This story was inspired by Swan Queen Week so sincere thanks to them for all that they continually do for Swen. I didn't make any of the deadlines, and it seems that this tale has taken on a life of its own and may be a lot longer than I had originally intended. Emma and Regina mean so much to me and I enjoy celebrating them in fanfiction. I hope you all enjoy the ride that this new fic will be. It's meant to make you laugh, may get a little angsty (though not too much, we'll see) and to warm your heart!

There may be mentions of Robin & Hook but there is NO past present or future OQ or CS in this story. Absolutely NONE!

I do not own "Once Upon A Time" or any of its characters.

Chapter 1: Emma Swan, Celebrity!

Regina Mills inwardly cringed while standing in the middle of a group of screaming teenagers. On a sunny Saturday morning, it was not an ideal way to spend her time. However, it was the only way that she could get Paige Martin's autograph for her 14-year old son, Henry.

Paige was the star actress on the That's So Paige! show on television. It was a popular sitcom with the younger generation and her son's favorite. Henry had a crush on the young actress, Regina knew, even though he hadn't admitted it in so many words, and due to a very important championship baseball game that he was playing in, he was unable to make it down to the crowded mall to stand in line himself. He had desperately begged either his mom or his Aunt Zelena to go in his place. She and her sister had drawn straws to see who that might be. As fate would have it, Regina had pulled the short straw, deeming her the one to come.

Zelena had teased Regina relentlessly about being the loser, but Regina had stayed quiet with a secret smile because she had considered herself the lucky one. Henry's buffoon of a baseball coach, Robin Locksley, had already displayed a rather annoying interest in her since the beginning of the season. No matter how many times she had rebuffed his invitations to dinner, he still persisted and she was rankled by it. Of course, she tried to explain that he wasn't her type without revealing too much personal information about herself, but he was adamant that he was everyone's type. His gall had irritated her and it was on the tip of her tongue to just shout out her real reason, but she was damned if she would be forced to offer up details of her life that she wasn't ready to give, especially to those who proved untrustworthy.

So, every game she attended, she kept her eyes from rolling and swallowed sardonic jibes whenever his hand lingered a little too long on her shoulder or he proposed they meet later, with an overly flirtatious grin, and she did it for Henry's sake. She didn't want the arrogant creep to harbor any prejudice against her son. One would think the man could take a hint. Apparently, Coach Locksley was an idiot.

With an amused twist of her mouth and a twinkle in her eye she thought that today, the forest smelling lout was her sister's problem. If he chose to make any unwanted advances toward Zelena, she knew her sister would feel no such obligation in keeping silent and would tell the jerk where he could stick his drink invitation.

Stealing her from delicious thoughts of Zelena possibly kneeing Henry's coach in the groin, were three teen girls, maybe a year older than Henry, gossiping in front of her. Their words were swift, high-pitched and ringing. Though she had never been one to gossip, even in her own teenage years, she found herself listening to their conversation, whether she wanted to or not.

"Oh my God! So, like, you'll never guess what Travis told Becky." Tall girl with her ponytail sticking through a zebra-print hair-tie above her head grabbed her friend's shoulder for emphasis.

Her pig-tailed, red-headed friend goggled as if suspecting what might be coming. "What? Shut up, shut up! NO! Does this have to do with Kimmie?"

Zebra Scrunchie burst into a giggling fit and danced a little jig that had Regina looking around her to see if anyone else was watching. Their third friend was a shorter girl eating a Kit Kat.

"She did not," Kit Kat responded incredulous, "I don't believe it for a second."

"You heard?" Zebra Scrunchie asked.

"I think so. If we're talking about the same thing," Red Pigtails said.

"Wait, wait, wait," Kit Kat interrupted while holding up the ripped candy package in one hand, a chocolate covered wafer stick in the other, and squinted her eyes at Red Pigtails. "How do you know? You and Becky aren't even talking anymore!"

"No, but I talk to Travis."

"Which is why Becky never talks to you," quipped Zebra Scrunchie. "Seriously, why do you flirt with other girls' boyfriends?"

The question sounded more rhetorical to Regina's ears as she frowned at the pointy ends of her shoes against the beige and brown marble tile of the mall floor. She was still waiting to hear about what happened to Kimmie when she mentally slapped herself for her interest.

Red Pigtails shot back. "They flirt with me! I can't help it if they want me. Both Kimmie and I got it going on!"

One corner of Regina's mouth flexed in distaste. She was guessing what it was, and she suddenly felt sympathy for the girl's parents. She didn't want to be judgemental but adulthood came quickly enough. If it was one thing she wished she could tell the teenagers of the world, and what she always tried to tell Henry, is to enjoy being young now. Though ruefully, perhaps she shouldn't be the one to talk. Her parents used to joke about how Regina was thirteen going on thirty. It was true that she had always been very mature for her age. Where Zelena had been the wild, rebellious one, Regina had been more refined and reserved.

Kit Kat laughed and murmured with her mouth full of candy. "Kimmie's also got that big 'ol mole high on her cheek and those bright blue eyes. She says it drives the guys crazy! She's not even ashamed of it! And her lips! I heard that Kevin said that Marcus said that JT and Connor said that Kimmie's got the best…" She paused and pointed to her mouth in a substituting display. "…around, if you know what I mean," she conspiratorially whispered the last part, but Regina was appalled, her eyes bulging at the floor.

