If the constant trips up and down the five floor walk-up didn't kill Regina, she was sure the late August sun would do her in. She couldn't have picked a worse time to pack up and move her entire life. If she'd had a choice, surely a nice brisk October morning would have been selected as moving day. But as it was, the weekend was almost over, Labor Day was fast approaching, and Regina was set to begin a new job Tuesday morning.
She could deal with the oppressive mid-afternoon sun (which, by the way, she was positive was dead-set on baking her alive). She could even deal with the careless way the hired movers simply dropped her boxes to the pristine hardwood. But what she absolutely could no longer tolerate – the one thing that threatened to snap the very thin string on which her sanity was hanging – was the openly disrespectful way said moving men glared at her. It was creepy. It was irritating and creepy and made her upper lip curl in disgust and seriously, did they actually think they'd be worthy enough to even be in her consideration?
I mean, sure she was flouncing about in her shortest cut-offs. It was hot! And yeah, she'd left open the first four buttons of the clingy, see-through button down. Her boobs needed to breathe! And okay, so maybe sitting on the stoop spraying herself with a mist fan could be considered suggestive. Or maybe she was simply attempting to cool her scorched skin. Either way, the blatant ogling was unappreciated.
And besides, the all out "song and dance" show was not for their benefit anyway. Oh, no. You see, just across the hall lived Miss 5A. Easy enough to write off at first, Miss 5A had unexpectedly tickled the brunette's fancy. Yes, Regina Mills was tickled indeed.
With the reservoir to her pocket-sized mist fan running dangerously low on water, Regina began to wonder if Miss 5A was even home. Mere seconds away from giving up, she heard that new, yet familiar, voice fill the halls of the apartment stairwell as the blonde woman greeted some of the moving men. So she re-positioned herself on the steps: one knee bent up, the other leg extended down the steps, leaned back on one sculpted arm, and using her free hand to direct the pocket fan to the hottest spots on her body.
The sound of Miss 5A's footsteps neared and sensing the woman's presence at the top of the stoop, Regina tilted her head up slightly and flipped her hair.
"Not the best day for moving, huh?" Miss 5A announced her presence. She stepped down one step and leaned on the railing.
"I swear, I thought about carjacking the ice cream truck driver just to seek refuge near his refrigeration unit."
"No A.C. in your apartment?"
"There was a slight problem with the utility company and I won't have the power turned on until tomorrow."
'She hasn't even glanced at my boobs once; I'm practically offering them up on a platter!' Regina thought. She was honestly starting to get a little nervous. She'd watched Miss 5A quite a bit in the last two days. Regina's gaydar was flawless. There was no way this one was not gay. Just, no way.
"Sucks," the blonde offered, for lack of a better condolence. "Maybe later when I get back, you could come over to my place and suck up some free air conditioning. Also, I make really great tacos – you'll want to be there for that."
"Sure, that sounds lovely."
Miss 5A begins simply nods and begins to walk down the stoop. She stops at the bottom and address Regina. "Um, I didn't get your name…"
"It's Regina. Mills."
A bright smile, "I'm Emma Swan."
"Miss Swan?"
"Just Emma, please."
"Just Emma, I'll see you later."
The blonde jogs halfway up the block to her yellow Volkswagen and gets in. Once she closes the door, she looks back in the rearview mirror and eyes the gorgeous brunette, now standing on the sidewalk, talking casually to one of her movers.
'Don't be a creeper. Don't be a creeper…' Emma chastises herself for staring. 'She's probably completely straight. Look at the show she's been putting on for these dudes!'
Caught up in her inner monologue, she doesn't notice that Regina's been watching her glare at the other woman through the rear window of the car. She snaps out of the fog and through the mirror, her eyes catch Regina's and Emma immediately looks away. She starts the engine and takes off down the street, tires screeching like nobody's business.
The past few weeks had been sheer heaven for Regina Mills. Regina had enjoyed the frequent time spent with her across-the-hall neighbor; they'd become fast friends. For Regina, they'd become more. She had gotten to a point in her life she was skeptical in her belief of true love and soul mates, yet somehow she found herself quickly and deeply falling for Miss 5A.
Emma. She was falling quickly and deeply for Emma. It was soon, she could admit that to herself. But she also had to admit to herself that what she felt was actually love, not just some intense obsession or even just a mere crush. She knew crushes. While at first, one could confuse a crush with love, eventually the two emotions displayed vast differences. What Regina was feeling for Emma, however, was definitely the beginning stages of love. The problem was that she knew those feelings were not reciprocated.
