Here we go! Today's update.

I'm ecstatic at the reaction I've been getting with this fic, I hope it continues being enjoyable!

And responding to cibom, since it was an anon review: what I meant with the census was that the town of Storybrooke has say, 1,000 people, just to put a number. If Regina also has town records and sees that all 1,000 residents are accounted for, then having suddenly heard that there's 1,001 people, she wouldn't be exactly happy, because someone is committing fraud. In terms of legality, as I understand it, it's sorta required to participate in a census for various bureaucratic reasons that my brain just sorta shut down because: legal jargon. That's all that I meant, and how I understand it, the rest was extrapolated for the purposes of this story, hope that clarifies!

Regina passed once more by the station, and found the door locked. Deciding to try another method, Regina made her way to her office, and she picked up her phone, dialing the number she had used last night.

"Storybrooke Radio," a familiar voice greeted.

"Ms. Swan! I'm surprised you picked up, you're a hard woman to find," Regina responded, a smile on her voice.

"I didn't realize anyone was looking for me."

Feigning surprise, Regina said, "Really? I find that hard to believe; as I understand it, no one has seen neither hide nor hair from you in a very long time."

"Well considering I have no hide, it would be very hard for someone to find it," came the quick quip.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Funny."

"I try. You know, I didn't quite catch your name."

"Regina Mills, Storybrooke's mayor."

"Oh."

Right at that moment, Emma was receiving frantic texts from Ruby, detailing what had gone down just a little while ago at the diner. She seemed shaken.

'The mayor's coming for you!' she ended with. Cryptic.

"Well it's very nice to meet you, Madam Mayor," Emma cordially responded. "Or rather, talk to you."

"Funny you should say that, I was wondering if we might meet…"

Emma cringed. She walked right into that one. "I'm afraid I can't, pretty busy here."

"I'm sure you can spare a moment. Certainly you can make time in your busy schedule for me?"

"Er, you know, how about I get back to you with that?" Emma attempted.

"You're a radio host, not a Hollywood actress Ms. Swan, surely-"

"You know, the song's just ending, I'll call later!" Emma pressed the 'Call End' button as if her life depended on it, and turned back to the radio. This was firm ground, solid. It'd be a fiasco if she attempted to entertain Regina's request. At the same time, she was under the impression it wouldn't be easy to shake the mayor off.

So she sighed, and tried to burrow into her work, but the Mayor's words just kept coming back to her. Then it clicked. She knew that voice. And not just from political discourses and rallies or the like. This was more recent. And it explained everything.

Soon, she found herself something unexpected; five minutes ago, she would've thought herself insane. She was picking up the phone, and dialing for the Mayor's office.

In no time at all, a cool voice greeted, with the slightest tinge of amusement in her voice. "Ms. Swan, I'm surprised; when you hung up on me, I was under the impression you were attempting to stonewall me via a ridiculous excuse."

Emma let the woman get the extremely long and superfluous greeting out of the way, before clearing her throat and admitting, "No yeah, that was my plan. But I got to thinking: why the sudden vested interest? And why did your voice sound so familiar? And then it clicked. You were last night's caller number 5. Your voice disguise skills could use some work, and I could tell. So Madam Mayor, is that what this all this is about?"

Regina wanted to lie. Exclaim indignantly that this was all blasphemy and that there wasn't a chance in this world or any other that she would be caught dead calling a love advice show. She should have responded in the negative, but found herself inexplicably saying, "Very well Sherlock, you've got me."

"I knew it!" Emma triumphantly exclaimed. After a beat, she asked, "So, how about we make a deal?"

"A deal? What could a mysterious radio host have to offer me?"

Settling back in her chair, Emma explained, "Plenty. After all, you called me with a problem first. So how about this, I help you get back into the dating game, and you stop your inquisition on my existence."

"That's quite a deal," Regina quickly responded, but she was considering it. Mary Margaret's attempts at mentioning potential suitors went ignored, and what was the harm in trying? Should Emma fail at this, she would pursue this search for the enigmatic woman once again. "But very well, I agree."

"Perfect! So, and I promise we're off the air here, do you want to explain what happened to get you so afraid of the dating game?"