"That part was true. She'd admitted to me that she hooked up with both of 'em." That was from Red Pigtails and Zebra Scrunchie who seemed the leader of the group, gave her a light shove to gain her attention.

"Tara! JT also said that he hooked up with you at Jackie's party last weekend."

"We totally did."

Kit Kat girl froze and balked, crumpling the candy wrapper in her hand, "No you didn't! Did you? Oh my God, TARA!"

Regina took a deep breath and wearily sighed.

Got it. Kimmie, big cheek mole, blue eyes and Tara, red pigtails.

If Henry even so much as brought either one of them home to meet her, Regina wouldn't let the girlsinto her house! Better yet, maybe she should never let Henry out again.

She was absently shaking her head at the girls when she noticed it had quickly turned quiet. Raising her gaze, she saw three pairs of eyes staring at her and Regina realized that they knew she had been eavesdropping. Her eyes darted between each one. Composing herself and with her best mom eyes, she reprimanded, "You should be careful with how loudly you speak. We don't all want to hear about Kimmie, JT and Conan."

"Connor," corrected Kit Kat girl who received weird looks from her friends.

"Regardless." Regina relaxed her stature and then quizzically aimed at them with narrowed eyes, "You three wouldn't happen to know a Henry would you?"

All three girls looked at each other in confusion and shook their heads signaling a silent "no". Relieved, Regina breathed a little easier and replied, "Good," and then she gestured with a commanding finger, noticing the line was inching forward in front of them. "Move along."

Chastised, as if by their own mothers, they huddled close, whispering to one another—what about, Regina didn't care—and scooted forward, keeping blessedly quiet all the while.

The line was slow in moving, and her toes were smarting in her Ferragamo black leather pumps. She should have worn flat shoes and was berating herself for not having thought of it earlier. Style and presentation had always mattered to her, and Regina only wore tennis shoes when it was called for: exercising, playing tennis with Zelena or hiking with her son. Her mother had always instilled that sense of fashion propriety in her. Still leather flats probably would have been preferable.

Bending to the side, Regina witnessed a young girl of about fourteen, smiling at guests and chatting with them amiably before scribbling a black Sharpie pen over a picture. Beside her, strewn over the table top, were glossy promotional headshots, but Paige was also happy to sign anything that fans had presented her with. Regina gently squeezed the brightly colored teen magazine in her hands. There was a fold out poster in the center that Henry requested be signed.

As the teen laughed, the loose bun of light brown curls bounced atop her head, and in her earlobes, dangled red shiny apple earrings. Drawing closer, Regina could hear the young actress addressing her fans politely and with a welcoming smile. As first impressions went, Paige Martin was an eloquent young lady who represented herself well.

Finally reaching her destination and standing in front of the teen celebrity, Regina observed the girl's dark caramel eyes drawn to her in surprise and then elation. A cheeky grin blossomed, for who she thought was her next adoring fan in line.

"Wow! Hi!" The actress boomed ecstatically and Regina was taken aback by the sheer excitement and cheer. "This is so cool! Normally all the older fans are here to see my parents." Paige made air-quotation marks and glanced off to the table just across the way. There Regina discovered another table with two empty chairs. A passably handsome man, who Regina faintly recognized seeing on TV before, flirted with a couple of women her age, who swooned in his presence. She didn't know his name but thought she might have seen him in a commercial or two. It was possible she was mistaken. Handsome men were very common in Southern California, and they were honestly of no particular value to her beyond friendship.

He possessed the same sort of air and irksome attitude as Coach Locksley and though she could sense that he had an exaggerated, high opinion of himself. She watched as another woman walked up to him with a portlier body shape and he practically ignored her. What a prick!

The actor caught her gaze and Regina inwardly cringed, suspecting his next move before he even did it. He puffed out his chest, to display his physique to her, winked and then let his eyes lazily roam with obscene interest down Regina's body. She shot him a deadpan look, immediately rejecting him, hoping her unfriendly dismissal was quite clear, before directing her attention back to the real reason she was here.

"I'm here for my son. He'd like you to autograph this poster." She slipped the open magazine under Paige's pen.

"Sure… for your son. Got it," Paige giggled and Regina gave a withering look.

"It's true. He's playing in a championship baseball game and couldn't make it."

Sensing that she might have offended Regina, Paige blushed and the corners of her lips rose contritely. "Oh, okay… sorry. What's his name?"

"Henry."

"Neat name!"

Regina dubiously gave her a side long glance, wondering if the remark was a sincere one. She discerned that, even while a celebrity, the young girl seemed to be intelligent and grounded, probably due to dealing with matters other girls her age didn't have to.

Alerted again by the dark-haired woman's wariness, the teen star smiled warmly and genuinely assured her, "No, really. You'd be surprised at how many Austins, Jadens and Lucases I meet. Henry is…" Her eyes tilted upward and then met Regina's again with a striking honesty in them. "… refreshing."

With just that last word, Regina was won over and she gave the teen her first tender smile. "Thank you. I named him after my father."

"That's even cooler!"