On more than one occasion, Regina had witnessed a random male (or multiple males) entering 5A late at night and leaving early in the morning. She was always up early for work and could hear the door across from her open and close and the subsequent heavy footsteps traipsing down the stairs.
It disappointed her – on several levels. She had come to several possible conclusions: one being that, for all intents and purposes, Emma Swan was a closeted lesbian goofing off with all these men to try to prove her "straightness." And let's be honest, there was no way Regina's gaydar was that off. Emma was definitely somewhere on the spectrum of gay. So really, who did she think she was fooling?
The second possible explanation for the heavy traffic through her apartment all night was that the woman was running some sort of prostitution service. Although this was definitely not better than the first position, it provided a slightly more hopeful outlook. Regina wasn't sure how she felt about the possibility of Emma giving herself away like that; but at least if she were, she supposed it was better to be getting paid for it. I mean, to sleep with that many men on a weekly basis and not get paid was just stupid. But, to be paid for a service meant that it was just business, and to Regina's benefit, it fostered the hope that her feelings for Emma could be returned someday. But still, it hurt her heart. It hurt so much that she'd taken to avoiding her neighbor whenever possible in futile attempt to allow her emotions time to dissipate. It wouldn't do any good to torture her poor heart, after all, spending countless hours in the blonde's company as she had become accustomed to.
So in true Mills fashion, the brunette busied herself with work, social gatherings, and just keeping busy around her apartment – anything to avoid the chance of running into a certain adorable blonde. She was determined that all she needed to do was bide her time and wait for those cursed, love-sick feelings to go away.
Boy, had it been a long week for Emma. She'd grown to rely on her new neighbor for sustenance and relaxation. She'd worked such crazy hours that Regina never really knew when she'd be home or not, so the brunette would frequently leave samples of her latest culinary masterpiece in a Tupperware outside of her apartment. It had become a routine that Emma would get home at whatever ungodly late or early hour and she'd devour the food Regina made her. She'd wait for an hour that was appropriate for normal people and take the cleaned dish over to her neighbor's. Once invited in, they would chat about the day they had or the day to come (depending on whether it was morning or evening).
To be truthful, Emma had come to really look forward to their time together. She thought that if she could ever settle down and find a love of her life, that woman would be very Regina-like. She would come from working a normal job and her love would prepare a tasty, yet highly nutritious meal. Not that she expected to be waited on hand and foot, but she did love a girl who knew her way around the kitchen. And sure, Emma would be glad to return the favor some days, but her girlfriend would have to be satisfied with spaghetti and cut up hot dogs – that was her specialty. They would sit and eat together and talk about random topics, then at the end of the night they could curl up together and just be glad to be.
The more she and the spicy brunette hung out together, the more she began to envisage that beautiful face in all her fantasies (the innocent ones and the not-so-innocent ones). But this week in particular had been torture for her because she knew Regina was avoiding her, but she could not figure out why. She didn't know of maybe she said something to offend the other woman; or if maybe she'd come on too strong and made the woman nervous.
So here and now, Emma walks the five floors to her apartment, chastising herself with every step. 'She's straight and you knew she was! Never fall for the straight ones!' Each step seemingly higher up than the last, Emma finally makes it to the fifth floor and catches Regina just stepping out of her place. She runs the last few steps.
"Regina, hey!"
"Miss Swan… how are you?"
"I'm Miss Swan now?"
"Emma -"
"Look, I know you're avoiding me. I just don't really know why. Did I do something?"
The other woman is flustered and appears as though she's about to make an excuse. "I've just been busy. New career, new city – I'm just settling in is all."
Emma can sense the half-truth but decides against calling her on it. "Look, I really enjoyed hanging out with you. I thought maybe we were becoming friends. Do you think maybe we could get together for drinks this week? My place?"
Regina starts to hesitate, but Emma continues.
"I make a really good rum punch…"
"I don't do rum."
"Not a problem. I also make a really good frozen margarita."
Despite the voice in her head screaming, 'Don't do this to yourself!' Regina can't deny her desires. She also can't deny Emma's patented "hopeful puppy smile." She agrees to drinks at Emma's tomorrow night.
