AN: Hi Everyone! I'm new to the SQ fandom and decided participating in this was the best way to start. I'm new to writing (well, writing non school related things) but I also have trouble following the rules so this is a semi-loose interpretation of the first theme (couches are kinda like beds, right?). This is also my first time writing since graduation 7+ months ago so I'm a little rusty.

This takes place a few months into season 1 (the curse hasn't been broken, Emma is Sheriff, etc).

Emma tossed the pen down on the desk and exhaled loudly – who knew being Sheriff in a small town meant doing so much paperwork every week? She glanced at the clock on the wall and groaned when she saw it was nearly 4:30. "So much for getting off early," She grumbled, tossing another piece of paper on the growing pile next to her. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone to send a quick text to Ruby, letting her know she wouldn't be at Granny's until closer to 5. Before she could send the text, she saw Sidney Glass walk into the room. Fighting the urge to roll her eyes, she forced a grin and put the cap on her pen, "Sidney, what can I do for you this late on a Friday afternoon?"

"Just came by with a message from the Mayor – she told me to tell you she needs your budget reports by 5:00 sharp today." When he saw Emma was about to protest, he lifted both hands and shot her an apologetic look, "Meant to drop by earlier today to let you know but I got distracted with my newest article. Did you know –"

Emma cut him off before he could start talking about whatever bit of random gossip he had come across. "You can tell Madam Mayor," She tried to keep her tone even but failed, "I'll have the reports for her Monday."

Sidney's grin fell and he nervously stuck his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "She was rather insistent that she get them today, Sheriff."

"Do you see this pile I'm already working on?!" She didn't care that she sounded like a child whining to their mother. "It's Friday afternoon, Sidney! I'm not about to drive all the way to Town Hall to drop off some spreadsheets and have her critique every damn thing on there!" She could almost see the anxiety in Sidney rising as he opened and closed his mouth several times. "Look, tell her they're done and will be on her desk first thing Monday morning. Hell, I'll even drop them off at her house tomorrow morning when I stop by to pick up the kid."

"I don't think…"

"Just call her and tell her that." Emma interrupted him before he could finish his thought. "Remember those parking tickets I said I'd overlook?" Sidney made a face, "Yeah, those. Either pay 'em now and let her royal highness know she'll have the reports tomorrow or Monday but not this afternoon." Emma stood and grabbed her red jacket from the back of her chair. She watched as Sidney chewed on his bottom lip for a moment before pulling his phone out and holding it to his ear. She grinned and and bent down to turn her computer off. Just as she reached to turn the lamp off, she heard Sidney start talking.

"Hello, Madam Mayor." A pause. "It's Sidney." Another pause. "Why are you whispering?" Emma frowned and looked up. "I'm not yelling, I just asked why you were whispering." Emma took a breath and told herself not to get involved – there was a bottle of whiskey with her name on it waiting for her at Granny's. After the week she'd had, she could use one. Or four. "Right, I'll let her know…" When Emma grabbed her phone from the desk and tucked it in her back pocket, she looked up and paused at the look on Sidney's face.

"Everything ok?" She asked, hoping Sidney wouldn't say anything.

"I…" He was looking down at his phone with a frown on his face. "I'm not sure. She sounded… odd."

Emma snorted, "Hey, I'll take odd over bitchy any day." She fought to stop herself from laughing at her own joke and felt her smile fading when she saw the concerned look on Sidney's face. "Look, she's probably just tired. Henry was sick at the beginning of the week so I'm sure she's just exhausted and looking forward to going home and…" She racked her brain, trying to figure out what exactly it was the Mayor did in her free time. "And… tending to her apple tree or whatever."

Sidney gave her a look of disbelief but slowly nodded, "I'm sure you're right." He tucked his phone into his jacket pocket and patted it twice. "I have an appointment I can't miss so I guess I better be going." Emma pushed her chair in and smiled politely at him. "I'm sure she's fine or tired, like you said," Sidney said, echoing Emma's words, but not looking convinced. "I'll check on her after my interview is done. Make sure she's alright, you know?"