After scribbling a note quickly across the polished surface of the folded poster, Paige added a little flare to her signature by drawing a heart under the tail of the "e". Her message read:

"To Henry,

I'm sorry that you couldn't make it. I would have loved to have seen you! But I hope you won the game! Good luck!

Hugs!

Paige"

"Thank you. I'm sure he'll appreciate that." Taking the magazine back, Regina was already planning to catch the next episode of the show with Henry. She had caught glimpses of it on TV while walking around the house, but never sat down to watch. In contrast to the three teenage girls that stood in line in front of her, Paige seemed so much more sophisticated.

"No problem. Please thank your son for being a fan for me."

"I will. Oh..." As if remembering, Regina rifled through her purse. "Would it be okay if I just took a quick photo?" The fans behind her groaned and Paige addressed them.

"Aww, come on! Her son couldn't make it." To Regina she giggled, "Sure, go ahead."

Pushing other items in her purse dangerously off to the side she pulled out her large smart phone and took a picture.

Sweetly, Paige suggested, "Quick! Make sure I didn't blink!"

"You didn't. Thanks."

"You're welcome, Ma'am. Bye!"

With an enlivened spirit, Regina walked away from the table. The young actress was a surprising pleasure to meet and she was sure Henry would be ecstatic to hear all about their exchange. She imagined his blush at seeing the photo that she had captured too and she'd undoubtedly score some Mom-of-the-Year points.

Head down, she was just about to slip her phone back in its place when she collided with a body, propelling her into someone else. The next thing she knew, Regina was doused with a sticky substance dripping down her front while the smell of chocolate and coffee pervaded everywhere.

With her arms stretching outward, bag swinging at her elbow, she noticed two things. She was still caught between two people and that the magazine front was covered in whipped cream. Luckily, the damage wasn't so bad and Henry's signed poster was securely tucked inside the center of it.

"Oh, my gosh. I am so sorry!"

Regina took notice of the voice and finally discovered her assailant with long, flowing, golden tresses cascading down over bared shoulders in curled, full-bodied tendrils. Her sleeveless dress was fitted and black, and a thin black patent leather belt circled around a slender waist. Though her lips were glossy they were also a more natural color than Regina's dark red tinted lips. Smokey eye make-up brought out the dazzling shine in sea green colored eyes, that arrested Regina of speech. The woman seemed to smile at her with those eyes.

"I really am sorry. I'll pay for the dry cleaning." Regina's eyelids fluttered strangely and she felt a little out of sorts for not having words readily available. There seemed to be a mental block between her mouth and her brain. The blonde, only slightly taller, surveyed her outfit and then zeroed in on the magazine. She gestured jokingly at it and tried for humor. "You don't look like a Tiger Beat kind of reader." She charmingly grinned and just as suddenly dawned a contrite look, understanding why Regina might have been there in the first place. "Oh crap! Is the magazine okay? Is it signed already?"

The hold on Regina's tongue was finally released. Feeling slightly embarrassed and a little clumsy, Regina straightened and beheld the woman scathingly. "Why don't you watch where you're going?"

Surprise flit across the blonde's face and absolute delight registered afterwards. She studied Regina slowly, seeming to record every aspect of her face, whether it was a parting of her lips or a blinking of her eyes. It both agitated and titillated Regina at the same time. How could that be?

"I beg your pardon?"

"Do you normally just barrel into others spilling coffee all over them?"

"It was a Mocha Frappuccino." The woman corrected coyly and Regina brushed at the liquid running down her blazer, her hand becoming messier with each stroke. "Lily," ordered the blonde kindly to her companion, "Will you please get Ms…"

It was apparent the woman was prompting for her name, and in a defiant mood, Regina almost didn't give it to her, but on some level, she knew she was being unreasonable. Accidents happened and there was no cause to be rude, even though this beautiful woman unsettled her. "Mills. Regina Mills."

Immediately, a happy expression spread across the blonde's features, enchanting Regina who tried fiercely to fight it. "I'm Emma." At the presented hand, Regina just stared at it first and then glimpsed at her own whip cream filled fingers. Right on time, Emma's companion with the long dark hair, Lily, returned with an accordion pile of bathroom, dispenser-type, paper towels. "Great, Lils. Thanks." Emma placed a few over Regina's soiled hand and pumped it in a hearty handshake before dumbly leaving them stuck to Regina's palm.

Confused by the intense and inexplicable reaction to Emma, Regina sighed down at the stain that was sure to set in her expensive jacket and glared at the woman who was responsible. Well as far as meetings went, this had to be one straight out of a television comedy, that was for sure.

[X]

Emma Swan glanced at the agitated woman and demanded a more subdued reaction from herself. She had no idea why she was so tickled to have met the alluring, yet very upset, Ms. Mills. She and her personal assistant, Lily, were ambling toward the autograph table when she collided with the sultry vision standing in front of her, who currently was aiming a death glare at her. Having been in the TV & Film Industry for fifteen years, Emma had worked with a plethora of beautiful actresses before. Many had been A-listers and considered the most beautiful women in the world, but never had her eye been so caught by, or had any of those actresses been as gorgeous as this woman with the flashing brown eyes.

It figured that with her luck, Emma would finally meet someone she was keenly interested in, which hadn't happened in a long while. Regina was eyeballing Emma as if she was a raving lunatic, and truth be told, Emma was really drawn to her apparent dislike of her. Being a celebrity, everyone wanted a piece of Emma Swan. Everyone treated Emma nicely and put her up on a pedestal. They all wanted to get close.

