A/N: Another SwanQueen fanfic from me. :) This is going to be an alternate universe one. I'd say it'd be a little sitcom like, but honestly, if you have better suggestions as to fill in a genre or anything, let me know. ^^ Alright, well have fun reading and let me know what you think!
Oh yeah, and the characters aren't mine. Though, some of them I slightly altered to fit in this fanfic. ^^
Chapter I
Regina Mills shut the door of her sister's apartment behind her as she put the keys back in her purse. It was the monthly dinner evening at her sister and her best friend's apartment and as usual she'd been invited, along with her mother. After Regina had greeted everyone, Walsh started a conversation.
"Couldn't Robin come?" Walsh asked Regina a little bit too interested in matters not concerning himself. He had a thing for prying information about people's lives out of them, especially Regina.
"He's been arrested again." Regina muttered slightly annoyed. This had been the zillionth time he had been arrested in the few months they were dating, and she was anything but amused about it.
"For what?" Walsh smirked. "Did he steal from the rich again?"
"He shot a kangaroo." She sighed in response. She didn't even understand why she kept seeing the man, but there was something that kept pulling her towards him. "With a bow."
Walsh chuckled at that, obviously amused by Regina's boyfriend. Sometimes Regina thought he was a little too amused by her boyfriend. "How did he find a kangaroo in Maine?" He piped up, still chuckling.
"The zoo." Regina replied curtly as she walked to the cupboard to get a stack of plates, intending to set the table. "Apparently their surveillance lacks the certain quality to actually guard." She added, earning a giggle from Walsh, who was taking care of the cutlery.
"I don't understand why you're still with that man." Cora walked into dining room, blending into their conversation. "He is just some thug you met in the bar."
"Mother!" Regina exclaimed indignantly. "That's hardly any of your business."
"It may not be my business, dear, but I certainly do not approve of him." Cora dismissed her daughter's objection to the matter. "But since you stopped caring about my approval long time ago, I won't attack your boyfriend, if it makes you happy."
"End of conversation." Regina stated, trying to lighten up her own mood. Her family could enrage her at times, she wondered why she kept coming to the monthly dinner 'parties'. They always tried to interfere with the way she lived her life. Maybe that was the reason why Regina dated Robin; to rebel against her mother, to push her buttons like her mother pushed hers.
An awkward silence had replaced their conversation, when they heard the sound of porcelain breaking, followed by a series of curse words by Zelena. Regina walked to the kitchen to see what happened and saw the remnants of a baking dish. "I dropped it." Zelena stated the obvious, looking slightly stressed out by the extra work she had given herself. "That was the only one I had."
Walsh joined them in the door opening, taking in the damage, in order to get a sweeper and clean up the mess. "I think our neighbor has an extra one." Walsh offered as suggestion, which made Zelena ease up a bit. "Regina, can you ask our neighbor if he has a spare one we can borrow?
"The one that lives down the hall?" Regina clarified.
"Yes, the very handsome man next door." Walsh replied, a smug grin plastering his face.
"Walsh has a crush on him." Zelena added with a reasonable amount of sass. "He does seem like the type for him though. He wears more eyeliner than the average woman does." She grinned, earning a death glare from her roommate.
"Need I remind you that it was only hours ago that you were flirting with the man in the hallway?" He bit back, though smiling widely. "Giggling like a schoolgirl."
Zelena opened her mouth to riposte, but Regina cut her off. "Well, I leave the married couple alone, in order to get us that casserole." Regina's lips curled into a smirk herself, glad the spotlight had found another target to shine its light on. "If I leave it up to you, dinner won't be ready before midnight."
And with that, she marched out of the kitchen, out of the apartment, headed to the apartment of the 'handsome neighbor'. She knocked firmly on the door, waiting for someone to answer the door. A few seconds later the door opened, and a rather pleasant figure appeared, but it was certainly not an eyeliner wearing man; no, it was a woman in a white tank top and dark wash jeans, fitting her toned legs perfectly.
Her right hand was still on the doorknob and the other rested on her left hip, her head tilted cockily to the left. Her blonde locks were resting on her shoulders and Regina couldn't help but lingering way too long on every limb she got her eyes on; her eyes roaming every inch of the body of probably one of the most attractive people she'd ever seen.
"Can I help you?" The blonde asked nicely, though with a hint of amusement in her voice, snapping the brunette out of her thoughts by those four simple words. It was only then when Regina realized that her breath had quickened; her mouth standing slightly agape. She closed her mouth and averted her gaze from the woman.
"Yes, actually." She surprised herself as to how clearly she spoke, the words rolling from her tongue like they always did. "My sister dropped our only casserole, so I'd want to ask you if you possessed one, and if so, can we borrow it?" Regina rattled, her eyes catching the blonde's.
"I'm sure we can find one. Killian Is in the shower, but I can look for myself." She smiled at Regina, and damn did she love that. She opened the door further to let Regina in, walking in the direction of the kitchen. "I'm almost sure I saw one earlier.." She walked to one of the cupboards and opened it, doing the same with half the furniture of the kitchen, and eventually bending over to look in the lower ones.
Regina's eyes traveled to the to her still unknown woman's ass, making her knees grow weak. This woman was her undoing; she was almost sure. This woman was her undoing, and she didn't even know her name.. Yet. She was determined to discover it, though not really knowing as to how she was going to find out.
"Found one!" The blonde's voice sounded from out of the cupboard, a little muffled but still audible. She scrambled up; Regina already reaching for the porcelain object, but the blonde held it tightly clutched in her hand, not planning on letting go of it immediately. Her green eyes found Regina's brown ones and she tilted her head slightly. "You were staring at my ass, weren't you?"
