A/N: Again many thanks to my beta eSQuses, this story would not look so good without her. I apologize for the long wait on this chapter. My life is so hectic that as soon as I get home all I want to do is sleep, so writing was slow. Currently working on an update to "The Deputy" as well, I think that will be updated next.

Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you think. See if you catch Easter eggs. They're obvious.


Emma looks at her reflection in the mirror. She's wearing a white chiffon ball gown with golden accents around the middle and the shoulder straps. Simple, yet very elegant. If she's honest with herself, the dress is a bit unconventional for her status as princess of the White Kingdom, but she can't seem to care. After all, it's a masked ball, and no one will know who she is. Nevertheless, she's bound to attract a few stares.

She doesn't hate balls. In fact, she quite likes them. Sure, she loves adventure and sword fighting more, but balls are not bad. They're just another aspect of her life, and she has fond memories of them. Her dad always insists they dance. In any case, they're more fun than most political meetings. She's had to be in a few of those, and it's not an exaggeration to say she would rather watch paint dry. Maybe her significant other will have an inclination towards these types of gatherings and Emma will be lucky to skip them. Her thoughts drift to Regina, and she wonders if Regina likes these things. Has she ever been to any?

She doesn't even know what Regina does for a living. Is she an outlaw using magic to escape palace guards? A magic user in hiding, working as a shop keeper? Maybe she works at the Palace as a magic guardian or something similar. No, not that. She's far too refined for that. In fact, she's far too refined to be an outlaw unless she's a rich person who becomes an outlaw to help people, wearing a mask and a cape and…oh, she'll have to find some court gossip to hear if there are any outlaws in the Golden Kingdom.

"Are you ready?" her mother asks, entering the room and thus putting an end to her fantasies about Regina.

"Yes."

"You look beautiful. You'll be the centre of attention again. Everyone will want to dance with you, I'm sure of it," Snow tells her.

"Doubt it, it's not like I wear a sign that says Princess Emma."

Emma almost feels the need to roll her eyes at her mother. It's clear she's irritated and that's not ok. So maybe she's a bit grouchy. Her fantasy about masked outlaw Regina got interrupted. And maybe had it not been for this ball, she could have met Regina. In a way her grouchiness feels justified, but she tries to tell herself she can continue the fantasy after the ball, and she'll see Regina tomorrow evening. Besides, this ball has been planned months in advance, so she needs to sort out her priorities.

"I'm sorry," and she knows she means it. Just because she's moody doesn't mean she has to take it out on others.

"Are you not feeling well?" her mother asks, concerned.

"I'm fine. Really I am. I don't even know why I said it the way I did."

"Oh, ok," her mother says looking at her, "Well, I'll head down now. You father is waiting for me. We will make our way down to the ball room in a few minutes."

"I'll join you shortly."

"Ok. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll have plenty of fun, and who knows maybe you'll meet someone you like," her mother smiles genuinely, and so full of hope. If she only knew. But, the sudden talk about finding someone has Emma on edge. This topic never came out of the blue like this, and never before a ball where people from various kingdoms were invited. Something is definitely up.

"Ok, what's going on?"

"Nothing. I'm just saying if you find someone you like, feel free to dance with them a few times like say three songs, maybe more."

"Ok, this is weird. What's going on?"

"Nothing, honey. I'm just giving you suggestions. It's a masked ball, so there's no pressure to change partners and please everyone if you like dancing with someone," Snow says, beaming a smile at Emma.

"Ok, I will," Emma gives a smile of her own, but it's all for show. Now she's suspicious. Is she trying to match make her with someone? Did she ask someone to approach her and dance with her in some political game? Her thoughts go to the discussion she overheard just a few days ago. As if she'll let herself be trapped by whatever plan her mother has. Suddenly the ball doesn't look so great.

After her mother leaves the room, Emma heads towards the table where she keeps the teddy bear with the rose Regina gave her on their date. She has preserved the rose with magic, not wanting it to wilt. She takes the rose and smells it, hugging the teddy bear to her chest, wishing for the hundredth time that evening that she could be with Regina, instead of here. Maybe she should run, but their meeting is not for another day, and she has no idea where to find Regina.