This goddess with the olive complexion, red lips, and dark curls that begged to be touched looked like she wanted to get as far away from Emma as she possible could. Damn it. That only intrigued her more.

Emma was so distracted in her thoughts that she didn't realize she had begun wiping Regina clean. Lily backed away in astonishment and stared at Emma as if she were a crazy person. When Emma brushed the paper towel again over Regina's front, grazing her chest, Emma got her hand swatted out of the way.

"It's not necessary to grope me, Miss Swan. I can do it myself, thank you."

Before she could stop herself, Emma blurted, much to Lily's divertissement, "Oh? Do you grope yourself often?"

Okay, maybe THAT was inappropriate. As for her cleaning, Emma had not meant to molest the woman. She had intended to fix the spill as quickly as possible to hopefully get into Regina's good graces. Perhaps, it was too late.

"What did you say?" Accompanying the prim tone, Regina's dark short curls jounced when she lifted her head and brandished incensed eyes at Emma. Holy cow! Ms. Mills was HOT when she was angry!

"You know, I think we got off on the wrong foot."

"You think?" Regina's comment was dripping with sarcasm.

"I said I was sorry, Ms. Mills. It seems the decent thing to do would be to forgive me."

Regina's astounded gasp was followed by a shrewd eye squint. She opened her mouth to say something more, feeling spurred on by Emma's cocky expression, when Paige shouted from the table behind her.

"Hey, Mom! Did you get yourself in trouble? What did you do to Henry's mom?"

"You're Paige's mother?" Regina did not give Emma a chance to answer before she threw over her shoulder, "She spilled coffee on me."

"A Mocha Frappuccino," Emma said quietly to the air but then louder to Regina, "And Paige is my daughter on television. Not my real daughter."

"Which is probably a good thing," Paige shouted and giggled loudly from the table and with a flourish of the pen, finished, "Otherwise, I might have inherited the clumsiness."

"I can still tv-ground you, young lady!" Emma returned her focus back to Regina and thought she saw a small smile on her face before it was replaced by an unreadable expression. Darn.

A heavy arm draped across her shoulders and the strong scent of expensive aftershave nearly triggered a roll of her eyes. Her co-star beamed fetchingly at both ladies and one could tell that his smile was used to getting all kinds of attention.

"Hi there. Is my wife causing any problems here?" Emma sighed and noticed Regina frown at him and then at her.

"TV wife," she clarified again more for Jefferson's benefit than for Regina's, though she had wanted that message to get across to the brunette. Her co-star was constantly flirting with her on set and had a habit of making their working relationship seem more to the public.

When Regina had eyed Jefferson's hand hanging possessively over Emma's shoulder, Emma picked it up by the pinky, hoping she had given it a good twist, and dropped it behind her. Emma wished that Jefferson would just go away but when he stayed and checked Regina out with a lascivious grin, she felt like elbowing him in the stomach. Instead made introductions. "This is my co-star, Jefferson Hattrick."

"Rhymes with Patrick." Jefferson claimed Regina's hand, thinking she was presenting it, when she was really wiping away some cream left on her front. "Enchanté," he flirted as he prolonged the kiss by suggestively stroking the underside of her palm.

Emma flinched at the steel in Regina's eyes while studying him. She extracted her had before her lips broke out in a syrupy sweet smile that seemed insincere. "Vous êtes absolument dégoûtant."

Lily snorted and Emma shot her a questioning look, knowing her friend and assistant spoke French. With a subtle shake of her head, Lily dismissed the comment and said to Regina, "Ms. Mills, as Ms. Swan said, we will be happy to take care of the dry cleaning. Why don't we step aside and swap contact details?"

"Absolutely," Emma brightened, maybe a little too excited at the prospect of getting Regina's phone number.

"No. You know what? It's fine. Thank you."

Emma was amazed. Normally someone would jump at the chance of being in contact with her, or her people. All Emma knew was the more they were in each other's company, the more she wanted to get to know the brunette. The thrill lasted just a few seconds as Regina shouldered her way through the group.

"Wait, Regina!" Emma would have followed but was cut off by a well-dressed man in an all-black suit who looked more like an undertaker than her manager.

"Emma, where do you think you're going? You and Jefferson should have been at that table two minutes ago."

"Oh, come on, Gold," Emma pleaded with her manager, looking over his shoulder and watching Regina disappear in a throng of people. A sinking feeling was born in the pit of her stomach. How was it possible to miss someone you had only just met? Slumping she twisted her mouth in defeat. "Most everyone is here to see Paige, anyway. She's the star!"

"You're all stars, dearie!"

"Don't call me that. You make me sound like I'm 90." A smile cracked and she quipped, "Or you're 90."

"I am timeless, Emma. Now, Jefferson, please escort Emma to the table. Smile! Eat it up! You're getting paid to put on those pearly whites for the fans."

Emma groaned through a toothy smile as Jefferson pulled her over to the table to sign more autographs.

[X]

Hours later, Emma was escorted to a black Suburban with tinted windows. She and Lilly got in and as usual there was a lot of room for just the two of them.