Regina didn't know what she expected the woman to say, but to say she was stunned by this certainly not predictable remark was an understatement. Her jaw had dropped and she could tell by the smirk on the blonde's face that she looked as guilty as a little schoolboy being caught stealing from the cookie jar. "What?" Was her first response, almost immediately adding a more Regina-certified answer. "I hardly think it is my responsibility to justify where my eyes are occupied, Miss..?"
"Swan, Emma Swan." She answered, her lips still curled into a grin, clearly amused by the whole situation. Regina was less amused, although she couldn't help but smiling to herself. She had just gotten the name out of this mysterious woman. An awkward silence filled the room as Emma kept her eyes trained on the brunette in front of her, still not letting go of the casserole.
Regina considered the situation, thinking of the 'handsome neighbor' who was currently standing in the shower – Killian was his name? The whole ordeal screamed 'boyfriend', and Regina wondered if she wanted to get in this kind of trouble. She couldn't afford any drama any longer. Growing up with Cora Mills as her mother, and Zelena Mills as her sister was enough drama for the rest of her life.
Besides, she was in a relationship herself, though she wouldn't like to call it that way. They were dating, but Regina didn't feel anything for the man, and the moment Emma opened the door to her apartment; to this awkward encounter, she knew she would never rightfully love Robin. He was not the one.
She didn't doubt if this woman was the one: they didn't know each other in any way. Hell, since barely seconds ago, she didn't even know her name.. They only had one thing in that moment: attraction. Though it was the kind of attraction she craved for in her 'relationship' with Robin. She had never known if she had it in her, if she was even capable of feeling that way. But now when she found out she had.. No, she wouldn't love Robin the way she was supposed to love the man she was eventually going to marry.
And this stranger made her realize it. She would never get to know this woman, but she knew she'd be a pivotal mark in her history. The stranger that confirmed her thesis; there was more and the fact that she could feel that way for a person she had barely exchanged a couple of dozen words with and not for the man she'd been dating for several months, told her enough.
"Listen, Miss Swan.." Regina started, her voice much steadier than minutes before. "I'm afraid that I have to leave. Do you lend me the dish or not?" She hadn't meant to make it sound so harsh, but she suddenly wanted to get out of the apartment, away from this woman. There was something about her that made her feel uncomfortable; that gave her an unfamiliar feeling.
"Of course." Emma said simply, letting go of the casserole, but not before she'd stared into brown eyes once more. Just a few seconds, but it didn't take more to make the brunette swoon again. She was addicted by those piercing eyes, and she couldn't fathom why.
"I'm sorry. I just.." Regina started, but she didn't have a clue as to how she wanted to finish that sentence; what she really wanted to say. She didn't even know if she really wanted to say something.
"It's okay. Just go and finish your meal." Emma said, her voice soft and genuine. She extended her hand to shake Regina's; who was eager to take it, while meeting Emma's eyes again. One last glance would be enough. Just so she would remember. And with that in mind she kept staring a little too long; holding Emma's hand a little too long to be just a friendly handshake, but she didn't mind. She wouldn't see this woman anymore..
A few minutes later she walked back into her sister's apartment, Walsh already waiting as if he had been standing there ever since she left. His arms were folded in front of his chest and his face was molded into a grin that was so extremely Walsh-patented that Regina smiled in spite of the interrogation she was about to receive.
"And?" He asked keenly, a little too eager to know about the whole encounter. "You're flushed. I knew he'd woo you. That's what took you so long, isn't it?" His grin grew wider and wider as Regina's face turned redder and redder.
"How I spend my time is entirely my own concern." Regina remarked, starting to walk towards the kitchen, not able to hide a small smile. Apparently Walsh drew his conclusions out of that behavior because he hissed something Regina only could hear half of it, but sounded a lot like 'naughty bitch' to Regina. She quickly turned around to face man; the sides of his lips still facing up. "Do I sense some jealousy?" She said as her face turned into a smirk.
"Oh Oz, no! He's totally not batting for my team, so I gave him up months ago." Walsh chuckled, waving his hand in a dismissive manner. "His eyeliner habits make a signal, but he doesn't have 'the gay vibe', you know."
As the words sunk in, Regina couldn't help but realize the mysterious Emma Swan had been the 'handsome neighbor's' – was his name Killian? – girlfriend, so her chances with the woman had just lowered to the bottom of the deepest ocean. Not that she was going to try anything on the blonde, but the fact that she just had no chance whatsoever was even more mood depriving.
Walsh walked to Regina, stepping into her personal space and leaned in slightly. "Your sis has a crush on him, though." He whispered. "Don't tell her I said that. I'm not supposed to kiss and tell." He grinned.
"Remind me never to tell you any secrets." Regina replied, a careful smile playing around her lips. "And I sincerely apologize for my sister, because I'm positively certain that the neighbor has a girlfriend."
"Oh lovely, I do sense some gay here." Walsh exclaimed, bringing his voice down immediately at seeing Regina's fairly impressive death glare. "Is she hot?"
"You have no idea." She sighed, giving in to his interrogation, averting her gaze to the floor.
"Woman, you have a big fat lesbian crush!" Walsh almost squealed, clapping his hands together like a child who's finally handed that ever so long desired ice cone. "If this was a musical, I would sing an epic song with terrific buildup and some great advice as to how you're gonna get the girl."
"Walsh, sometimes you behave so gay-like.." Regina started, internally grinning at the enthusiastic man, but not even enthusiastic in the slightest herself. Emma had a boyfriend. That meant two things: one – she wasn't gay and two – she was already taken. "I do not even have words to describe your behavior."
"It's okay if you just call me gay." He chuckled, gesturing at Regina to walk into the kitchen, to help out Zelena with the rest of the dinner.