"How did it go? Did you tell her?"

"We are under oath. I can't tell her outright, but I did throw some hints."

"Good. I hope she listens to us this time."

"I hope so too. It's our only chance to make it right by her."


Emma is approaching the stairs to the ball room, her mask securely in place. The ball is in full swing, and almost everyone is dancing. Her mother went all out. It seems like she invited people from all the kingdoms judging by the dress styles. Also, her mother could not be more transparent if she tried. Telling her about meeting someone special, and then on purpose inviting all nobility from all kingdoms. Well, all but one. So much for negotiations.

Taking a deep breath, she starts to descent the stairs. As she reaches the bottom of the stairs, she sees someone come in front of her, hand stretched out towards Emma. Oh, great. One of her mother's set-ups no doubt.

"May I have this dance?"

It can't be. She just heard Regina's voice. She must be imagining things. Her brain has somehow given up on her and decided to create a new reality, a reality where Regina is asking her to a dance. Might as well let the fantasy continue.

"Of course," and Emma is extending her hand. As soon as they touch however, Emma is enveloped in the same warmth she's come to associate with Regina. There's no way her brain would be able to mimic that feeling. That's definitely Regina.

"Regina, how did you…" make it, or get here? They're all valid questions, but there's not much she can say, because she's overwhelmed with happiness. Regina is leading her to the dance floor, and soon they start to move in sync with the music.

"You're not the only one skilful when it comes to sneaking out. In fact, I would say I did a better job than certain people," and she just smirks at Emma, "…and I wanted to see you."

Oh, Regina can be smug, Emma is well aware of that, but she's also very sweet, and makes these small gestures that show she cares for Emma.

"I'm glad you came."

They continue to move in sync with the music. Regina is not standing out at all and, unlike Emma, she wears a generic red dress with a mask made out of red feathers that would make her fit right at home if she were part of the Fire Kingdom. She can't say Regina is not skilful. That lady by day, outlaw by night, fantasy seems to take shape into reality. Maybe Regina will sweep in on a horse, and take her on an adventure. She imagines Regina dressed all in black, cape and mask on, riding on a dark horse coming to pick up Emma, who will climb down a window, and they'll ride in the moonlight, trying to avoid palace guards…

"What are you thinking about?"

"Hmm?"

"I was just wondering what you're thinking about. You have this faraway content look."

Emma just looks into Regina's eyes, her smile becoming bigger.

"Us. I was thinking about us"

"What about it?"

"Umm, it's silly," Emma is quite embarrassed to admit her daydream.

"I'm sure it's not silly, and now you also have me quite curious."

"I was," Emma looks down, embarrassed, "I was thinking that maybe we could go riding, like we could ride together," a small pause, and Emma's face is all red, "ride together on the same horse."

Just then the music ends, but Regina has no intention of letting go of Emma.

"I see."

"Told you it's silly."

Regina grabs Emma's chin, and lifts her head up so they can look into each other's eyes, "Emma, I like this. I don't think it's silly at all. I love horses very much, so your idea is not silly at all. Not to me."

Emma is genuinely happy Regina loves the idea. She's genuinely happy Regina is so nice. At the same time, she's mesmerised by Regina's eyes. She tries to move her gaze to a safer place, but it somehow ends on Regina's lips, and Emma just swallows. It was possibly an even worse spot her eyes could have landed on, yet somehow she ends up looking in Regina's eyes again, as she's slowly inching closer to Regina's lips, just a fraction closer, and Regina appears to maybe, perhaps, also lean into Emma. The little bubble they've created around themselves is burst by the music starting again, and both remembering they're on the dance floor.

"May I have another dance with you, Emma?"

"Yes, you may."

"Thank you," and they sway again to the sound of the music.

