Although the next day was busy, it wasn't nearly as interesting as the day before, and Emma hoped her other classes and her trip to her gym would keep her mind off of a certain brunette. She soon discovered, however, the futility of her attempts when her assistant barged into her office after seemingly knocking for the past minute.

"Boss! Are you okay?" he stumbled in, looking frantically at his boss and trying to decipher why she wasn't answering her door.

"Yeah, Neal. I'm fine. What's up?" Emma shook her head, trying to disperse the all-consuming thought of her Neuroscience professor.

"It's just that I was knocking for a while and you weren't answering, so I got worried."

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I was just thinking." She grinned at his concern. "Did you need anything?"

"Uh, you have a training session with Mrs. Smith. You know I'd take her for you but she asked for you specifically," he said apologetically, then smiled. "Guess she knows you're the best."

"Well," Emma smirked. "I do own this gym."

Neal chuckled, and shook his head at his boss's blatant boasting. "That you do, boss. That you do."

Two hours later, Emma made her way back to her office to collect her things and finally head home. Her gym was going to close in an hour or so and she trusted Neal to take care of that. Turning around after locking her office, though, she found Neal waiting for her with an expression alerting her that she wasn't going home early after all.

She sighed. "What is it, Neal?"

"I'm sorry, boss. But there's a woman here who's considering signing up for a membership and she insists she speak to you first."

"It's alright. Is she downstairs?"

"Yup," he nodded. "She's waiting in the lounge."

"Awesome, I'll go downstairs then."

"Oh, and boss?" Neal spoke, a lopsided grin coming to place.

"Yeah?"

"She's super hot."

Emma shook her head and chuckled; maybe staying a little late wouldn't hurt so much.

When she finally got to the lounge, Emma got a great view of the woman's back- clad in a simple grey dress that hugged the woman in all the right places, accentuating her curves and most notably, her ass. She cleared her throat. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm Emma Swan, the owner and manager of this gym."

The woman finally turned around and smirked, and Emma couldn't help her mouth falling open at the sight before her. "Miss Swan, it's lovely to see you again."

Emma couldn't believe her eyes, and she had to shake her head once before refocusing on her professor. "Professor Mills, I wasn't expecting to see you here."

The professor only chuckled, a low and melodious sound that inexplicably made Emma's heart race. "Does it not look like I work out?"

"Uh- no… that's not what I meant. I mean…" Emma really needed to get herself under control. She was not used to being lost for words and feeling anxious around others, and she prided herself in her confidence. So, she took a deep breath and regained her composure. "I mean to say, you don't look like you need to work out at all."

The professor was taken aback by this, and she faltered but only for a second. Emma didn't miss a beat, and she grinned confidently.

"How may I help you, Professor?" Emma asked, still oblivious to why Regina Mills, out of all people, was here.

"Please, call me Regina. I am not your professor here."

"Regina," Emma smiled. "Then I suppose you might as well call me Emma."

"Emma," she breathed, and Emma decided she liked the sound of her name on the woman's lips. Perhaps a little too much. "I am considering purchasing a membership at your fitness club. I was wondering if you would be so kind as to show me around, and inform me of the benefits."

Emma almost missed the drop in Regina's tone and the smirk as she said the word 'benefits'. Almost.

"Of course, but doesn't Harvard have a fitness club on campus for faculty and students?" Emma was already aware of the answer, but she wanted to get a little more out of the brunette.

"They do," Regina admitted. "But they do not have personal trainers and what I am seeking is one-on-one training sessions."

"Ah, I see. And may I ask if you've heard of a particular trainer that you'd like to hire?"

Regina pretended to smile innocently, but it was far from it. "Well, yes. I suppose I have one in mind."

Emma returned the smile. This was definitely worth staying late for.


The tour would've normally taken five minutes max, but Emma took her time, hoping to milk the professor's company as much as she could. Regina was well aware of it, but chose to go along; she didn't really have anywhere else to go, and she enjoyed watching the blonde talk so animatedly about something that clearly meant a lot to her.

