Waking up ten minutes before her alarm, Emma decided to take a quick shower before heading to college. Not wanting to spend too much time deciding what to wear, she settled once again on her black skinny jeans and white tank, followed by her red leather jacket and black combat boots. She hesitated in front of her mirror for a second and took in the sight: simple, but good.

As she drove, Sia's voice filtered in once again, and she reminded herself that she really, really needed to get rid of that CD. Her thoughts travelled back to yesterday's conversation, and even though Emma knew Neal had her best interests at heart, she couldn't keep his words out of her head. You haven't been with anyone in a while, he had said. Sure, it's been a year and half since her last relationship, but it was still pretty recent…right?

Running her fingers through her hair, Emma decided not to think about it, not now at least, and focused instead on getting to her destination. Parking into the first spot she found, she got out and was greeted with a familiar loud voice and strong slap on the back. "Hey, bitch."

"Good morning to you too, Ruby," Emma chuckled, knowing that the term was a form of endearment to the redhead, albeit peculiar.

Wrapping her arm around Emma's shoulders like they were the best of friends, Ruby grinned. "Good morning. You never called, I was worried."

"Sorry, I got busy."

"Yeah, yeah. This is my friend, Mary Margaret." It was then that Emma noticed the girl with the pixie cut. The name was certainly unusual in this age, but looking at the girl, dressed in a white dress that covered her knees and a peach cardigan, she concluded that the name fit her perfectly.

She smiled sweetly. "Hi, I'm Mary. It's so nice to finally meet you! Ruby could not stop talking about you."

"MM! You're not supposed to tell her that!" Ruby scowled and swatted the girl playfully.

Emma couldn't help but laugh at the exchange. "Oh, really? I suppose I do leave lasting impressions, don't I?"

Now it was Emma's turn to be swatted. "Oh, shut up, you. A little humility might do you good."

"But then I wouldn't be me, you know?" Emma smirked, and Ruby couldn't do anything but roll her eyes.

"Mary is my roommate, and we were friends way before then."

"It's really nice to meet you, Mary Margaret," Emma smiled, then leaned in and whispered loud enough for Ruby to hear. "Now tell me, how bad is it living with this monster?"

Mary giggled, and Ruby rolled her eyes again. "I'm right here, you know. I can hear you loud and clear."

"Whoops, my bad."

"Yeah, yeah. Save it, blondie."

Emma didn't usually like nicknames, but for some reason didn't mind it when it came from Ruby. She, surprisingly, didn't mind how friendly Ruby was being with her either. It was hard for her to make friends, but she suspected that Ruby, and even Mary Margaret, would be easy to get along with. It was then that she decided to actually make an effort to develop this friendship, and announced, "Hey, are you guys free tonight? Maybe we can go out for drinks or something."

They both nodded and grinned. "Sounds like fun. I know a bar about ten minutes away from here. It's got killer music and some really hot dancers."

"Uh, it's not a strip club, is it?"

Ruby laughed, then shook her head. "No, don't worry. It's just this really cool bar that has dancing bartenders and shit."

"That's…different." Emma didn't know what to think of such a place, but she couldn't deny that she was more than a little intrigued. She then checked the time and realized she was going to be late for her first class of the day. "Anyway, I gotta run. Text me the address and I'll meet you guys there at 8pm."

"Sure, sounds like a plan," Ruby smiled then waved.


Lunch time couldn't come any sooner, and Emma found herself slumping on the bench she had sat on the other day with a bear claw and a coffee. She put in her earphones and decided to listen to some music while she went over the events of the morning.

The only highlight of her day besides seeing Ruby and Mary Margaret was possibly Dr. Gibson's outburst when one of the students referred to him as 'Professor' instead of 'Doctor'. The poor guy's face had turned a very deep shade of red when Gibson abruptly stopped mid-sentence, "Excuse me? I did not spend seven years of my life earning a PhD in Psychology to have graduate students like you call me Professor," he almost spat.

Emma was so immersed in her thoughts and music that she didn't hear the faint click of heels coming from her left. In fact, she wouldn't have noticed Regina's presence at all if she hadn't lightly tapped her shoulder. "Miss Swan," she greeted.

"Regi- I mean, Professor-shit, Dr. Mills."

Regina arched an eyebrow and smirked. "Dr. Mills?"

"Uh, well, you see…" Emma stammered. "Earlier today, one of my professors lectured us on why we should only refer to him as Doctor, and so I assumed you'd like to be referred to as Dr. Mills, too."

"Ah, let me guess," she lifted a finger to her chin and pretended to contemplate it. "Dr. Gibson, was it?"

Emma was surprised. "Yes, how'd you know?"

"Dr. Gibson is very proud of his education, and is perhaps the only one who truly gets irritated when not referred to properly. I, however, am not one of those people. You can call me Professor, if you'd like."

"Yes, of course. Professor Mills." Emma smiled, and her eyes, catching the sun's ray at the perfect angle, sparkled.

Regina hadn't noticed those eyes before, perhaps because she was so taken by the blonde's physique. But now, gazing at those emerald eyes, she couldn't help but drown in them. Drown in them? Get a grip, Regina.

She cleared her throat. "Uh, Miss Swan. Perhaps you should walk with me towards class. We wouldn't want you to be late again, would we?"

"Yeah, sure," Emma confirmed, then got up and threw away her trash.