"Back to the hotel, Phillip," Lily instructed and the dark-haired chauffeur nodded and drove away from the curb.

"And on the way, can you pass through a McDonald's? I'm having a Mac Attack!" Emma laid her head back against the headrest and thought of Regina Mills. She was in trouble. The woman was truly unforgettable.

"Disregard that, Phillip. Hotel, please." Lily turned to Emma. "Are you crazy, Ems?"

"I want a Big Mac."

"That hot body of yours doesn't need the calories. Think of your arms, which were in Cosmo's Hottest Actress Attributes just last week."

"What, these arms?" Despite being in such a nice dress, Emma flexed her slightly bulging bicep like a biker. "Yeah, these babies are connected to these hands that want to be curled around a Big Mac right now."

"I'm only doing what you pay me to do." Lily glanced through her leather portfolio and began typing into her phone. "Your body will thank me tomorrow at the gym, when you are sweating like a beast on a weight bench. That Emma would kill me for letting her have Mickey D's. We'll save it for next weekend. Besides, I already let you cheat and have a pepperoni pizza last night and a Mocha Frappuccino today."

"That I barely drank by the way. Two sips does not a beverage make."

Out of the corner of her eye, Lily observed Emma sulking out her window. She knew Emma was disappointed about something else. "So… Regina Mills is a hottie and a half, huh?" She leaned over and watched Emma's eyes tip heavenward. "I mean her face is practically perfect. She's got these eyes that on paper are nothing special, plain brown eyes, but when you're looking right at 'em, it's like you could stare at them for hours."

"You need a burger to stuff in that gob of yours to shut you up." Twisting around, Emma glared at her. "You knew I liked her."

"I was amazed that I was the only one who did! Your pheromone levels were shooting through the roof!" Lily tutted and swiped over her phone. "I was afraid in another few minutes you were going to hump her leg like a horny Saint Bernard!"

"And what was with all the French?" Emma changed the subject wanting to know what Regina had told Jefferson, curious to know if it had anything to do with her. The woman's voice was already off-the-charts sexy! Regina speaking French was even more scorching hot!

Lily giggled as she typed into her phone in a frenzy. "She told Jeff he was disgusting. I don't think he got it. He likes people to think he speaks French."

Emma snorted and took out her own phone, entering Regina Mills in the search bar of Google. She didn't click the little magnifying glass to execute her search though. Maybe, it was better not knowing. She was pondering this, while in quiet frustration the back of her head hit the soft leather rest and she stared out the window again.

Not many in her professional world knew that Emma was a lesbian. Only Lily. There was speculation, but Emma had always been afraid to officially come out in fear that it would hurt her career. She admired actresses who did, and admittedly was a little jealous of the freedom they had gained, but it's not like anyone was breaking down their doors anymore to offer parts. Of course, there were the women she had been with since becoming an actress—one serious relationship (with another actress who was also in the closet), two flings and three one night stands-but Lily had taken care of those with confidentiality agreements and the threat of heavy financial repercussions should anything concrete come out of it. Emma had been surprised that with social media, being what it was today, she hadn't been caught yet. Just another reason why she chose to be safe and not physically be seen with anyone outside of friendship.

The paparazzi have often tried to link her romantically to many male friends and acquaintances that she hung out with. Her gay friend Killian, for instance. August, her physical trainer. Even her best friend Neal, who she had set up with her friend Tamara, a make-up artist in Hollywood. Tamara often laughed at the reports in the tabloids and teased both Emma and Neal about it, knowing they felt more like brother and sister.

Besides, it's not like her career gave her much time to pursue anything romantically with anyone anyway. She had her vibrator and her fingers. She was fine.

"Let me ask you this…" Lily locked her phone and turned her body toward Emma, leaning against her door. "If you knew where the appealing and fascinating Ms. Mills was, would you finally take a chance and go get the girl? Or will you cower back and be the scared little bitch that you are?"

"Ouch."

"Well?"

"I am not a scared little bitch. I'm… cautious."

"You're full of shit.

"It's a moot point anyway, don't you think? I don't know where she is. And you never got her address, phone number or anything. Why do I keep you around again?"

"Because I'm reliable, good at my job, cute and witty."

"Uh huh," Emma grinned and then it disappeared while she thought that she might have lost her chance at something special. Regret was weighing in her middle. "Christ, I blew it, Lily. I have more finesse than that."

"You do."

"What was it about that woman that turned me into a puddle of goo, unable to woo?"

"What's with the rhyming? Are you Dr. Seuss all of a sudden?" Lily thought of how Emma had behaved rather unlike herself. She had known Emma for a long time, even before she was famous, and her friend had never acted so oddly with a woman. "I have no idea what you were doing back there."

"I'm charming!"

"Yes, you are."

"I've got game!"

"Hell yes!"

"I'm an intelligent, sexy, capable woman!"

"Hey, I'd fuck you if you had a hard, flat chest and a penis."

Emma faltered with her mouth open as if she were to say something else. She raised an eyebrow at her friend and a corner of her mouth rose in a smirk. "You're stupid."

Lily snickered, "But I am resourceful. You are not going to get Regina's address on Google, I can tell you that much."

"How would you know?"

"Because I am smarter than you." Lily closed her portfolio and placed it in her large leather shoulder bag.