Emma began walking towards him but stopped when she realized he wasn't moving anywhere. "Sounds like a great plan, Sidney."

"She doesn't really have anyone to check on her, you know."

Emma briefly closed her eyes and turned around to flick the light switch off, "I'm sure she's fine but she'd appreciate your gesture," She said, hoping it'd encourage him to move.

"It'll be at least two hours until I can go by there though. So I hope nothing's too wrong…" He trailed off, making Emma close her eyes again.

Don't get involved. Don't get involved. Don't get involved.Emma repeated to herself but when she opened her eyes and saw the look of genuine concern on Sidney's face, she sighed loudly. "Would it make you feel better if I stopped by there on my way to Granny's to check on her."

Sidney's face lit up, "Would you?"

Emma forced a smile, not caring how fake it looked. "Sure thing." She was the mother of her son, after all. If something was up with Regina, that meant she wouldn't be able to care for Henry 100% (even though Regina's 75% was most people's 100%, not that she'd ever admit that to anyone out loud). "I'll text you and let you know what's up, ok?"

Sidney grinned and clapped her on the back. "That's why I voted for you!"

Emma made a face, "You ran for Sheriff and didn't vote for yourself?" But Sidney was already quickly making his way towards the door.

"Have a great weekend, Sheriff! Keep me posted!"

Emma tugged her beanie on and threw her head back, staring at the ceiling for a few minutes. After cursing her guilt complex for several seconds, she pulled her phone out and dialed Ruby's number. "Hey, Ruby. Look, I'm gonna be a few minutes late… I have to go… drop off some stuff at Town Hall," She lied, hoping her pauses did raise any questions. "Yeah, I know." She pulled the glass door shut and locked it. "I'm not canceling! I'm just gonna be a little late! I'll text you when I'm on my way." She flicked the overhead lights off and pushed the main doors open, "Ruby, it's not like the liquor and gossip are going anywhere between now and 5:30. The sooner you let me go, the sooner I can drop this stuff off and be at Granny's." She rolled her eyes and unlocked the bug, "Right, right. I'll see you in a bit."

5 minutes later, she parked and stared up at town hall. "What the hell have you gotten yourself into, Swan?" She wondered out loud, turning the car off and spinning the keys around her finger. As soon as she walked up the steps and reached the floor with the Mayor's office, she paused and considered turning around. How would Sidney know if she did or didn't check on Regina? She could easily haul ass out of the building and head straight to Granny's. Besides, she didn't owe Regina anything. Still, she knew she'd feel guilty for the rest of the night if something was really wrong with Regina and she'd just left without checking on her. Emma shook her head and took a deep breath. "Just check on her and leave. That's all you have to do. Just go in and leave. You'll be out in five minutes." She bounced on the balls of her feet and walked determinedly towards the Mayor's office. She frowned when she saw the receptionist wasn't there but knocked loudly on the glass window. When no one responded, she knocked even harder and didn't wait before swinging the door open. "Regina? You still here?"

"Stop yelling," She heard a low voice whisper loudly from the opposite corner of the office. Frowning, Emma turned and saw Regina sitting in one of the armchairs near the fireplace.

"Why do you have all the lights turned off?" She asked, flicking the overhead light switch on. Regina covered her eyes and groaned. Even from the door, Emma could see the Mayor's usual olive complexion was almost grey and the hand covering her eyes was shaking slightly. "You ok?"

"Peachy."

Emma turned the lights back off and quietly shut the door. "Headache?" She started walking towards the Mayor when the other woman held her free hand up.

"Could you stomp a little more quietly?"

Emma huffed and stopped walking. "I'm not stomping." Despite the poorly executed insult, Emma made a conscious effort to stop her boots from clicking loudly against the stone floor. "Headache or migraine?"

"Does it matter?"

"You tell me."