So Regina explained. Of a whirlwind romance when she was a teenager with a boy named Daniel before she lost him to a horse slipping and falling. Her attempts at moving on including a relationship with a sexy man named Graham, going as far as getting engaged before she found out he was cheating on her. And finally, expanding her horizons.

"I had long found myself attracted to women, but I never acted on it. Then a woman named Mal came in, and I was smitten. But apparently we had different goals. She was looking for a bedwarmer during her pregnancy, while I gave myself completely to her. Well, you can imagine how that ended."

Emma cringed. That was quite a string of bad luck. "And now you want to try again. Okay, so what would your ideal partner be like?"

That was a loaded question, and Regina was silent for a while, pondering.

"Okay, maybe too much to tackle at once. How about gender?"

An easier question, and Regina answered, "I'm not too set, but I suppose I did find myself enjoying the company of women. Although I've been out of the dating game, I have been propositioning for one night stands, and women are always a better choice. They make are more…fulfilling."

Although unseen, Emma was sure she was sporting a vibrant blush. "Any of them interested in something more?"

Regina shook her head, even though the other woman wouldn't see it. "No. Just one night, no strings attached."

"So maybe heading to the Rabbit Hole isn't the best idea. You want a connection I'm guessing?"

"Yes. Someone who understands me, who loves me for me. Someone who can accept me, and is also good with Henry."

"Your son?" Emma asked, wanting to confirm. She knew the Mayor had a young son, but being away from the town dampened any prospects of getting to know the other residents, so she didn't know what the young boy's name was.

"Indeed."

"Did you ever think of a dating profile?" Emma tried. Ruby swore by it, but then again, she had on average five dates with different people within a single month, so she wasn't too reliable of a source.

"Definitely not. I refuse to go down that path," was Regina's firm and unwavering take on the subject.

So they continued to talk about where Regina could meet her potential love. By the time they had hung up, they were both sporting silly smiles. They had come up with a strategy for Regina: figure out what she wanted in a partner. Help her figure out what type of person she wanted, and then from that, figure out where she'd be able to find her match. Regina had originally been confused with the logic, so Emma had explained. If she was looking for a homely and stable person that was good with kids, she might be able to find them while taking Henry to the park, or at a town event. If she was looking for someone a bit more adventurous, she might try the race track. It just depended on what she considered to be most important for her romantic interest.

"What's got you so happy?" It was Kathryn, Regina's secretary and friend.

"Nothing," Regina quickly responded, brushing away her smile with a clearing of her throat.

Kathryn looked unconvinced. She walked inside the office, and sat down on the visitor's chair, crossing her legs and looking expectant. "Okay, want to try again? I haven't seen you smile this much in a very long while. Except when Henry said his first word."

Regina had a nostalgic moment for a second, before she composed her features again. "Fine. I've been talking to Emma, the radio show host?"

"Oh! I know who she is," Kathryn responded with a wink. Then her face shifted to one of surprise. "Wait… you were the caller last night!"

"Honestly, my skills at feigning a deep voice can't be that bad!" Regina exclaimed, exasperated.

Kathryn's expression was telling her that it was that bad. "But anyway, spill."

So Regina told her about the conversation. By the end of it, the blonde was squealing. "Oh that sounds so exciting! And mysterious."

"What's so mysterious?"

"Oh come on, you know that Emma Swan is a mystery, anyone that tries to find out about her never can. I heard some teens tried to break in to the studio a few years back, they found nothing."

Regina frowned. "Why did I never hear about this?"

Kathryn waved it off. "It was never reported, apparently Emma just said in a phone call 'no harm, no foul', and left it at that. But David told me what happened."

David was an old family friend of Kathryn's, and also Mary Margaret's husband. He was the town sheriff, his easy demeanour earned him the reputation of Sheriff Charming. Presently, Regina let out a thoughtful hum. "Something just doesn't add up with Emma. I mean, how come no one has ever seen her? How has she become such a mystery?"

"Come on Regina, she's a woman who enjoys mysteries and cultivates having created a mystery of her own in herself, that's all."

"And I want to solve it," Regina responded, sounding the littlest bit petulant about it. "I'm curious, I need to know."

"Well good luck. You're not the first to try, but if you do figure it out, it's going to be commendable," Kathryn said with a smile, "By the way, Ms. Smith called…again."