It's tomorrow night. 'Dammit!' Regina thought to herself. 'How did I get sucked right back in?' She was honestly doing well with the whole getting over Emma thing. But seeing her yesterday, spending time tonight, the two of them instantly connecting the way they do, it just makes her see how great they could be together. If only Emma saw it that way. I mean, if she wanted anything to do with Regina, she'd make a move right? Emma's not the type to be intimidated by something like that, so if she wanted her, she'd let her know right?
But the thing is sometimes Regina can't really tell if Emma's making a move or not. Like that time they stayed out all night – when the blonde walked her to her door (though it wasn't much of a walk, seeing as how they live across the hall from each other) her hug lingered a bit longer. But it had become their custom to greet each other and bid each other farewell with a hug or a kiss on the cheek. Maybe it was just that, only they'd had a lot to drink, so maybe the lingering hug was simply Emma trying to catch her bearing before releasing the other woman.
Then there was the fact that Emma always seemed to want to be close. When they were out in a crowded place, she would lean close to Regina, place a hand on her arm and whisper in her ear. It did seem blatantly flirty, but maybe Emma was just a touchy feely person? Then sometimes, like tonight, Emma was normal. No leaning in close, no soft touches to Regina's limbs – just nothing. So yeah, it was hard to tell.
The brunette had a difficult hiding her less-than-enthusiastic mood. She was trying, and when asked if she was okay she just shrugged it off as being tired from work. The best part about this night was the drinks. Emma really did make a great frozen margarita.
"Ah, so you have started to notice high traffic…" Emma responds when Regina finally broaches the subject. 'This must be why she's mad at me – all the guys back and forth…'
"Yes, I have. Don't you ever get tired?"
"Well, the guys can get a little rowdy at times; I really try to keep things quiet with them. Is the noise bothering you?"
She didn't quite know how to respond to Emma nonchalant attitude toward the situation. "No, there's not really an issue with the noise… it's just -"
"What?"
"So many?"
"Yeah, I know," the blonde chuckles. "I thought the same thing myself when I first met them. But you know, the guys are really cool when you get to know them. And I promise you, they're harmless."
"I've noticed that Captain Guyliner seems to be a frequent flyer," she sips at her drink.
Emma laughs heartily at this. "You mean Killian. Yeah, he does kind of overdo it with the eyeliner. It's his thing. I can't do much about that. And believe me, I've tried. But no, Killian and I live together," Emma reveals casually as she goes to pour herself another margarita.
A flurry of emotions played across Regina's face. Her heart sank at the confirmation that Emma was, in fact, spoken for. But what was worse was the fact apart from the man she was living with, she had entertained at least seven different men at various times. Who was Emma, really? Regina was starting to realize that she'd gotten her all wrong from the get go.
It was bad enough thinking that the object of her affection may have been a hooker. But now, realizing that she's just a lying cheater, Regina had lost a bit of respect for Emma, and that broke her heart.
Several days (and two quarts of ice cream) later, Regina is preparing for work. It's early – she's usually not ready for work this early but since she'd decided to take the next day off, she figured she'd go in early to get some work done.
She opens her door, but immediately cowers behind it, leaving it open just a crack. A familiar man is backing out of Emma and Killian's apartment. As she's left the door open a bit, she takes note that it's the tall blonde guy – the one with the smile. She'd taken to calling him Prince Charming. She can faintly hear him whisper in a seductive tone that he'd be back tonight. She can hear what sounds like lips smacking against each other, but his stocky frame blocks her view. He finally backs away as the door closes behind him and heads down the stairwell.
And this is quite odd; she was sure Emma had told her that she'd be away for a couple of days and she wasn't expected back until the next day. Maybe her plans had changed and she didn't go at all?
After Regina got back from taking out the trash, she gathered her things and headed out. Walking down the stairs, Regina checked her phone. She'd received a text from Emma just a few minutes ago.
Emma:
Worst week ever! Can't wait to get back home. Dinner 2moro night to kick off the wknd?
'Is she trying to fool me into thinking she's not home?' Regina questioned to herself.
Regina:
Sure. My place? I'll cook?
Emma:
Yay! Missed ur cooking. C U then. I'll call when home.
Okay, either her information was off or Emma was trying to pull one over. Either way, the brunette was determined to get to the bottom of it.