The gym was impressive to say the least. Two floors containing everything from weightlifting equipment to boxing rings to treadmills and the likes. In all honesty, Regina was considering visiting this gym for quite some time. Many of her colleagues and friends had recommended it and she had heard a lot of great things about the facility and the owner, a young woman who, at the age of 21, purchased the gym from its previous owner and built it once more from the ground up. Three years later, Swan's Fitness was one of the most renowned fitness clubs in Massachusetts, and its owner, Emma Swan, one of the best personal trainers in the state. That is why, when Regina found out that the same Emma Swan was her student at Harvard, she couldn't help but make an appearance.

As Emma talked on, telling her all about boxing and its benefits to one's body, Regina couldn't help letting her gaze travel up and down the blonde's body. This time, Emma wasn't wearing the skinny jeans and tank top she wore to school yesterday, but instead black and white tights that looked like they were painted onto her legs, outlining how muscular and toned they were. Her sports tank was a little loose, but gave Regina a perfect view of Emma's biceps and toned back. The woman was breathtaking, and Regina couldn't help but stare.

Emma, of course, could feel her professor's stare, and stopped midsentence to stare back at her. "Prof- I mean Regina, are you okay?"

"Yes, yes of course. Please continue." Regina stammered. She never stammered.

Emma laughed. "Actually, I think I'm done. I probably told you way more than you cared to know."

"No, I was thoroughly engaged. Thank you for your time." Regina glanced at her watch; it was getting late. "And now, I am afraid I must go. Doesn't the club close in ten minutes anyway?"

Emma pulled out her phone to check the time. "Shit, yeah! I lost track of time."

"It's quite alright, Miss Swan."

"Emma," she corrected.

"I beg your pardon?" Regina's brows furrowed.

"Call me Emma."

"Ah, yes, of course. Emma," she nodded. "Perhaps you could give me your card in case I have any other inquiries regarding the membership."

"Oh, yeah. Actually, all my cards are in my office, so I'll just have to give you my number directly."

"That's fine," Regina smiled politely, and handed her phone over to the blonde. "Thank you again, Emma. I enjoyed the tour. Your facility is quite remarkable."

"Can't deny it's remarkable," Emma reiterated her Professor's words from yesterday's class, and was rewarded with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

"No, I suppose we can't."


That night, when Regina arrived to her mansion, she couldn't shake the thought of a certain blonde from her mind. She couldn't quite explain why she was so taken by the younger woman. Yes, she was very attractive, but she simply hadn't known her long enough to formulate an opinion about her.

She knew, however, and quite bizarrely, that she wanted to find out all there was to know about the blonde. She wanted to know her past, her present, and her plans for her future. It was highly illogical to say the least, and more than a little unwise. Regina was, first and foremost, Emma's professor. She couldn't possibly show favoritism by showing extra interest in her. Settling into her bed, Regina was resigned to dispense any urges she had felt towards her student, but her dreams that night refused to follow suit.


Seeing as Emma had to stay behind to show Regina around, she figured there was no point in letting Neal lock up. She told him he could go, but couldn't avoid his curious questions regarding the brunette.

"Wasn't she totally hot?" Neal asked, smiling.

Emma caught herself before going into complete fangirl mode, not wanting to show how attracted she really was to Regina. "Yeah, I guess so."

"You guess so?" he asked, aghast. "I don't think I've seen anyone like her."

"Don't let your girlfriend hear you say that," she chuckled now, trying her best to remain light-hearted.

Neal grimaced. "Don't tell Tamara I said that. You know I love her."

"Don't worry, dude," patting his back. "I know you do."

"What about you? You haven't dated anyone in a while. And she seems like she's your type."

"Uh, yeah, I guess. But she's my professor, so I can't really do anything about that."

"Wait- What?" he gasped, his eyes widening. "She's one of your professors?"

Emma laughed; his expression resembled that of a cartoon character. "Yup, she is."

"That's gotta suck, boss."

"Oh, you have no idea," she sighed, then waved. "I'll see you later, Neal."

"Take care, boss."