A/N: Sorry it took me longer than expected to upload this chapter. I've been busy with work and I wasn't too happy with the outcome of this chapter. Please review and let me know what you think! :)

All mistakes are my own.

*I don't own OUaT or TiMER.

Chapter Two

Regina was walking around her apartment making sure she had everything ready for her first day of school tomorrow. Her book bag was packed with her school supplies and her outfit was already picked out. She couldn't stop playing with the blank gray strip on her wrist: nervous was her last year of undergrad. According to her mother's plans, she should have found her soul mate by now and on the verge of scoring an entry level job at a law firm (if she must work). All she had was an internship lined up for when she graduated. Cora expected Regina to marry a wealthy guy from a nice family who was hopefully on his way to becoming a doctor or something as equally prestigious. The brunette shuddered at the idea.

Cora wanted her daughter to be a housewife. She believed that because of her status and good looks she did not need to work. That pushed Regina to achieve her goals even more.

The young woman longed for someone to be by her side in every aspect of her life. She wanted to be challenged: in authority, in the bedroom, and to be a better person. her match would be someone who coddled her when she needed it but also wouldn't put up with any of her bullshit. It was no secret that Regina was a control freak. She wanted someone to help calm that side of her down. She longed for a partner to make her feel as young as eighteen when they turn eighty. A timeless love was what she craved.

But as the days went on and her timer failed to turn on and point her in her destiny, the more she believed that her fantasy would remain just that- a fantasy. So it's no surprise that she never contacted the charming Emma after they parted ways. Why should she bother with something that would most likely end in nothing? Regina was starting to have herself convinced that she would never have a romantic happy ending. Emma didn't need to be dragged into her whirlwind of a life.

Hadn't she just met Emma the other night though? The brunette was so sure that the answer to why she had been thinking so much about the blonde was simply because of her crazy obsession. Nothing else. Yes, she was attractive but she hardly knew the woman. She also was not Regina's type. Emma was more hip, unique, and didn't have a vacation home in the Hamptons that Regina was used to. There was no way they could ever work together. Even if it felt electric when they kissed.

The brunette just shook away all thoughts about the woman and continued about getting her school supplies ready. She was eager to see what this semester would hold for her.

Regina was rushing to her second class of the day. She looked down at her watch and mentally scolded herself.

Maybe I put too much faith in myself. There's no way I'm going to make it.

Her first class was a mock courtroom course that started at 9:00 am and ended at 10:30. She had a general requirement left to fill for literature and the only class available started at 10:45 on the opposite side of the campus. Regina, being the determined person she was, thought that she would make it. She had two minutes until the class started and she was still three buildings away. Never one to be late, she broke out into a jog.

Thank god I wore flats today.

The brunette was certainly not looking forward to this class. While she loved to read, she wasn't fond of taking a basic literature course with fifty freshman. These courses also often demanded a lot of time between writing essays and reading books. She was nervous that she would fall behind due to her intense and vigorous pre-law courses. But she figured she would manage a way to balance everything, she always did.

By the time she finally rushed into the classroom, there were only two seats left. One was squished right in the center of the room and she didn't think she would make it there. The other was close to the back of the room and much easier to get to. She chose the latter even though she loathed the back of the room. Regina rushed into the seat and threw her belongings down in front of her in a huff. Flipping her hair back, she got her notebook and pen ready to take notes.

"This class should be a bore, huh?" A voice next to her snapped out of her thoughts. She looked to her left and gasped.

"You're in this class?" Her eyes were wide as she inspected the blonde beauty that was Emma Swan beside her.

"Obviously. Otherwise I wouldn't be sitting here."

"Alright then. There is no need to get snippy."

Emma rolled her eyes as Regina whipped her head forward to face the professor who started talking. He went over the syllabus and Regina tried to focus as best as she could. However, Emma was playing a game on her phone under the table and Regina kept sneaking looks at the blonde.

"Must you do that right now," Regina whispered.

Emma cocked her head at the oblivious professor. "It's not like I'm missing much."

"Well besides the basics of this course, you're distracting me."