Later that evening, Regina came home with several grocery bags full of ingredients she needed to prepare Emma's favorite meal: homemade tacos. The plan was to kill her with kindness until she confessed to not really being away on "business" like she'd told Regina.
She pulled her phone from her coat pocket and dialed the blonde's number.
"Emma?"
'Hey, Regina!'
"I just wanted to make sure we're still good for dinner tomorrow. I picked up some things for our meal. Do you think 7 o'clock would be good?"
'That would be perfect. Oh, my God, I can't wait. You have no idea how much my day sucked, Gina.'
"Well, tell me all about it tomorrow, dear. In the meantime, safe travels!" she hung up with a scowl on her face thinking to herself that that idiot better not be lying or so help her…
Just like so many other nights, Regina heard a pair of clunking boots traipsing up the stairs. She ran to her front door to take advantage of the view from the peep hole. This would be a perfect opportunity to catch Emma in the act of lying to her about not being home.
It's Prince Charming again. This time carrying a single red rose behind his back.
'Oh, God, this one thinks he's special…'
When he knocks on the door, it's not Emma who answers. It's Killian.
'This should be good…'
Prince Charming's hand comes up to rest on Guyliner's cheek as the darker haired man wraps his arm around the blonde's waist. 'What the hell?!'
They smile adoringly at each other and Charming brings the red rose from behind his back to reveal it to Killian. He takes the gift and offers a wide smile. They kiss.
Regina gasps so hard she almost chokes. "He's cheating on her! And he's gay!" she screams quietly to no one but herself. 'So, Emma's not the dirty, lying cheater, he is!'
She paces around her kitchen for a while thinking what to do. Emma should know. Emma should definitely know. That too-much-makeup-wearing…pirate did not deserve to breathe the same air as her Emma. Oh, hell no.
The next morning, Regina woke up early enough to wait for Prince Charming to leave 5A (as was the normal routine). When she heard the sound of the door opening, she opened her door and leaned against the frame, arms crossed over her chest and an admonishing eyebrow raised.
They kiss goodbye and exchange promises to see one another soon. Regina locks eyes with Killian. She gives him her best death glare, as if that alone should have him confessing his sins and begging forgiveness.
He smiles a tight, uncomfortable smile then waves at her before backing into the apartment and closing the door.
"Pirate…" she seethes.
The blonde man, not quite down the stairs yet, turns to face her upon hearing her silent insult. She turns her hear menacingly toward him and he decides the situation is best left alone.
Flashing 'Prince Charming' her best fake smile, Regina backs away into her home, slamming the door shut. She's going to prepare Emma the best taco dinner she's ever had. She deserves it.
In the kitchen that evening, Regina was preparing to bring out dessert – fresh baked churros. Emma had practically been purring as she ate dinner and she was sure the blonde would completely self-implode over her churros. But still Regina couldn't relieve her nervous tension. Not yet, anyway.
She felt she should tell Emma what she'd witnessed but was terrified to hurt the blonde. She was so adorable and puppy-like tonight – Regina loved it when Emma was puppy-like. She almost didn't want to break the news at all. But then when she thought about Killian sucking face with that – that frat boy, she decided to just rip the band-aid off.
"So… how long have you and Killian lived together?" she sets the dessert plates in front of their table settings.
"About a year now. I love him; he's the best. We really have a lot of fun. When we first met, I thought, 'No way.' But then, we just got each other. You know?"
"And do you trust him?"
"Oh, yeah. He's my best friend!" Emma says excitedly as she takes the first bite of her chocolate drizzled churro. Her moan is practically sexual.
It was quite heartbreaking to watch the way she lit up when she spoke of him, especially knowing the kind of sleeze bag he really was. But suddenly, the dam broke.
"Emma, you don't deserve him! You are kind and gorgeous and you have so much to offer. You don't need to put up with someone like him! Why? Why would you denigrate yourself so?"
Thoroughly confused, Emma attempts to speak.
"No, Emma. Don't you argue with me. You deserve more than that. There's – there's something I should tell you, but I don't know how you'll react…"
'What, that you're a crazy person?' Emma thinks. "What is it?"
"Killian. I saw him. With someone. A male someone…"
Regina looks down at her plate, not wanting to see Emma's face when her heart breaks.
"Was he a tall blonde?"
"Yes…"
"You mean David."
"Wait, you know?" the brunette is shocked. "And you're okay with that?"
