"An aquarium?" Regina asked, taken aback as she stared at the entrance.

"Mhmm."

"Shouldn't you be taking Henry here?"

"Why not you? You need to have a little fun. You need to relax."

"Are you serious?"

"Perfectly."

Regina looked back and forth between Emma and the entrance.

"C'mon," Emma encouraged her. "They have penguins!"

Without thinking, Emma grabbed Regina's hand, tugging her into the building. Emma bought their tickets and pulled her past the gates.

"See?" Emma said. "I told you it was awesome."

Regina looked around at all the glass cases full of aquatic animals as her mouth hung slightly open.

"I had no idea it was so huge," Regina mused.

"I know," Emma said, smiling triumphantly. "Let's go see the penguins!"

"Penguins?"

"Uh-huh! They're my favorite. They have sharks and stuff too."

"Sh-sharks?" Regina stuttered.

"Yeah, sharks! Don't you like animals?"

"No, I mean... I do... I just..."

"Oh, my God," Emma laughed. "Are you afraid of sharks?"

Regina looked down at her feet, and Emma covered her mouth to stop the laughter.

"It's okay," Emma said, grinning. "I'll protect you."

Regina rolled her eyes and reluctantly followed Emma over to the penguin exhibit.

"Wow," the mayor breathed. "They're really amazing, aren't they?"

"They really are."

As Regina leaned over the side to watch the penguins being fed, Emma looked over at her. A few strands of hair fell into Regina's face, but the brunette didn't take her eyes off of the animals. It made Emma's heart swell to see how captivated she was - especially given the fact that it was her own favorite exhibit as well. She'd been unsure about bringing her to the aquarium - she knew it would be hit or miss and nothing in between - but as she watched the woman's reactions, she knew she'd picked the right place. As Regina stared at the penguins and their caretakers, watching them enthusiastically devouring pieces of fish, Emma stared only at her, nearly forgetting about the exhibit entirely.

They spent the rest of the day looking at the rest of the exhibits in the building, making sure not to miss any, until they reached the largest circular tank that was set up in the middle of the building and went all the way up to the enormous ceiling. When they reached the bottom of the ramp, Emma looked over at Regina.

"There's a lot of sharks," she informed her. "We don't have to look if you don't want to."

"No," Regina countered. "I want to. Just... Can you... Um..."

Emma cautiously wrapped her pinky around Regina's and looked into her eyes. The mayor looked back at the sheriff and gave a nervous smile.

"You'll be okay," Emma promised.

Regina kept their pinkies entwined as ascended the colossal winding ramp that surrounded the tank. They took their time going up, wanting to see everything they could. Regina watched bravely as the different kinds of sharks swam around with the fish, turtles, and other animals, until they reached the top. From there, they were able to look down on the top of the tank and get a different view of the gigantic cylinder.

"It really is amazing," Regina said softly, staring down and watching the animals swim around below her. "I never thought I'd like something like this. I guess I never took Henry because I don't... um... because I don't really like sharks. He'd love to see this, though. You should bring him."

"Why not you?"

"Oh, I... I mean... This was your idea. You should take him."

"Do you not want to come back?"

"No, it's not that! I'd love to. I just... I don't know. I just figured you should be the one to bring him here."

"Why don't we both bring him?" Emma suggested gently.

Regina looked surprised by this, but she smiled nonetheless.

"You really want to?"

"If you do. I'm sure he'd love it."

Regina nodded in agreement and looked up at Emma, meeting her eyes with her own.

"Thank you for bringing me here," she said softly. "I had a great time. Honestly."

"Even with the sharks?"

"Even with the sharks," Regina relied with a smile. "Let's go get something to eat."

They had lunch nearby at Faneuil Hall and spent the rest of the day walking around the city together, looking at all the historic monuments and buildings.

"This is incredible," Regina commented, looking all around her and taking in the sights.

"It is, isn't it?"

Emma smiled and looked into her eyes.

"Thank you for coming with me today," Emma said. "I'm really blessed to have had the pleasure of your company."

Regina blushed.

"I had a nice time, too, Emma," she said. "Really."

On the way home, they drove through the Boston traffic in quiet, but once they reached the city limits, Regina put the music back on, and Demi Lovato played through the speakers.

"I didn't know you liked this," Emma mused, smiling.

Regina shrugged.

"I'm sure there's a lot about me that would surprise you, Miss Swan."

"That's Sheriff Swan to you, Mayor Mills."

Emma grinned and looked over at her for a brief moment, then returned her eyes to the road.

"Alright. Sheriff Swan it is then."

The mayor smiled at the driver and looked backed down at the illuminated screen of the iPod, searching through the rest of the music.

When they reached Storybrooke, Emma opened the car door for her again and walked her up to the house. They stood awkwardly in the doorway until Emma finally spoke.

"So does this mean I get a second date, then?" Emma asked hopefully, trying to conceal her nervousness by sounding nonchalant, but truly afraid the answer would be 'no.'

"I... I would love that, Emma..."

The sheriff took a small step forward. Her muscles twitched and she started to reach up to give the woman a hug but decided against it. Fear of rejection held her back.

"I feel bad for leaving Henry here," Regina said.

"Well, why don't we give him something from the aquarium to let him know we were thinking about him?"

"Like what?" Regina asked sadly. "We've already left."

"Let's make him a book. He loves reading. If you write, I'll illustrate."

"I can't... I can't write..."

"Sure you can. You just need to use your imagination."

"I have none," Regina said, laughing lightly.

"Sure you do. Everyone does. You just have to find it, that's all."

"Alright," she sighed, still feeling unsure. "See you tomorrow night then?"

"Of course, madam. I'll be here straight away after work."

"That sounds great."

"You bring the art supplies?"

"Sure thing."

Emma smiled and returned to her car, pulling out of the driveway only after watching Regina turn and walk back into the house, shutting the door behind her.