Emma is pretty much aware of the fact that she never wants to let go of Regina's hand, or be separated from her for too long. At least they're meeting tomorrow, but now she realises she has a problem. Would they be able to see each other daily? She doesn't know if she'll be able to be away from Regina for too long. Maybe she should discuss this with Regina. Not that there's a nice way to tell someone you need to see them as much as possible when you've only just met them.

"Regina?"

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if," but Emma doesn't manage to finish her sentence, as she catches a glimpse of her parents with huge grins on their faces. She remembers her mother's vague speech about 'if you like someone at the ball dance three times with them,' and all thoughts about dates, and romantic rides disappear. Did her mom set this all up? What if everything was a setup? Meeting Regina, Regina at the ball waiting for her to ascend, and asking her for a dance.

"Emma, are you ok?"

"Yes. I'm fine. Can you meet me down in the gardens after the music is over? Please?" and Emma turns and goes towards the exit of the ballroom, leaving a confused Regina behind.

Regina just glimpses in the direction Emma looked. She sees two people, a woman and a man, not dancing, looking at her, and she wondered what about them frazzled Emma so much. With the masks on it was hard to tell who they were, and although her magic would allow her to see, she wasn't about to use it.


She finds Emma sitting by a fountain in the garden, far away from the ballroom. Despite this, Regina was able to find Emma, and this intrigued her quite a bit. It was as if they had a magnetic pull towards one another, even when they were just two strangers.

"Emma, are you all right?"

Emma looks up at Regina, her brows furrowed and eyes narrowed, almost as if she's scrutinizing Regina.

"I'm fine."

Regina just rolls her eyes.

"You are clearly not fine. You left in a hurry in the middle of the dance."

Emma's eyes narrow considerably, suspicion evident in her features.

"How did you get into the ball? They have high security. And masked ball or not, there were invitations, how did you get one?"

"I got an invitation from someone. What does this have to do with anything?"

"Did my parents put you up to this? Did they pay you to invite me to dance?" Emma now has to fight tears. Has her meeting with Regina been arranged by her parents?

"What?" Regina is quite shocked, and has no idea where any of that is coming from.

"Pay me? Pay me for what?"

"Well, maybe they didn't pay you. Maybe they promised you safety as a magic user. I don't know."

Emma is starting to cry, and getting quite frazzled by the minute.

"You think your parents paid me to spend time with you? Is this what this is about?"

"I don't know. You tell me. Did they?"

Regina is now getting frustrated, and she feels her own anger rise at being falsely accused. She closes her eyes, and starts to count to ten to calm herself. For some odd reason she cares for Emma and would not want to ruin what they built in such a short time. Emma still doesn't trust her completely. She wants to tell Emma who she is, but she's afraid this will ruin what they have. Given the circumstances Emma will definitely look at it as a set-up now.

Still, she won't leave Emma completely in the dark. She pulls out a white invitation card, addressed to one of the princesses of the Fire Kingdom.

"Here. This is how I managed to get in."

Emma glimpses at the card. She reads who it is for and, ok, maybe she went over the top in her reaction.

"How did you get this?"

"She owed me a favour. I cashed it in."

"Oh," and Emma feels a pang of sadness, masked vigilante Regina might not be a reality. But shop owner Regina with magical abilities might be, not as cool, but not bad either.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, there's not much else I can say except that, and I'm sorry I overreacted. It's just, I don't know my mother weirded me out tonight. She gave me the impression she was trying to match make me."

"Oh," and it makes a lot of sense to Regina. She would react similar, if not worse, if she ever found herself forced to be with someone she didn't like. But nobility usually sacrifice love for money and alliances, so it's fair to say Emma is afraid of a very possible reality.

"Regina, may I ask you something, and do you promise to tell me the truth?"

"Yes, you may, as for the answer, it depends on the question."

"What's the source of your magic?"

"The source of my magic?" Regina looks into Emma's eyes, trying to find the intention behind the question. This is potentially very dangerous for both of them. She can see sincerity in Emma's eyes, but even so she can't tell Emma what the source of her magic is. That could potentially cost Regina more than she's willing to pay, even if it's for Emma.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that, Emma."