"Oh yeah? Then please magic genie, give me some good news. Tell me you know where I can find Regina."

Lily's response was the last thing Emma expected. "I am going to make you one happy lesbian. I know where you can find the mysterious and gorgeous Regina Mills."

Emma goggled and smacked Lily's arm though not hard enough to be painful. "Shut up! You do not!"

"I do too!"

"Bullshit." Emma waved Lily off. "How could you? You were with me all afternoon! You can't know where she is."

"108 Mifflin Street. That is where our Regina Mills lives."

"How do you possibly know that?" Lily reached into her bag and pulled out an expensive apple-red, leather woman's wallet with a sly smile. The tiny hairs on the back of Emma's neck stood on end. "Is that…?

"Ms. Mills' wallet? Yes, yes it is."

"Oh my God." Emma snatched the wallet and stared at it like it was the Holy Grail. Her fingers went to the snap and paused. Should she open it? Wouldn't that be an invasion of privacy? Gulping and curious, Emma caught her bottom lip between her teeth.

"There's $65 in cash, an ATM debit card, a Visa, a MasterCard and an American Express. No Discover card. Smart woman. Nobody takes Discover." Lily found Emma still staring at the wallet, her fingers ready to open it but she was holding back with a furrow etched in her forehead. To tempt her, Lily dipped her chin and offered enticingly. "She has three pictures in it. One is a school picture of her son; cute kid. Then there's a really adorable one of him a lot younger, and she's squatting down next to him. No husband though." Emma still seemed to be contemplating what the right thing to do would be. "There's another cute one of two little girls. One of them looks like her. I don't know who the redhead is though."

That did it and Emma practically tore the flap on the wallet and flopped it open. She immediately went to the photos and reviewed them. A smile grew with each turn of a tiny plastic page. She surveyed the last one of the two little girls and looked at Regina, arm and arm with a redhead. She looked to be about 7 years old and the other girl looked slightly older and was a little taller. They were both in white, tennis outfits holding rackets and standing on a sunny court. Regina looked like a very happy child and maybe she was also a happy adult, when she wasn't covered in icy coffee.

After studying that last photo, Emma went back and studied the others a few more times. She plucked Regina's Driver's License from its spot. Her mind automatically recorded Regina's personal details. Height, weight, birthdate, and address. Feeling suddenly guilty for knowing more about the woman than she should, Emma closed the wallet and thrust it back at Lily and feigned a disgusted look. "Thief."

Cracking up, Lily threw the wallet back at her. "I am not a thief. It's not like I picked her purse. She dropped it. I just held on to it to see how things progressed. I fully intended for you to return it to her unharmed. Her hero! Yay!"

"Me? She'll probably accuse me of stealing it from her bag."

"Two-time Emmy award winner, People's Choice Award winner and Golden Globe nominee, Emma Swan? A pick pocket? Outrageous! No one would believe it."

"I still should have won that Golden Globe."

"Yes, to add to all the other awards you have sitting on a shelf in your Laundry room. Why do you keep them in your laundry room again?"

"Because I'd look like an arrogant twerp with them anywhere else. Besides, they're kind of nice to look at while I'm measuring and adding detergent into the machine."

"You're nuts."

Emma was nuts, she thought to herself. Weighing the wallet in her hand though, she also counted herself lucky. Maybe it was time to take a chance.

[X]

"And then Draymond jumped up and caught the pop-fly, saving the game! It was amazing, Mom!"

Regina washed the last dish from dinner and handed it to an overexuberant Henry, who was regaling her with all this morning's baseball highlights. She smiled as she rinsed the sink of any access soap along the sides.

Henry had arrived home in a victorious mood. His team had won and advanced. Her sister had stayed for coffee but then had a date tonight so she started home early.

That had been fine with Regina because she and Henry could have a quiet Saturday dinner in of homemade enchiladas with a green salad and refreshing Pico de Gallo dressing.

"According to Aunt Z, you were fantastic!"

"I was! Two homers and a triple!"

"So she said. I wish I could have been there."

"Yeah, me too. Though I still wish I had been where you were. You got to meet Paige Martin!" Henry hung the towel on the oven door handle and leaned against the kitchen island. "And thanks for txting me that photo. The guys on the team were so jealous."

"You're welcome. She was a very impressive young lady." Drying her wet hands on the towel, Regina thought about the incident that happened afterward. "I didn't tell you this, but I met Emma Swan too."

"You did? Really? Cool! She plays Paige's mom, Jennifer. I think she's awesome for an older actress. She also played the hero in that sci-fi fantasy show, Dream Catcher."

"Huh," Regina paused in thought. "I don't remember seeing her in anything."

"What?" Astonished, Henry pulled her to the couch and they plopped down on it after he grabbed the iPad. "She was also the badass…" a censuring look from Regina called forth a correction in language, "I mean, the magnificent hero in Resident Savior! I guess there's just something about her that screams hero."

Or klutz. Regina snickered at that thought but in all fairness, after some thought this afternoon, she conceded internally that she had really been the one at fault for not watching where she was going. She only accused the other woman of it because she had been so embarrassingly taken with the blonde. Emma had just been so… unexpected and charming… and there was Regina feeling ambushed, wet and sticky.

"Here, check this out. This is Emma in Resident Savior. Check out that punch!"