Emma watched one of Regina's perfectly manicured eyebrows lift slowly and braced herself for the sarcastic response that was surely coming her way. "Migraine," Came the quiet response and the soft tone almost made Emma freeze – she'd never heard the other woman sound like that, even when she'd been talking to Henry. "I'm not really in the mood for company so you can just reschedule whatever meeting we were supposed to have with my secretary."

Emma frowned and crouched down next to the chair the dark haired woman was sitting in. "Regina, it's almost 5 – you're secretary's long gone." When she saw the confused look on the other woman's face, she frowned, "How long have you been sitting here?"

"It's 5:00?"

"4:52, but close enough." When Regina didn't shoot her an annoyed look at her sarcastic response, Emma knew she had to be in pain. "Have you taken anything?"

"Why are you still yelling?"

"Sorry," Emma apologized in a loud whisper before repeating her question, "Have you taken anything?"

"I tried taking some medicine earlier this afternoon… it didn't exactly stay down." Regina frowned, as if admitting that was as hard as running a marathon.

Emma smiled sympathetically and placed her hand on Regina's thigh. "How about some water? That usually helps when I have a migraine." She stood up and looked to see if there was a cup or coffee mug anywhere in the room. "Well, unless you're gonna puke. Then it wouldn't help too much." She walked towards the desk and started opening the drawers. "Are you gonna puke again?"

"I don't puke," Regina replied but didn't move to uncover her eyes.

"Pretty sure everyone does at some point." Emma continued rummaging through the desk drawers and stopped when she felt a picture frame. She smiled at the picture of a young Henry and Regina smiling at what looked like Henry's 5th or 6th birthday. "Besides, you just said you did a few minutes ago."

"Adults don't use that word."

Emma put the frame back in the drawer and rolled her eyes, "You really want me to look up synonyms for puking, your highness?" Regina's hand covering her eyes fell and she looked at Emma with poorly concealed panic.

"What did you just call me?"

"Whoa, chill. It's just a joke 'cause of Henry's whole book thing, ya know?" Emma held up her hands and made a face. "Guess you really aren't in a joking mood yet."

Regina took a breath and rubbed her temples. "Sorry… I guess I'm not."

Emma's eyes widened at the apology and slowly made her way back over to the chair. "Want a neck massage?"

"Excuse me?"

Emma bit her tongue to stop herself from laughing – that was the tone she was used to getting. "A neck massage," She repeated, "It helps with some of my migraines. If you can get rid of some of the tension, maybe you can sleep it off." The incredulous look on Regina's face would have been more humorous if the woman hadn't looked like she was in so much pain. Emma stood up and began moving her hands, "Here, stand up and let me sit behind you."

"What?"

"Are you gonna make me repeat everything I say? Because we're gonna be here all night and I kinda have plans so let me know if I need to cancel them." Regina didn't say anything but continued looking at her through half opened eyes. "Look, you look like you're about half a second from passing out or crying so why don't you just let me try and help you?"

Regina swallowed and stared up at the blonde woman, hating that she hadn't been able to hide her pain from her. "This isn't going to work," She warned.

"It can't hurt." Regina continued to stare at her and when she didn't move, Emma sighed. "We can either do this on this chair or on the couch. Your pick." Regina still didn't move. "Or I can leave and you can sit here in pain."

Regina signed loudly and scooted forward in the chair. "How exactly is this going to work?"

"You'll sit down, I'll sit behind you and give you a head and neck massage."

"You'll sit where?"

"Behind you, I just said that." Regina still didn't move. "Regina, come on."

There was another long pause and Emma was almost ready to just leave and head to the diner. But just as she turned around, Regina's quiet voice interrupted the silent room. "The couch." Emma spun on her heel, unable to hide the surprise on her face. "Could we sit on the couch, please?"