"Of course, I know! Wait are you trying to tell me you don't like Killian because he's gay?!"
"What? No! It's because he's a gay man pretending to be straight and he's cheating on you! God, Emma, you could do so much better! You could do me!"
They both stare in silent awkwardness at what she just said.
"I mean – I didn't mean -" a flustered Regina spits out.
Emma just laughs. It's kind of funny. No, it's really funny. It's funny until she realizes her laughter has offended Regina and the woman is giving her the serious evil eye.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh at you. But you've gotten everything all mixed up."
"What?"
"I'm not dating Killian. We live together – as roommates. He's my best friend."
"Best friend…" the embarrassment shows on her cheeks in a deep red color.
"And he's gay. David is his boyfriend."
"Oh, my God," Regina thinks back to it all and it makes sense now. "I thought he was cheating on you!"
Emma takes her hands and smiles reassuringly, "It was really sweet of you to give me that little pep talk though. And the tacos – was that to soften the blow of your bad news?"
"Yes," she chuckles. "I figured since I had to tell you such terrible news, that I'd make you the best taco dinner ever."
They share a laugh, then a thought dawns on Regina. "Wait, what about all the guys?"
"What about them?"
"Are they all Killian's boyfriends too?"
"Oh, no, he just has a lot of friends. They're always over. They practically live with us." Emma registers a thought. "What did you think was going on with all those guys?"
"Honestly, at first I thought you were running some sort of prostitution business. But then when you said you lived with Killian, I just thought you were a lying cheater." She looks ashamed of herself for thinking these things now. "That's why I was avoiding you for a while. I didn't really know what to think of you. I'm sorry."
"Um," Emma utters, "not sure how to feel about that either. But I guess I can see how you'd get that idea. But for future reference, if you ever see a guy going into the apartment, it's most likely not for me. Not quite my type." She winks at Regina, who regards her with shock.
"So you are gay? I knew my gaydar couldn't have been that off!"
"Of course I'm gay! Wait, are you gay?"
"Yes!" Regina screams, just a bit over-dramatically mind you. "Duh, Emma, I've been trying to get your attention since the day I moved in but you never took the bait. I was starting to wonder if -"
Her rant is broken when a pair of soft pink lips claims her for their own. The lips taste of warm churro and chocolate. A hint of wine, too. Emma's kiss is possessive and breathtaking. When Regina opens her mouth to allow access, the blonde sucks at her tongue so fiercely, she's barely able to kiss back. Suddenly Emma releases her tongue and dips her own so deeply into the brunette's mouth, it almost feels as if she could touch her soul. At that very moment, there's a palpable sensation of someone reaching a hand into her chest and pulling out her heart. Regina breaks the kiss with a gasp. She looks down to check that her chest is, in fact, still intact. Looking up into green eyes, she feels cherished, wanted, treasured and safe. And if Emma did ever make a move to place her hand inside her chest and take her heart, Regina decided that she'd let her have it.
She resumed their kiss, at first trying to gain some control over the blonde. She had no such luck, relentless as those pink lips were. So, she relented. Emma could have this kiss and Emma could have her heart.
Six months later, Regina still had dreams of that first kiss. She woke this morning with a smile, even though she was awakened by the insistent knock on her door at 8 AM.
She goes to answer the door in her oversized hockey jersey, not caring about how inappropriate it may be. There's no one on this floor but her girlfriend and a couple of gay guys. She opens the door yawning, her hair a mess and the tiniest bit of drool on her lip – tiny.
"Hey new roomie!" Emma is in the hallway between the two apartments organizing some of her boxes. Prince Charming and Guyliner help with the "big move."
"I thought you said you would come over after 11…"
"I wanted to get an early start. That way, I can have more time later to settle in."
The blonde takes one of the boxes into the apartment and settles it on the floor. Her sculpted biceps draw Regina's attention and she grins salaciously at the woman.
"Come here," the brunette drawls.
Emma wastes no time wrapping her arms around Regina's waist. She lifts the smaller woman up. Instinctively, Regina wraps her legs around her girlfriend and Emma pushes the apartment door closed with her foot. Anchoring the brunette against the door, she capture juicy lips in her own.
"Good morning, Miss 5B."
"Good morning, Other Miss 5B," Regina grins.
And when the guys out in the hallway hear the distinct sound of banging against the door, they don't bother to ask questions – they just know…