During the following days Emma tried a hundred of times to keep herself away from Regina, unable to look at her and not think about the kiss she had dreamt that night and the following ones.

Sometimes the kiss was sweet, soft, a kiss on the ice rink, before they started their usual "classes", some other times the kiss was heated, full of desire that made Emma's fingers curl a little over the top of the pants she wore to sleep. It didn't really matter because she couldn't make the dreams disappear, no matter how hard she tried.

She also avoided Elsa, their calls shorter than ever and with a wave of guilt washing over her every time she tried to look at herself on the mirror.

She loved Elsa; she had liked her for as long as she could remember. They had practically grew up together and it had been her the one that when Emma had started to question her own sexuality she had been there for her, assuring her that she wasn't sick or crazy.

Maybe, she finally thought one night, her eyes focused on the dark screen of her computer that was what was happening, that Elsa and her had been friends for far too long.

Sighing and caressing her right hand compulsively like every time she felt nervous she switched on the screen, humming as she opened the app and proceeded to try to call Elsa via skype. She had been elusive the past couple of days but she knew that Elsa was anything but a quitter. She would probably be there, waiting.

When the girl's features appeared, worry on her pixelated eyes, Emma smiled weakly, feeling self-conscious as Elsa typed on the little chat box, her bottom lip between her teeth.

Anna is here with me, she wanted to say hello, do you want to talk with her?

That made Emma blink, she had met Elsa's younger sister before and the girl usually wanted to talk to her. Elsa said that the red-head had a crush on her but they had never been able to prove that theory.

Yes, if she wants to…

Apparently that was everything the younger girl needed since she appeared on the screen smiling broadly and waving her hand at her, starting a long tirade of how many things she and her sister had done during their time together and what they were going to do the following days.

She also talked about a boyfriend of some sorts and a discussion she had had with one of her friends over the same boyfriend but Emma couldn't pay attention to the girl, too preoccupied on the worried glances Elsa kept throwing at her, a flash of hurt showing every now and then.

"…And that's it" Anna said with a smile and a shrug "So I asked to Elsa if I could see you because since you have been avoiding her for the past few days I wanted to ask you directly if you were sick of something"

Oh, there it was. Sometimes Emma forgot how much Anna actually cared for Elsa and sighing, she glanced down, feeling a blush starting to cover her cheeks.

"There were things I needed to think about" She finally explained with a tight smile. "But I called because I wanted to come clean with them"

Even if she was talking to Anna her eyes searched Elsa's, a soft smile parting the other blonde's lips for a second. The red-head girl hummed and looked at her sister, nodding and standing from the bed the two of them were sharing.

"Then I will go but, Emma" She called, making the blonde look at her, startled "If you hurt her I'm going to curse you into the next decade if it's necessary"

A loud sound was heard –Something that Emma assumed was the door of Elsa's room- and Elsa exhaled deeply, her right hand playing with the braid she was wearing that day. It still looked too perfect, like her parents liked, but there was something on her eyes that made Emma swallow and bit her tongue.

"Curse?" She finally asked as the silence stretched. The other blonde nodded, waving one of her hands in the general direction of her door.

"She is been talking a lot about ancestral magic with Kristoff, apparently we are the descendants of some kind of woman that was considered a powerful witch back on her day"

Emma hummed at that, nodding and hugging her legs, not knowing what to answer to that, Anna had always been too curious for her own good, trying to discover who their ancestors were wasn't the weirdest thing she had heard about her.

"So…" Elsa finally said, raising an eyebrow, her hands hovering over the keyboard. "You said you wanted to talk"

Emma sighed; she cared about Elsa, she had been the girl whom she had learnt how to ride a bike, the one whom had made her loose her fear to heights. He had been there for so long that she couldn't help but think that one of the worst things that would ever happen to her was being in a place without Elsa near her.

But, she realized, the blonde at the other side of the screen wasn't the girl that she wanted to kiss anymore. And she couldn't lie to Elsa, even if she hadn't talked to Regina about it.

"Remember the girl I told you about?" She started, her fingers playing with the hem of the shirt she was wearing, her eyes fixed on the keyboard, unable to look at her.

"Yes" The blonde girl said, fear lacing her words and for a millisecond Emma thought if Elsa hadn't been thinking about this the very same day she had talked about Regina.

"I… dreamt about her" She continued, biting her thumb and nodding to herself. "About kissing her"

The silence was deafening and for a second Emma trembled, unsure if she was able to look at the screen.

"I haven't done anything" She declared, her voice thick with unshed tears. "But…"

"But you have been thinking about it" Elsa finished, making her look up at her and nod, her bottom lip trembling. "Emma…"

The green-eyed blonde sighed, putting one hand over her stomach and trying to explain herself. "I didn't see her like that before, she hadn't even told me that she likes me but I didn't… I didn't want to be the kind of person who lies to you"

The two girls looked at each other, Emma afraid, Elsa defeated.