"Sure thing." She watched as Regina slowly stood up and gingerly made her way to the long couch less than five feet away. The dark haired woman sat down and swung her legs so that they were resting on the other half of the couch. Regina covered her eyes and seemed to be digging her palms into her eyes. Emma quickly stepped over and sat down on the end of the couch. "Just relax," She whispered, gently placing her hands on the brunette's tense shoulders and applied slight pressure. After several moments, Emma paused leaned forward to look at the older woman. "You'll need to relax a little bit for this to work, you know." Regina's posture remained just as tense as it was before. Emma sighed and grabbed one of the pillows and placed it in her lap. "Let's try something different then. Lay back."

"Excuse me?"

"Lay back." Emma patted the pillow and crossed her ankles. She smiled to herself when Regina slowly laid down on the couch and placed her head in Emma's lap. "Now just relax," She whispered and she gently rubbed the brunette's temples. After nearly fifteen minutes, Emma felt some of the tension leave Regina's body as she relaxed. "How long have you been getting these?"

"Since I was a child. They've been worse recently - stress tends to aggravate them."

"Is that the nice way of telling me I'm a pain in your ass?"

"You said it, not me." Emma smiled at the playful banter – which was a nice change from their usual interactions. "Henry's been… well, I guess you know he's been unhappy with me."

"He's a kid, Regina. Most kids are little terrors when they're pre-teens. Just wait until he's actually a teenager."

There was a long pause and Emma wondered if she'd gone too far when Regina didn't laugh or smirk at her comment. Before she could apologize, Regina interrupted the silence. "He hates me."

There was something about the raw honesty behind the older woman's words that made Emma stop what she was doing and look down. Regina didn't open her eyes or seem like she was going to continue speaking.

"He doesn't hate you." Emma cringed at herself as soon as the words came out of her mouth. She continued gently massaging Regina's scalp and temples and hoped the woman wouldn't comment on her awkward response. Real smooth, Swan,she thought to herself.

Regina snorted and Emma's eyebrows lifted at the uncharacteristic sound. "Clearly you haven't heard how many times he's told me that in the last four months." Emma winced – she'd come to Storybrooke nearly four months ago to the day. "Or how many times he's told me I'm not his real mother."

"You are his real mother," Emma mumbled, trying to force her guilt down. "He's a confused kid, Regina. He's dealing with all this adoption crap and taking it out on the wrong person. If anything, he should be mad at me."

"Well consider yourself lucky because that certainly isn't what's happening." A pause. "You couldn't be more perfect in his eyes."

There was a long pause after that, during which Emma stopped massaging Regina's temples and began running her hand through her soft hair instead. "When I gave him up, all I wanted was for him to go to a good family. Someone who would care about him and could give him the life I never could. I wanted someone who'd go too overboard on birthdays and holidays and who would hang drawings up on the fridge no matter how bad they were." She paused and tried to figure out where she was going with all of this. "In a few years, he's gonna realize what an ass he's been." She could feel Regina start to protest at her choice of words, "Ok, ok, maybe I shouldn't call him an ass but he's being a brat right now. And if it frustrates me to see him talk to you the way he does, I can only imagine what it feels like to be in your shoes." Regina still didn't act like she was going to interrupt the blonde anytime soon so she kept going, "Someday he's gonna realize that you gave him his best shot, Regina. And then he'll see that I'm far from perfect and…" She trailed off, unsure how to continue. "I'll probably screw everything up..." She added as an afterthought, her tone softer and quieter than it had been before, and looked down at the woman lying in her lap. After several long, quiet moments, she broke the silence with a joke, "Besides, after all this, the sex talk will seem like nothing."

Regina laughed quietly but didn't speak for several minutes. Several minutes passed in silence before Regina spoke, "You don't screw everything up."

"Is that a compliment?" No response. "Well I'm gonna take that as a compliment." She began massaging the brunette's scalp again and stared at the unlit fireplace. "Do you realize this is the longest we've been in a room without ripping each other's heads off?"

"Must you be so dramatic all the time?" Regina whispered, sounding half asleep.

"What would you call our daily interactions?"

"We have… disagreements."