"Thought as much."

"Don't get me wrong, I wish I could tell you, but I can't. It's too dangerous, and it could potentially endanger many if the truth came out. I'm sorry, I hope you understand."

"I… I'll try."

"I can, however, show you a neat trick I know"

"Ok, show me," then Emma realises that they're not in the Golden Kingdom anymore, so someone might feel Regina's magic, "wait, will people catch on that you're using magic?"

"I'll only use a small amount. Given the amount of royalty at this ball, I doubt my little trick will be noticed."

And, with that, Regina extends her right hand, so that her palm rests on Emma's chest. Her other hand is touching the water in the fountain. Emma's heart starts to beat a lot faster. She's heard of people with dark magic, who will rip out people's hearts to control or kill them. Will Regina do that? Is she that type of person?

"Are you afraid?" Regina feels Emma's heartbeat increase, and so it's a logical question.

"Of you? Sometimes. When my thoughts catch up with me, but most of the time, no I am not."

Regina clearly looks crestfallen at Emma's admission.

"Why? Why are you afraid?"

"I don't know you too well. You are a mystery to me. One I can't wrap my head around. I'm usually a really good judge of character and people don't usually fool me. Yet you're a mystery. Not in the sense that you lie or that you fool me. It's just there's something about you, something more than meets the eye and when I ponder about these things, I'm afraid. Afraid you might harm me, or use me to gain something, that you do not care about me. We've just met, and I feel a lot of things, and they are conflicting. You're like an unknown quantity to me, and yet I want to be with you so bad, and I want to trust you, but I do not know much about you. And so often I wonder, why me? Why did you pick me to spend time with? Why me?"

"I don't know. I just knew I wanted to be near you."

"The first time we met, you said you didn't follow me around the market."

"And that is the truth. I didn't follow you around, nor did I look for you. I was too lost in my own thoughts, and somehow I kept bumping into you."

Regina is looking so hopeful at Emma, silently begging Emma to believe her. Emma, for her part, just gets closer to Regina. She cups Regina's face with both hands, and starts to caress Regina's cheeks.

"That day, when I first saw you at the market, I was fascinated by you. Even if I only caught a glimpse of you, you were all I could think of. I didn't think much of it, except I knew I wanted to see you again. I always want to see you, be near you. And, Regina, it terrifies me because I've never felt this way before, ever."

"Emma…"

"There's dark magic in this world, and for all I know you could be one of them, and yet here am I wanting to spend more and more time with you."

Regina lifts her hand that's on Emma's chest, and then grabs one of Emma's hands, and guides it above her own heart. She then looks into Emma's eyes,

"When I met you, I realised for the first time that there is a hole in my heart. That hole is only filled when I'm around you. I probably always had it, but it never disturbed me because that's all I knew, an empty hole. Then I met you, on that fateful afternoon, and I have never been the same."

Emma's eyes start to water at that admission. Regina is basically describing what Emma herself has been feeling.

"… and when I got home that evening, all I could think of was 'I need to see her again, I can't wait to see her again, why do I have to wait for so long.' This scared me, Emma. I had, I have no idea why I feel this way. I don't know who to ask, and it's practically insane that I'm telling you all of this. I can't bring myself to tell anyone any of this, yet with you, I feel like I can trust you on so many things."

Emma is overwhelmed, because Regina is describing exactly what she's feeling. Emma herself has that irrational sense of longing and of trust, and she doesn't know what to do about it either, or who to tell.

"Regina, I'm… I…" but Emma is just speechless so she gives up trying to say anything. She just smiles at Regina, and Regina smiles back.

"Emma, may I kiss you?"

"Yes," but she doesn't wait for Regina to close the gap, and she leans in herself, meeting Regina halfway somehow meets her halfway. And when their lips touch there's an explosion of colour in a grey world, and time seems to stand still, and it's just them and no one else in the world. The kiss doesn't last long, and they break apart, foreheads touching and they both smile, and they feel so relived. Then Emma leans in for another kiss, and Regina instantly responds back.

