Note: I do not own OUAT or its characters

Note 2: When I started this story I didn't really know what I was doing with it or if it would be a one-shot. But what can I say, readers send me compliments and I am easily swayed to keep writing.


Emma had offered to pick Sara up at her place, but the other woman had told her she would meet her. They were just having dinner at Granny's – unoriginal she knew, but she didn't want to go to a bar or anywhere that was crowded or noisy. This was her weekend to have Henry but he wanted to spend the night with a friend, so she allowed it.

She was dressed fairly casually mostly because she wasn't really sure what she was doing. When she had suggested they get together, she hadn't said the word date. Even though Sara liked women, Emma didn't want to assume that Sara thought this was a date. When they had spoken the first time they hadn't talked about their sexualities beyond Sara stating her preference.

Another reason she had chosen Granny's was because Ruby was working and she hoped Ruby might be able to observe and help her figure out if Sara indeed liked Emma in a more than friends kind of way. Ruby was one of the few people in two who knew Emma was bisexual. Her parents knew as well, as did Hook. She wasn't ashamed of it, but she also didn't feel any need to inform people. Ruby had figured it out on her own – much to Emma's embarrassment it was because Ruby had caught her checking out Regina more than a couple of times.

Hook, well she had slept with him, and she always believed in being honest with her sexual partners. That was a relationship that went no where, which is part of why she found Sara so intriguing – it had been a while since she was simply able to enjoy herself in another person's company.

She was already at Granny's, in the last booth for a little privacy when Sara came in. Emma stood so the other woman would see her. Sara smiled and walked over. Emma was glad to see that she too was dressed casually.

"Hi," Emma smiled.

"Hi."

They each took a seat and Ruby came over to get drink order from Sara, who ordered ice tea.

"Did you have to work today?" Emma asked.

"I did for a few hours this morning," she said. "Starfire, she's the horse whose stall I was cleaning the other day. She's been sick, and the vet came out this morning so I was there just to sort of keep her calm while he examined her. It's nothing serious and she should be ok in a week or so."

"That's good. Are you enjoying working there?"

Emma studied Sara as she seemed to consider how to answer the question. She had a thoughtful look on her face, but Emma also detected a hint of sadness.

"I am," Sara said finally. "It's different from back home, but I don't know, the sounds, the smell of stable they don't really change from place to place. There was a time when I sure I would never set foot in a stable again, but I have and I like that it feels familiar."

Emma didn't press on why she thought she wouldn't ever step foot in a stable again, sensing that it was maybe too personal of a question.

"By the way was the tour of the stables the other day?"

"I think we both know the only reason I was there was to track you down," Emma said, feeling a little more confident.

"You succeeded. Excellent detective work."

"The stables were the only thing I had to go on, but I've found people with less. I used to be a bail bondsman. When people jumped bail I would find them and return them."

"Did you enjoy that kind of work?"

"It wasn't bad. I mean you had to deal with some of the worst of humanity sometimes but that made it all the more satisfying when you caught them. There was this one case …"

They continued to sit there and talk, Emma telling some of her more amusing tales of from working as a bondsman. Sara would listen intently and never seemed bored as she would ask questions, or laugh – especially at the story where Emma had posed as a hooker to catch a guy. When she laughed Emma thought it sounded innocent – almost like a child and it made her smile.

At one point Emma glanced over at Ruby who gave her a thumbs up.

As Granny's was getting ready to close for the evening Emma walked Sara out to her car.

"I had a great time," Sara said as she stood next to her door.

"I did too," Emma said. "Would you like to do it again, say Wednesday night?"

"I can't on Wednesday," Sara said.

"Oh, you have to work?"

"Yeah," she said looking away. The real reason was she had promised Henry she would take him to see a movie that night. "Um … maybe we could do lunch though on Wednesday?"

"Sure," Emma said. "Lunch would be great."

Sara opened her car door and then turned to Emma again. She had her hand resting on the top of the car door and Emma could see her tattoo.

"I meant to ask you the other night, is there a significance to the tattoo?"

Sara looked at it, as if she had forgotten it was there. "Yes," she said. "But I don't think I am going to tell you. Not yet at least."

Emma looked at her questioningly.

"When you decide if you want to get together and talk, or if you want to ask me out on a date then I might tell you," Sara said and she leaned in and gave Emma a kiss on the cheek. "Something for you to think about."

Sara got into her car and drove off and Emma just stood there.

"You like her," Ruby said coming up behind her.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Completely," Ruby said.

Regina knocked on the office door before entering.

"Good afternoon," Archie said.

Regina took a seat on the couch.

"How have things gone since our last session?" he asked. "Did you do what we discussed?"

"I did," she said, before standing and walking to the window, looking out at it.

"I take it didn't go well."

"No, it went well, great actually. I took your advice, and I went out under a magical disguise to see what life might be like if I could just be me without people seeing me as Regina, the Evil Queen. And it was great," she said. "But I may have taken it too far."

"How so?"

"I met someone. Technically, I have met them before, but you know under this other persona I met them. Now I … I don't know what to do."