Regina groaned, and resigned herself to go back to work.

"So let me see if I'm getting this right. You're going to give the Mayor love advice in exchange for her not poking around here?" Ruby asked.

They were sitting on their couch across from one another, plates on their lap, eating dinner while they spoke. It was tradition for the two women to spend the end of their day together. Well, for Emma it was a break for her, she would soon leave to host her nightly show.

"Yep, that's the gist of it," Emma responded around a mouthful of food.

Ruby didn't look that assured. "This could end so badly so quickly, you know that right? Mayor Mills isn't exactly the easiest person to get a date for."

"Oh come on Rubes, she's gorgeous and has an amazing sense of humour. She's well-spoken and isn't afraid to be honest."

Blinking, Ruby groaned. "Don't tell me you have a crush on her?!"

Emma huffed. "I don't!"

"You so do Swan, don't lie to me. I can hear it in your voice," Ruby insisted, brandishing her fork at her invisible friend.

"Well, so what? It's not like I have any chances. I can entertain having a crush on her."

Ruby bit her lip from grinning, but failed miserable at it. "You've got it bad," she said in a sing-song voice.

"Shut up! I do not!" Emma exclaimed playfully, grabbing a pillow and chucking it at her friend.

A little while later, Emma was making her way back down, setting up for her nightly show, and she had a smile on her face. Regina had sent her a message, saying she would be listening to her show tonight, and wished her good luck. So what if she had a crush. She was invisible, so that would never lead anywhere.

On the other side of town, a sleepy Regina put on her earphones and sat on her bed, tuning in to the radio station that earlier today, she had despised. But alas, talking with Emma just made her even more curious about her. She had always been a mystery lover, she enjoyed picking apart a conundrum to have it all mapped out in front of her. But she had to admit that Emma stumped her. She was friendly enough, so there was no reason for her to be a recluse as she was. And even so, surely someone would've seen her. It just made no sense.

But her musing would have to wait, Emma's voice trickled through to her ears, and that night, Regina would fall asleep listening to Emma's dulcet voice, and quiet love songs. And so it would be for the next few days, to the point that she had to admit to herself: she had a small crush on Emma. She wasn't sure how she could be falling for someone that she had never met face to face. Falling for someone's voice was even more bizarre.

"Mom?" Henry's voice broke through her thoughts.

Regina froze, glancing at her son. "What is it Henry?"

"Are you okay?" her eight-year old son asked.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Regina was quick to reassure.

Henry kept the disbelieving frown as he answered, "You're adding orange juice to your coffee."

Regina glanced at her hand, and noticed that indeed, she was doing just as Henry described. She cursed in her head - lest she wanted Henry to learn some new curse words - and put that cap back on the juice before going to dump the horrific auburn combination down her sink. So much for coffee. Probably better than Granny's though.

"So, are you okay?" he asked again.

She glanced at her inquisitive little boy. His concern for her evident in his wide eyes. "Of course, just wondering."

"About what?"

Rather than answer right away, Regina got to wondering. Perhaps a child would think out of the box enough to solve the conundrum. Mary Margaret did always say that her students could solve problems very creatively. So she asked, "Henry, do you want to help me solve a mystery?"

The way his eyes sparkled and gleamed, she might as well have just told him Christmas came early. "Yeah!"

So Regina regaled what had been happening, simplifying some concepts, but still getting the gist of the story through to him. "So how do you think she manages to not be seen?"

Henry got his pouty-thinking face on and hummed. "Maybe she's invisible!" he exclaimed finally.

Right, comics. He had just discovered the wonders of the Fantastic Four and Susan Storm. Perhaps trying for an out of the box idea wasn't the best. But she wasn't about to upset her son like that. "Perhaps, I'll have to see if Emma's secretly a superhero," she said with a wink.

He just beamed at her. "Or maybe she's a monster and has to hide herself from the world. Like Beauty and the Beast."

Regina didn't know which one was more implausible, but still chuckled. She hoped he would never lose that imagination of his.

Oh Henry, if only he knew how right he was.

A smaller chapter, but showing that Regina is definitely on a mission, and she will discover what's with Emma, or so help her. Not even getting Emma's help in the romance department will calm that fire of determination.

Love to hear your thoughts!