"I wanted to do that since I first bumped into you," Emma says, after they break for air.

"Did you?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you have very kissable lips."

Regina starts to give a hearty laugh at that, smugly smirking at Emma.

"Wow, seems that your filter is gone," Emma just rolls her eyes.

"You have no idea what I'm capable of."

"Is that a warning?"

"Perhaps," Emma says, linking her arms around Regina's neck, "or perhaps it's a promise"

"I like the sound of that," and with that, Regina closes the gap, kissing Emma again.


"So, what was the little trick you planned to show me? That is, if you haven't already displayed it."

They're still sitting by the edge of the fountain, masks discarded a long time ago, and the ball all but forgotten.

"Oh, that. Wait, what do you mean 'already displayed it?'"

"Just that I had no filter on what I was telling you when you kept your hand above my heart and then vice-versa?"

Regina just blinks in confusion. She did not think of that.

"Oh. I see. But, no. That, I don't know what that was. I don't think it was magic. The trick I was about to show it's - well, a bit unique you could say. You have to trust me. Do you trust me?"

"I… yes, I do," Emma is now more confident. She trusts Regina, more that she did, and her fear of Regina hurting her has all but evaporated.

"Ok. So… I'll need to…" Regina awkwardly extends her had towards Emma's chest, "I need to touch you so that I keep my magic to a minimum. And I'll use the water as a reflective surface, also to keep magic to a minimum. I know it's weird, but…"

"It's fine. I don't mind."

"Ok. So, in summary, when I touch someone I can see glimpses of their hopes, dreams, fears things like that. Like for example what you were daydreaming about when we danced."

"Ummm, ok," and Emma is beet red.

"Is this the part where I have no idea what you're capable of, and your lack of filter come into play?" Regina asks teasingly, seeing how red Emma's face became.

"What? No. It was silly. Really. Please don't laugh."

"Ok," but Regina is not convinced now, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. It's ok, I guess."

"Emma, if you're not ok, I will not… " Regina asks, removing her hand, but Emma is faster and keeps it in place.

"No, it's fine. It's just something silly."

"Ok, are you sure though?"

"Yes."

"Ok. Here we go."

And an image materialises of a person dressed in black, wearing a mask and a cape, riding a horse, and picking Emma up, and they ride together on the horse. Emma sitting in front, and they ride by a lake, illuminated by the moonlight.

Regina frowns. Who is that? She's already feeling jealous however, she won't invade Emma's privacy further to find the identity of that person. If Emma wants to tell her, it's another matter.

"Told you, it's silly," Emma says, not meeting Regina's eyes.

"Who was that? If you don't mind me asking?"

Emma's face became even more red if that was possible, and Regina wonders if people could faint from embarrassment.

"Umm, please don't laugh," she takes a deep breath, and refuses to meet Regina's eyes, "That was you."

"Me?" that certainly was not what Regina expected.

"Yes, well I don't know what you do for a living, so I tried to guess. I settled on you being a noblewoman who is a masked vigilante by night," and Emma looks down at her feet, her face beet red.

"Really?"

"Yes, I told you, it's silly."

Regina, however, is smiling, and she has the biggest grin on her face. She grabs Emma's face, and schools her features in a very serious expression. She lifts Emma's head, and looks her in the eye.

"For future reference, I would not wear a cape for those activities. It's not practical. Imagine me trying to run, and getting my cape stuck in a door. And Rocinante is brown, not black."

Regina smiles, and winks at Emma. It takes Emma a few seconds to register what Regina said, and a matching grin adorns her own face.

"But a cape would be sexy. Sitting in a tree, making a speech, cape blowing in the wind."

Regina just lifts an eyebrow at Emma, but then they both burst laughing.

"We should probably head back in. You still owe me half a dance."

Regina picks up her mask to put it on, and turns towards Emma, "We should probably go separate. I'll go back I first than you can follow a bit later."