"Regina, you've had my car towed eight times in four months. I'm pretty sure you've done something to make sure Granny's doesn't serve bear claws anymore. We can't talk to each other without going straight for the jugular…." She said, mentally going down a checklist in her head. "Besides, you seem to go out of your way to invade my personal space on a daily basis. I mean, not that I mind that because it gives me a chance to look at your –" Emma abruptly cut herself off when she realized what she was saying.

Shit.Rambling had never been a good thing with closed her eyes and threw her head back, letting it rest on the back of the couch and hoping her pulse would slow down soon. When Regina didn't make a comment, Emma slowly leaned forward and saw that the other woman seemed to have fallen asleep – the lines around her eyes looked like they were finally fading and her jaw was no longer clenched in pain.

"Oh thank god," She whispered out loud. She continued running one of her hands through Regina's hair and used her free hand to pull her phone out of her jacket pocket. She saw that it was almost 6:45 and she had several missed calls from Ruby. Mentally crossing her fingers, she pulled Ruby's number up and hit dial.

"Hey, Ruby. It's Emma. Look, I'm not gonna make it to the diner tonight. Something… something came up." She leaned forward to look at Regina's relaxed face. "Yeah, I know I'm whispering but I'll explain everything later, ok?" After she hung up, she put her phone on silent and leaned back into the couch cushions. She couldn't stop herself from grinning when she realized how she was spending her Friday night.

"Not exactly how I pictured our first time sleeping together," She whispered out loud. "Maybe next time there can be a bed and not a couch that's hard as a brick…" She shifted and stared at the footstool five feet away. As she extended her leg to try and reach it, she felt Regina shift and mumble something. Emma made a face and slowly drew her leg back towards the couch. "Okay, okay, no moving. Got it." She grabbed her phone that was resting on the arm of the couch. "You're lucky I have some good games on this thing." She used one hand to unlock her phone while the other continued to play with the soft dark hair spread out on the pillow in her lap. After a while, she turned her phone on silent, placed it on the table next to her and closed her eyes as she rested her head against the back of the couch. At least you won't wake up with a hangover tomorrowwas her last thought to herself before she drifted off to sleep.

2 days later, Emma was sitting at the counter in Granny's diner talking to Ruby. "I didn't say we get along but we just... didn't bite each other's heads off for once. And she was actually kinda... nice?" She looked up and frowned at the look on Ruby's face. "What?"

"Regina Mills was nice to you? The same woman who towed your car and "accidentally" bumped into your table the other day and made your coffee spill in your lap?"

Emma rolled her eyes, "All I'm saying it maybe it's a truce or something."

"Well it looks like we're about to test that theory," Ruby murmured and nodded her head towards the door.

Emma turned and saw Regina walking into the room, her usual frown on her face. She smiled as the woman approached the counter. "Morning, Regina!"

Regina made a face. "Can I help you, Miss Swan?"

Emma's mouth fell open and closed several times before she responded and she watched Ruby try to hide a smirk. "Uh... nope. Just saying good morning?"

"Is that a question or a statement?"

"Can it be both?"

Regina rolled her eyes and looked at Ruby, "I'll take a coffee to go, please."

"Coming right up!" Ruby hurried to the opposite end of the counter and tried to covertly watch the two women interact with one another. Both continued looking everywhere but at each other and Regina began drumming her fingers on the countertop. "One coffee to go!"

Regina cleared her throat and shot a sideways look at Emma, "Right, thank you, Miss Lucas." She grabbed the cup and nodded at Emma, "Sheriff." For a second it looked like she was going to add something else but instead, she quickly walked out of the diner and as soon as the door closed, Emma groaned loudly and covered her face with her hands.

"Don't even start, Ruby."

Ruby held up her hands, "Oh no, that was the besttruce I've ever seen. Seriously, better than ones that've ended wars."

"Ruby..."

"Y'all are basically best friends now, right?" When she saw the look Emma was giving her, she threw her head back and laughed, "Want another cup of coffee?"

"Make it a large, I have to go meet with the Mayor in an hour."

"Well now that y'all are bffs -"

"Ruby!"