Henry gave a sidelong glance as Regina watched. "You know, it's rumored that she's gay too."

With wide eyes, Regina snapped her attention to him and was greeted by a knowing grin. "Did you pick up on any of that when you met her? Was your gaydar bells ringing or whatever the do?"

"I…" Regina turned and watched Emma on the 9.7-inch screen traipsing around a forest in a tank top and jeans with a sword on her back. There are those arms again. Regina had imagined what they might feel like wrapped around her earlier. "It's not like I see a glowing rainbow flag above the head of every lesbian in a room, Henry."

"That sucks. I bet it'd make dating easier. You know, you need to go out more, Mom."

"Have you and Zelena been talking about my love life again?"

"Aunt Z only worries about you. I do too. Coach asked about you again. Aunt Zelena told him to bugger off. I'm kind of relieved."

Chuckling, Regina gathered him close and placed a kiss at his crown. "I'm glad. I find Coach Locksley repulsive."

"Yeah, as a coach he's okay, but he checks out the moms way too much. Speaking of Coach, he mentioned that I'm the only player who hasn't given him that $20 yet."

"Oh yes! That's right."

Stretching across the arm rest, Regina retrieved her purse and hunted for her wallet. When it was nowhere to be found, she dug through every fold and pocket in a panic.

"What's wrong, Mom?"

"My wallet is missing." Regina stared at the lacquer coffee table pensively. "Maybe I dropped it in the car, I'll run out and check."

As soon as she rose from the couch, the doorbell rang and Regina and Henry shared a quizzical look. "Perfect timing."

"Maybe Aunt Z forgot something."

"Hmmm," was all Regina murmured. It wouldn't be unusual for Zelena to make unexpected calls during any time of day, and if her date was a flop, she'd surely come over to share the miserable details.

Grabbing the door handle now, she was sure it was Zelena and said, opening it. "Don't tell me your date was a gruesome slime-ball with bad breath."

Regina found herself staring into the brown eyes of Paige Martin.

"Hi Henry's mom. Being fourteen, I don't think I'm really allowed to date, but ew, gross!"

"Hello!" Trying to blink the surprise away, Regina's eyes remained round. "What are you doing here?"

"She's here with me."

Emma Swan sidled up behind the teen, looking very different in jeans, a teal colored cotton blouse and a brown leather motorcycle jacket.

"I am here to make up for spilling coffee on you."

"A Mocha Frappuccino," Regina said weakly. The corners of her mouth turned up and her eyes locked with Emma's. The longer they stared at one another with the teen's eyes darting from one woman to the other, the more one could see that there was something going on between them.

"Wow!" Paige marveled, grabbing them from their thoughts. "Emma, I knew it. I had a suspicion about you." When Emma glanced at Paige and just raised an eyebrow, the young girl said, "It's totally cool with me. You're still awesome sauce." She looked at Regina who was gazing at them, confounded. "But for the record, I don't think you needed me. You got this in the bag."

Before Emma could reply, a young male voice rang out, "No…way…"

Behind Regina, Henry stood there with his eyes and mouth agape, staring at Paige in shock.

"You must be Henry." The young teen beamed at him and sidestepped Regina into the house. She stuck out her hand which he shook while in a daze.

"Henry. I… Henry."

The crease in her brow deepened along with the smile on her face as Regina just watched her son interact with Paige, continuing just to shake the actress' hand and repeat his name. Girls and dating. It begins!

"Don't worry. She gets that a lot," Emma nearly whispered from the door.

Regina eyed Emma's form and when her scrutiny returned to the woman's face, Emma gave a bright grin, complete with enchanting dimples. "Ta-da!" There was a pause and Emma looked a little awkward, "Can, I… um… come in?"

"Oh! Of course. Please, come in."

"Thanks."

Stepping across the threshold, Regina caught a whiff of Emma Swan and decided that she liked the woman's unfamiliar scent. It was rather pleasing.

Emma's eyes traveled, inspecting the area around her. "You have a lovely home, Regina. May I call you Regina?"

There was still an attraction that existed between them, though the air was slightly different than before. Regina was more open to Emma. "You may, if I get to call you Emma."

"Please." Those dimples winked in delight and Regina felt a happy vibration roll through her body.

"So, how's the jacket? I truly hope I didn't ruin anything."

"I'm afraid it's a goner, and you didn't… ruin anything, Emma. I owe you an apology. After some consideration, it was my fault. I'm sorry I acted the way I did."

Regina waited for forgiveness while being entertained by the cheerful light that passed over the blonde's beautiful face. Emma was wearing less eye makeup than before but was no less beautiful. The reply Regina had gotten was the last thing she expected.

"Have coffee with me tomorrow?"

Regina blinked questioningly and turned to witness Henry and Paige sitting on the couch in front of the iPad, talking as if they hadn't just met and were best friends instead. Now she was being asked out on, what? A date? By a television star? It was all a bit surreal to Regina.

"Um…"

"I would really like the chance to make it up to you." Before Regina could insist that it wasn't necessary, Emma pushed on, "I mean, you drink coffee, right? It would be you… and me… drinking coffee… together."

So, it's not a date.

Regina's eye lids fluttered under a weighty brow as she measured Emma's words and the expression that crossed the blonde's face, like maybe she had been rethinking her offer.