The class was coming to an end, and Emma realized that she didn't only like this class because of the very attractive woman teaching it, she genuinely enjoyed the subject. The way the professor taught didn't really feel like teaching, but more like an engaging discussion between two equal parties. And she truly loved that, she loved being treated like an equal.

Her issue with people, most of the time, was being treated like she was somehow less than them. Whether it was because she had no parents, or because she wasn't as rich or educated as them. She had come a long way since then, but there were still those select assholes that were convinced they were superior to everyone else. Not Regina, though.

After the class was dismissed, Emma lingered behind, hoping to use the membership her professor was thinking of purchasing as an excuse to stay back and talk to her.

"Yes, Miss Swan? Did you have any questions about today's class?"

"No, Professor. I actually wanted to ask you if you'd be interested in a test run if you were still hesitant about joining my club."

"A test run?" Regina's brows furrowed.

"Yeah. Basically, I give you a free session with a trainer of your choice. This way you get to meet the trainer beforehand and see his or her abilities. After that, you'd hopefully be more inclined to join."

Regina couldn't help but smile. "That would be very kind of you, thank you."

"Hey, I'm only trying to get you to join so I could steal your money," Emma joked, and Regina laughed with her. God, how can a laugh sound so good?

"Well, then. I hope you're free. I want you to train me."

Emma couldn't say she didn't see it coming, but she was still a little taken aback by the brunette's statement. "You think you can afford me, Professor Mills? I'm quite expensive."

"There's still a test run to overcome, remember?" Regina smirked.

"Nah, if I'm your test run, you won't be satisfied with anyone else." At that, Regina's face flushed slightly, and she couldn't bring herself to dislike the blonde's confidence. In fact, she found that she quite enjoyed it, and that worried her.

"We'll have to see about that," Regina recovered. "I'll give you a call to schedule our session."

"I look forward to it," now it was Emma's turn to smirk. "Now, may I walk you to your car?"

"I'd like that, thank you."

Walking side by side, Emma's hand barely brushed Regina's, and they both felt a shiver moving up their arms at the brief contact. Before Emma could say anything, Regina pointed at a black Mercedes-Benz parked not too far from her own car. Looking at the black beauty, Emma realized that the car was perfect for Regina. She grinned and said, "That's a sweet ride you got there." Emma almost punched herself in the face. Way to go stating the obvious, idiot.

Regina smirked and nodded, "I must agree." She then looked around, searching. "Where's yours?"

Emma pointed to a car not too far for where they stood, "See that yellow one? That's my baby."

"A sports car, eh?" Regina shook her head, somewhat mocking. "You own a fitness club and a sports car—you're a straight up jock, aren't you?"

Emma couldn't help but laugh at the statement, then leaned in and smiled mischievously, "A jock, maybe. But definitely not straight." She found that her words had the desired effect on the brunette when her eyes widened and her mouth fell slightly open, and decided that this would be the ideal moment to leave.

"I'll be waiting for that call, Professor," then she turned around and swaggered her way towards her car. She couldn't confirm it but she could feel the Professor's gaze following her, and she found herself obligated to give her a show.


"This place is awesome!" Emma almost shouted, struggling to be heard over the ear-piercing music.

Ruby laughed and drained another shot of tequila in an instant. "I knew you'd like it!"

Emma had never been to a bar that had dancing bartenders, and Ruby wasn't kidding when she said that the dancers were extremely attractive. Dressed in clothing the left very little to the imagination, the female bartenders strutted over the bar and danced to Jesse J's 'Bang Bang' like it was nobody's business, and Emma found herself grateful for the much needed distraction from the professor.

The fact that at least three of the dancers singled her out of the crowd and gave her a special show helped even more, and she was more than happy to take out a couple of bills from her wallet to stick into their skimpy outfits.

To her surprise, Mary Margaret was wild after having 3-4 drinks in her, and she had to pull her down from the counter at least five times after she almost tripped and broke her neck. One thing was clear: Mary wasn't much of a dancer, but Emma enjoyed seeing that side of her because she suspected that the pixie haired girl rarely ever let loose.

Several hours later, Emma was helping two very drunk ladies into a cab. She made sure she didn't have much to drink because she knew she'd be driving home. Once she got into her car, she was surprised to hear her phone ring. Looking at the screen, she couldn't recognized the number. She wondered if it was one of the dancers she met tonight. Some of them gave her their numbers, but she didn't give anyone her number…right?

"Hello?" she finally answered.

"Miss- Emma, hello. It's Regina. I hope I didn't wake you."

"Oh, Regina. Hey. No, not at all. I'm actually out. What's up?"

"I was wondering if I could make that appointment now…" she trailed off, and Emma realized that the brunette was nervous. She wondered why.

"Yeah, of course. When would you like to come?" It was too late to stop herself, and Emma cursed inwardly for her choice of words.

Regina didn't seem to notice. "Is tomorrow alright? 5pm, perhaps? I know you have classes so I'm not sure what time you finish."

"5pm is great. I finish at three so I have enough time to go back and sort some things out."

"Perfect. Is there anything I need to bring with me?"

"Nope, just bring yourself."

"I'll see you tomorrow, then. Goodnight, Emma."

"Goodnight, Regina." Emma hung up, then closed her eyes as she leaned against her headrest. 'Goodnight, Emma' echoed in her mind, and she found herself imagining a life consisting of nights that always ended with that sentence, uttered in her voice.