"How am I distracting you? Maybe you should keep your eyes to yourself."

Regina's eyes widened as Emma's voice rose and the professor sent them a warning glare. His next instructions made Regina's mouth go dry.

"Take the next five minutes or so to introduce yourselves to the person next to you. They will be your partner in the semester-long assignment I briefly discussed. We will discuss it more next class."

"He cannot be serious," Regina muttered as she looked at the blonde who was rolling her eyes at her.

"No fucking way."

"You cannot possibly be complaining about being paired up with me. I have a 4.3 GPA and I will not let this course be any different. You have, what? A "C' average?"

"A 3.8, but thanks. I, on the other hand, actually text people like I say I will. Especially after they treated me so well."

"This is what your attitude is all about? Because I didn't text you?"

"Duh! I thought we connected. It seemed like you thought so too since you were practically dragging me into your apartment to have sex with you. It would have been nice, even decent, to get a 'thank you' text from you."

Regina's mouth dropped open but she failed to form any full words. "I-umm, I, ah."

"Yeah, figures. You think you're too good for me. That's fine. Talk to the teacher and get a new partner. Text me who my new one is. That is, if you still have my number."

With that, the blonde gathered up her belongings and left the classroom. The teacher didn't seem to notice and let everyone leave shortly after.

Regina chewed on her bottom lip as she thought about how her actions (or lack thereof) had hurt Emma. She did like her, in fact she wanted to get to know her even better. The blonde woman intrigued her. But the brunette always managed to mess up any relationship she was in. Her life was so hectic and and her heart was still scarred that she wasn't willing to attempt to forge any sort of romantic relationship with anyone right now.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and scrolled through her contacts until she found Emma's name. Her lips pressed together as she typed out a text message to apologize but then deleted it before she sent it. Apologizing would just pull her into the mystery that was Emma Swan. A mystery that Regina desperately wanted to uncover but also avoid at all costs. If the result was her seeming like a cold bitch in Emma's eyes, then so be it.

The brunette took a deep breathe and held her head high as she made her way to get some coffee.

Emma was frustrated with herself for showing her emotions so openly to Regina. To a girl she barely even knew. But one she instantly felt connected to. The young woman was usually great at masking her feelings, unless it was with her family or someone she was dating. So why was it already different with Regina when this was only the second time they had seen each other?

She tried to stop analyzing her actions and feelings and forced herself to just accept what she thought was the truth. Regina was too good for her- much like the other girls Emma had chased after before. It seemed as though she had an eye for rich girls who only used Emma for their gain then tossed her away like she was beneath them.

The blonde woman was hot and she knew it. She always had people around her vying for her attention. So why was she so keen on putting her heart in places it clearly didn't belong? Emma loved a challenge though and her charm knew no bounds.

But something was different with Regina. Emma didn't see her as a challenge, she immediately saw her as a threat. A threat to the walls she spent so many years and heartbreaks building. So she did the only thing she could think of when she felt her emotions getting out of her control: she ran. She ran away from Regina and pushed every confusing thought of the brunette out of her head.

She would solve this issue of a mysterious and intriguing woman like she had done a few times before. She would find another girl who wouldn't give her the time of day and chase her until she got what she needed. Until she satisfied that temporary craving that always immediately came back full force.

Emma Swan was many things and on that list was a masochist. Not in the bedroom but with emotions. When she couldn't figure out or control her own emotions, she tried to move past them. And in order to do that she would seduce another woman and cut off all ties as soon as it got serious. It was true that Emma often felt like she was the one being thrown away- these girls never really put up a fight to keep her around. But in all honesty, Emma was the destroyer of those "relationships".

She why had she lied and turned down going into Regina's apartment the night of the party? Because she knew from the get go that Regina was nothing like any of those other girls. Her craving wouldn't have been satisfied, it would have intensified. She would crave more of Regina and no one else. Which is exactly why she needed to keep as much distance between them as possible.

Right? Right.

At least that's what she kept trying to convince herself of.

This is exactly why she refused to ever get a timer. If she knew who her soul mate was, she was bound to destroy everything they could potentially have.