"Ok." It was a quick reply, one that Regina hadn't realized was on the tip of her tongue. This was all happening so fast, wasn't it?

"Really?"

At the apparent joy radiating off the blonde, Regina couldn't help but feel relief and she reflected that in her upturned grin.

"Yes."

"Alright. I'll pick you up. 10:30? We could maybe add breakfast too?"

Chuckling and thrilled at the actress' excitement to see her again, Regina reminded herself that it wasn't a date and to not be so ecstatic. "Alright. It's a…" Regina halted. What should she call it? Zelena had always been better at this than she was. It wasn't a date and calling it so would be misleading, right? Even though she felt slightly disappointed that it wasn't… a date.

You just MET the woman! Geez, slow down. She knew next to nothing about Emma.

Emma's head was screaming date but she could see the caution clouding over Regina's brown eyes, just below their sparkle. "… a… breakfast outing?"

Regina quickly took internal stock of her feelings. She sensed her interest and desire to see how this played out. She waited to feel hesitation but there was none. No alarm bells. Zelena would kill her if her sister found out that Emma Swan had asked her out for coffee and she didn't accept. "Yes."

[X]

About half an hour later, Emma practically leapt joyously after Paige onto the backseat of the Lincoln Town Car that had been waiting for them curbside. Her teen co-star was studying her with a knowing grin.

"Well, I guess that worked out for everyone, huh Emma?" When Emma's lips spread wider and her cheeks glowed Paige giggled and shook her head. "Oh my God! Could you be any more obvious, Mom? You're got stars in your eyes!" When Paige reached out to point at Emma's eyes, Emma good-humoredly batted her away.

"Leave my stars alone."

"Well, I can't say I blame you. Regina's really pretty! I hope I find someone who looks at me the way Regina looks at you when I'm middle-aged."

"I'm not middle aged!" There was a pause. "So, you think she likes me?"

"Does Princess Leia like Han Solo?"

Squinting, Emma retorted, "That's a tricky one. In which movie are we talking here? A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, or Return of the Jedi?"

"Does it matter?"

"Uh, yeah! Leia didn't like him very much in the first movie."

"Fine! Remember the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back when they were fleeing the Rebel Base and Han was going to leave to see Jabba the Hut instead of stay with the Rebellion? You could tell Leia didn't want him to go. Regina looks at you kind of like that when you're not looking."

Blinking in thought while absently stroking the fine leather of the door handle, Emma tilted her head pensively and shrugged appeased. "I can work with that."

"Henry was nice." There was an authentic smile on her face and Emma noticed that Paige was being herself. Not the actress, but the real 14 year old Paige Martin, who was actually a little shy. She had gotten to know the girl well, and knew when she was being Paige the Super Star. "He was really sweet, you know… once he stopped stuttering."

In a suspicious manner, eyes narrowing and one half of her face squinching, Emma questioned with reproach in her tone, "What's happening here?"

"What?" Paige shrugged and looked out the window but not before Emma caught her cheeks pinking. Seemingly caught, the young girl said, "Okay, we got each other's numbers."

"Paige, no."

"What do you mean, no?"

"Your parents are gonna kill me. I didn't take you with me for you to… to…"

"Hook up?"

"NO! No." Emma sighed into her hands. "How do you even know what that means? And he's a stranger."

"First of all, I'm 14, not 6! And I'm mature for my age," Paige added with an upturned chin that only made Emma roll her eyes. Teenagers. They think they know everything. "Second, his mom's a stranger, but you got her number."

"Yeah, but I'm…" Emma began and when her eyes met the dubious hazel ones of a rebellious teenager, she flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder and straightened, "… slightly older than you."

A guttural snort was her reply and her young companion lifted a shoulder and defended her new friend. "I know that it seems totally bananas, but there was something… honorable about Henry."

Reflecting on Regina's son, Emma also found Henry to be a rather engaging and delightful young man. He had also asked her if she could sign his magazine poster.

"Yeah… okay. Henry's cool. But I'd still rather you not tell your parents about coming home with some strange boy's phone number. I'm supposed to be setting a good example." Or some shit like that. Emma chuckled inwardly. Truth be told, off-screen, she felt more like Paige's fun aunt, rather than a mother figure. "Hey, and let's keep the other stuff we learned tonight under wraps too."

Paige feigned confusion and then her mouth widened in an exaggerated gape. "Oh! You mean about you being a vagi-tarian."

"Jesus, you sound like Lily."

"I heard it from Lily."

"You need to find friends your own age and stop hanging around with Lily and the crew on set."

"Well, Henry's my age! See? Everybody wins. I get a new friend my age. He gets Paige Martin's phone number. You get a date with his hot mom. Regina gets her wallet back. Everyone's happy."

The short exhale of breath and a gasp was followed by Emma's eyes bugging out and her back shooting off the seat back. "Oh shit!"

Paige stared at Emma with quizzically parted lips and erupted into uncontrolled giggles. "Em-MAAA! You forgot to give your crush her wallet back?!"

"Shhhhh!" Emma held a hand out while her lips slowly curved upward and when all the teenager did was laugh harder, Emma attacked the girl's ribcage with tickles before addressing the driver, "Sam? We need to head back to 108 Mifflin Street."