"I love you" The blue-eyed blonde finally said. "I love you more than just my girlfriend" She continued when Emma tried to speak. "You have been my friend for far longer than we have been together"

Emma nodded; she still could hear the hurt on Elsa's voice, the way she tried to keep everything together, under grasps.

"Do you love her?" Elsa asked, the question making Emma jump a little.

She hadn't considered it, they had only known each other for three weeks and she had actually been avoiding for three days so she wasn't sure where she stood in that moment. But it was true that if the brunette kissed her the following day she would respond and try to deepen the contact as much as she was able to.

"No" She finally answered, uncertain.

"But you might" Elsa answered, sorrow on her eyes. The look was what made Emma want to cry and ask for forgiveness; the way Elsa kept looking at her, hurt, but with the same look she always gave to her whenever they were in front of each other: With trust.

"I don't know" Emma said "I don't want to lose you"

The other side of the screen remained silent for a while until Elsa spoke, her voice soft and mellow now. "I would like to say that I would fight for you" She muttered "But I have already lost that part"

"Elsa…" Emma started only to be interrupted by the other blonde, her voice stronger this time.

"I don't know what to say right now Emma ok? I just can't, but if you have feelings for her, if you can be happy…"

The two girls remained silent for a while, years of adventures keeping each other grounded as they looked at the other through pixelated screens.

"I'm sorry" Emma finally said making Elsa shrug and smile sadly at her.

"You will always be my best friend, no matter what"

That night, when Emma finally closed her eyes, she dreamt about Regina, only this time the brunette and she were simply seated on one of the benches Storybrooke's park had.


Regina was reluctant when Emma called for her and asked her if she wanted to resume their classes but after a long talk via phone the blonde managed to explain herself as well as possible without admitting the whole truth. She still wasn't sure if the feelings were mutual and she didn't want to push the brunette girl into anything so, when she finally met with Regina in front of the rink's door and the shorter girl hugged her she merely smiled, stunned for a second of the brunette's scent.

"I'm still not sure if I should forgive you" Regina said as she took a step back "But I've missed you"

The soft admission made Emma feel even worse, she knew that she had overreacted just because a simple dream but she had never been in the situation she was now and it actually looked a little ridiculous how sure she had been about everything until that particular dream.

"I'm sorry about it" She answered, making the other girl nod a little and look at her through thick eyelashes. Neither of them moved for a second until Emma pointed at the door of the rink, smiling awkwardly at the brunette and thanking mentally that the Cora hadn't showed up. "Shall we enter?"

It actually took her a few minutes to be around Regina without actually thinking on the dream or the fact that she still wanted to kiss her. She felt shy and like the teenager she had been once with Elsa when she had been unsure of her friend's reaction to the feelings she had for her.

Thinking about the blonde girl made her sigh and look away, guilt still present on her mind.

"Everything ok?" Regina asked, frowning as she tried to move steadily forwards, those three days without skating had taken their toll and she now eyed the white surface wearily, unsure of what she needed to do.

"I have a lot of things on my mind lately" The blonde excused herself, shaking her head and smiling at the brunette, circling her and looking at the way she bent her legs. "Be careful there, you need to…" The brunette slipped and Emma needed to keep her steady. "There you are" She said with an amused voice.

" Ouch" The brunette whispered, exhaling and smiling at the blonde who looked at her lips for a second before moving away, red dusting her cheeks. "I think I'm going to die before tomorrow arrives"

The teasing tone on her voice made Emma frown and look at her, feeling a tingle of arousal when she saw the way Regina smirked at her. "Why tomorrow?" She asked.

"Because…" Regina replied, skating closer to her with slow movements "I talked with Mrs. Blue and she already told me that we could use her horses to go outside her property"

"She let you ask her that?" Emma asked, feeling the normal fear that always came to her whenever horses were involved.

"She said that while you were with me nothing bad needed to happen, I think she still believes that you are your mother…"

That made Emma snort, the old woman was surely blind. It was obvious for anyone that had been with her and a horse how incompetent she was on top of one.

"Finally a true smile" Regina's voice made Emma blush, realizing that she had indeed been caught by the brunette "Here thinking that you were hopeless"

Grumbling, Emma let that go albeit a part of her exhaled, calmer now than she had finally seen Regina.

"I broke up with Elsa" She finally supplied, shrugging when Regina looked at her, worry written all over her face.

"I'm sorry" The brunette commented softly, gripping the edge of the rink viciously as Emma moved a little closer, hugging her frame. "How are you?"

"I'm… fine, I think" The blonde said, smiling a little when Regina looked at her, not believing her in the slightest. "I'm saying the truth, I'm fine"

"Uh-uh" Regina said back, a doubtful look on her eyes as she managed to skate a little, leaving the fence and managing to actually spin without falling. "That's what you say"

"Exactly, that's what I say" Emma answered back, a laugh on her throat when Regina finally fell down "C'mon, we have a lot I still need to teach you"


The following days neither Emma nor Regina talked about the circumstances of why Emma had decided to stop seeing the other girl for three days. Something for what the blonde was grateful for since she still didn't know what to say towards the brunette. She also spoke very little to Elsa something that, even if it hurt her, she understood. The blonde was a very reserved person and needed her own pace.

