Regina? Did you just say the 'F' word? Twice?! What the hell is wrong with you?" Emma's eyes were wide in shock at the outburst.

As quickly as the jealous rage had arisen, it faded again and Regina realized what she had done.

"I… it's nothing. I'm sorry. I have to go." With that, Regina disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

Oh smooth, Regina. Way to play close to the vest.

~ (SQ) ~

Emma sat stunned in the booth long after the purple haze had faded with Regina's departure. What the hell just happened?

"You know, if you don't order something, Granny is gonna make me kick you out." Ruby smiled at Emma as she swished her hips over to the table. Taking note of her friend's shocked expression, she went on, "Hey Em, are you ok?"

"I honestly don't know, Rubes." Emma shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

"What happened? I heard Regina get loud and disappear, but I didn't hear what she said." Ruby glanced around the diner. Since the lunch rush was over, the place was empty and she felt it was safe to slide in the seat Regina had abandoned.

"We were just about to order lunch. Everything was fine. I was telling her about dinner last night and the next thing I know, poof." Emma still couldn't focus on anything more than a second. Her mind was overwhelmed. She was sure she was missing the big picture.

"Hmmm, that doesn't sound like new Regina. I mean, old Regina sure, but not now. What did you say and what did she say… exactly." Ruby crossed her long arms on the table and waited for Emma to begin.

"Ok. So I was telling her about dinner and I said mom stuck her tongue out at me. I guess that reminded her of a story I was telling her yesterday about making out with this woman when I lived in Boston and she was all I didn't know you were into women and I was all well, I'm not really and then she just went into full EQ Melt Down mode." Emma kept trying to recall exactly what was said but the sound of Regina saying fuck kept filling her mind. She'd never heard the Mayor use that kind of language before.

"No, what did you say and what did she say… exactly." Ruby pressed her a little further. The she-wolf had long had her suspicions about the Mayor and her interest in Emma. If only the diner hadn't been so loud at lunch time, she may have been able to hear the Queen's outburst.

"Exactly. Right. Ok. So I said I wasn't into women, I was into people, personalities. You know, Ruby. Like there has to be something special, a spark, or… magic—" Emma stopped short. "Oh. My. God."

"What? What is it?" Ruby leaned closer. She didn't need wolf senses to know something was about to change. Emma was having a revelation.

"I gotta go. Thanks Ruby… for the chat. It helped." Without looking back, Emma was gone.

"What was that all about?" Granny called from the kitchen.

"Oh nothing." Ruby called back, wiping down the already clean table. "I think our Sheriff finally realized the Mayor has it bad for her."

"Well, it's about time."

~ (SQ) ~

"Regina? Hey, I know you are in there. Open the door." Emma stood on the porch to the mayoral mansion. She'd been pounding her fist on the door for more than five minutes but Regina refused to acknowledge her.

"Regina? Please, ok? Please open the door and talk to me. I know what I said wrong and I want us to talk about it. Please?" Her tone was much softer now.

"No, Emma. There is nothing to talk about. Just…. Just go away." The quiet answer came from the other side of the big white door.

"I'm not leaving, Regina. And I can always just go get the door key from the Kid and let myself in. But I figure you don't want to have to explain to him why you wouldn't let me in. Please. Please, just let me in." Emma laid her forehead against the door and waited.

The sound of the dead bolt opening caused her to stand upright again. The door opened just a sliver and she could see Regina's face peering out.

"Hi." Emma smiled shyly, like that first night they had met.

"Hi." Regina said in return. The door opened a bit wider and Emma could see, although she had tried to cover it up, the Mayor had been crying. "Well, don't just stand there. Come in before I change my mind."

Emma didn't need a further invitation. She stepped gingerly into the foyer and waited as Regina closed the door again. The brunette gestured toward her study. "Would you like a drink? I'm sure as hell having one."

"Um, no. I'm good." Emma watched as Regina shakily poured herself a cider and lead Emma to the sofa in front of the fireplace.

"You wanted to talk, Savior. So talk." Emma knew Regina well enough to know if she was calling her anything but Emma, she was feeling vulnerable and trying not to appear weak.

"Ok. I… um, I don't know where to start." Emma was surprised at how suddenly nervous she was. It wasn't like she was about to say something shocking. She'd practiced saying this for years, nearly since that day she butchered Regina's apple tree.

"Well, if you don't know then maybe you should just go." Regina started to stand.

"Regina, wait." Emma closed her fingers loosely around Regina's wrist and pulled her back onto the sofa. "I do know what I want to say… It's just not easy. Because I'm not sure what you will think. And to be honest our friendship means too much to me to just risk it by saying the wrong thing to you right now. So, just relax ok."

Regina looked for the first time into turbulent green eyes. As so often was the case, the two women sat for a long moment, just staring, searching, falling into each other's eyes. "Ok. I'll try to relax."

"I was sitting at Granny's all this time trying to figure out what happened at lunch today. I couldn't or wouldn't let myself believe it was true. But now, I know… you got mad and left because you were jealous."

"I was not jealous!" This time Regina did make it to her feet and Emma followed her. "This is not a good idea. You need to go."

"No, I'm not going. And maybe this isn't a good idea. I don't know. But we are going to have this discussion." Emma placed a hand on each of Regina's shoulders and turned the brunette to face her. "Trust me, ok? Just trust me."

Regina looked again into those damn green eyes that cut to her soul. She wanted to trust. She wanted to. So she nodded and they sat again.

"Regina, call it jealousy or don't. Fine. But I couldn't understand why on earth you reacted like you did today. I mean, what do you care who I kiss? What do you care who I sleep with? What do you care…"

"But I do care…" Regina's voice sounded so small compared to the force of nature she had been such a short time ago.

"But I didn't know you cared, Gina. Not about all that. What's going on? Talk to me." Emma reached out a tentative hand and took hold of Regina's slender fingers.

For a moment all Regina could do was stare at their intertwined hands. Finally she lifted her eyes and shook her head. "I don't know what to say. I just… Emma, I feel… I don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything." Before Regina could register what was happening, Emma leaned closer and pressed their lips together in a sweet kiss. Regina's first impulse was to move away but Emma's lips were so soft against hers. She could smell the faintest hint of red leather and vanilla. Instead of following her instinct, Regina returned the kiss. After a moment, the two women rested their foreheads together and with eyes closed just breathed each other in.

"I think I have something else to say," Regina began.

Emma leaned back and looked into chocolate brown eyes. "Ok. I'm listening."

This time it was Emma who was taken by surprise. Regina closed the gap between them and kissed the blonde with more passion than the first kiss. She wound lithe fingers through flaxen curls and, as Emma's hands found purchase around her waist, Regina deepened the kiss. There was nothing left to say between them. They just knew. This was what they wanted. This was what they had dreamed of. This was the moment they would look back to as the turning point. This was when they said I love you without saying a word.

~ (SQ) ~

"So, what? You just kissed and declared your love and fell into bed?" Ruby grinned a predatory smile across the booth at Emma.

"Well," Emma looked up as the bell over the door sounded the arrival of her love. The air between them was electrified as Regina made her way across the diner. Emma's face hurt from smiling and she never broke eye contact with the brunette as she finished her thought to Ruby. "Not right then…"