Which was actually something that helped her to figure out a few things during those days: not only her feelings for Elsa but for Regina as well.

It was undeniable that she felt something for the other girl, not only because of the dreams she had kept having but because how she responded to the other girl's presence no matter what they were doing. The brunette was definitely beautiful, witty and smart and more often than not Emma found herself speechless because of the intelligence the other young woman displayed.

She had been home schooled for most of her life which explained a few of her quirkiness but whenever Emma tried to know more about it Regina closed herself and changed the topic. She was actually attending her third year on politics and ready to move out of her parents' home.

"I'm still here because of father" She told Emma one day as the blonde tried once again to not tremble in front of a horse. "I just… mother can't stand him and I know how hard for him is being alone with her"

Emma had nodded. She couldn't blame Regina for that; Cora looked like a complicated woman, one that no one would ever want to cross.

Regina had also avoided talking about Elsa, letting Emma be the one who mentioned the other girl. She also didn't say a thing when Emma explained to her that even with the break up Elsa and her were still friends but the blonde saw a flicker of something on her eyes that made her swallow and actually be the one who almost fell on the ice surface the day they had been skating on the rink.

It was easy, comfortable, being with the other girl, and even if she missed Elsa, the long conversations, she knew that she needed to wait.

It wasn't until mid-august, less than two weeks before she needed to pack and move out, when the two of them were on the stables and something made her little world tremble. Regina was caressing g the horse she had been riding the whole summer with a pensive look on her eyes and a soft smile that made Emma think about cameras and stupid ideas of herself and the brunette.

"You know" Regina commented, almost as if she was saying something about the weather "One day you could ask me if I want to"

Emma frowned, not sure of what the other young woman was talking about. Regina was many things but something she blurted information that wasn't exactly something Emma would have expected in that moment the blonde felt lost. "Sorry?"

Regina turned, looking at where Emma was standing with a lopsided smile that made Emma swallow, noticing the way the brunette's eyes seemed to be opening holes on hers.

"Kiss me"

The words were said in a soft voice, sure at first and when Emma kept silent the eyes that had been pinning the blonde against the opposite wall shining terribly shy and full of a sudden fear that made the blonde want to move and hug the brunette. However, the truth that hold those words made her feel glued to the floor, her mouth slightly agape.

"I'm sorry" The brunette finally said "I know about what happened with Elsa but… I wasn't sure if what you…"

The rambling made Emma remember about how closed off Regina had been about Daniel, about the pain that had laced her words when she had tried to explain what had been for her the young boy and she exhaled, suddenly understanding that Regina had been probably been doing the same inner path than herself.

"No" She said, approaching her, her hands sweating a little as she extracted them from the pockets of the red leather jacket she wore. "I do want to kiss you" She admitted and at their side the horse neighed softly, making her chuckle for a second. Tilting her head she laughed again "Look, even him is aware of that"

That made Regina blush and laugh a little, looking at Emma in a mix of wonder and exasperation that made the blonde's grin even grew larger than before.

"I didn't know how to tell you that I wanted to do that" She continued, putting her hands on the belt and sighing deeply "I just… I didn't want to assume.

"You don't need to do that" Regina replied "Assume I mean" She added seeing the confusion on Emma's face "I've been thinking about kissing you… a lot these past weeks but I didn't want to meddle in something that it wasn't mine to do"

Emma swallowed, feeling overly conscious about the fact that Regina and she were only a few inches away. Licking her lips and shuddering when she saw the way Regina looked at her lips for a second before returning her eyes towards her own she tried to smile.

"There is nothing…" She started, Elsa had been adamant about Regina, about herself. She still was unsure of what that meant for the two of them as friends but if she had something clear was that she had tried to do the right thing by telling the other blonde first about what had happened with her and how she felt. "There is nothing you need to worry about, if you still want to do something"

The words were soft, turning almost a whisper when Regina took a step closer to her, Emma finding herself with the horse at her right, the girl in front of her and the wooden wall of the stall at her left, the light that illuminated the stall poor enough to created shadows on Regina's features as she moved, her own tongue licking her lips in the same nervous reflex as hers.

"Then, if you are sure…" Regina started, closing the distance and kissing Emma as softly as possible, moving her lips against the blonde as Emma closed her eyes, unable to do anything else.

"Wow" She whispered when Regina moved back, a smug smile on her lips that made Emma kiss her for a second time, erasing the smile and making Regina whimper at the sudden movement.

"Tease" The brunette complained, laughing when Emma kissed her a third time, smiling madly as the other girl returned the kisses with a few more of her own.

They definitely didn't ride as they had planned to do that day but neither Emma nor Regina complained a lot about that particular fact