Regina then turns to leave, but Emma grabs her hand, spins her around, and kisses her again.

"I'll see you in a bit."


Emma waits for a few minutes when she's interrupted by someone.

"Emma, there you are. I've been looking for you. Why were you hiding out here? I thought you wanted this ball."

"Mom? What are you doing here?"

"I saw you leave mid-dance and, well, you never came back to the ball."

"I'm about to go back. I just wanted a small break, but it seems I lost track of time."

"Emma, the ball is over. Honestly, you could have just said you didn't want to participate," her mother says, looking at her with an incredulous look.

"What?" there's no way they lost track of time like this.

"The ball finished not long ago. People are beginning to leave. You can't be serious that you've just lost track of time. What were you doing out here anyway?"

"I just came out for a bit of fresh air, and I just lost track of time. I seriously didn't realise the ball was over."

Her mother looks so crestfallen. Oh well, seems her mother's matchmaking plan failed, so at least that's a win. Plus, she spent all that time with Regina. She's not sorry for any of that.

"Do you mind if I retire for the night?"

"No, it's fine. Go."

Her mother looks really sad, almost as if she's about to cry, and Emma just feels a pang of sadness for her mother, but she needs to get away from her. She has more pressing matters now, like where is Regina. Did she just leave? She didn't even get a kiss goodnight.


She couldn't locate Regina anywhere near the ballroom, or in it for that matter. The grounds were cleared quite fast, as if there was never a ball. Magic, not that she's surprised in the least. Her parents usually help clean after balls like this by using magic to speed things up.

Emma is feeling quite dejected, and upset she goes up to her room. It's late, and she should go to bed. The room however feels stuffy, and she knows she won't be able to sleep. With that in mind, she decides to go to the balcony to get some fresh air. As she looks towards the gardens she sees a person dressed in red approach the balcony.

"Regina!" Emma all but shouts. Regina flinches and looks around. It would be a disaster if the guards were alerted.

"Shh, you'll alert the guards. I didn't successfully hide just for you to alert them of my presence. Help me up."

"What?"

"Help me get to the balcony, or get down here."

"Oh, bossy," Emma says with a grin, and uses her magic to teleport Regina to the balcony.

"Bossy?"

"Yeah, it seems that way," Emma says with a grin, while leaning in and kissing Regina, "How come you're still here?"

"I couldn't leave without saying goodbye."

"I'm glad you stuck around," a beat passes, "How did you know where to wait for me?"

"I don't know. I just know I can always tell where you are. It's weird."

"Hmm, so if I get lost you will always find me. I like that."

Regina leans in to steal another kiss from Emma. She can never have enough of Emma, and by Emma's response to the kiss it seems the feeling is mutual.

"Seems that my masked vigilante fantasy is getting destroyed in front of my very eyes," Emma says as they break the kiss.

"How come?"

Regina has to wonder if Emma's just throwing a not so subtle hint at Regina to come clean about her area of work.

"Well, I had to help you up here."

"I can hardly get up on this balcony in my dress."

"See? My point exactly. You would have your costume secretly stashed somewhere, or you would already wear it."

"And my point stands that a cape would be incredibly impractical in most situations including when trying to hide a vigilante costume."

Emma just rolls her eyes.

"You're not going to let it go are you?" Regina asks.

"No. Not convinced. Although I will concede the point that you would look amazing in anything or nothing if you so wanted," and Emma just clasps a hand over her mouth. She did not just say that, did she? Regina looks just as shocked, but recovers quickly.

"I think your lack of filter is starting to grow on me."

Too quickly, in fact, as Emma's brain is still scrambled, "In any case I should go. Are we still meeting tomorrow?"

"Are you leaving? I'm so sorry I didn't…" Regina silences her by putting her index finger on her lips.

"This is not why I'm leaving. I've been gone for quite a long time, and I should get back before it becomes a problem. I lost track of time. I always do when I'm with you for some reason. I just couldn't leave like that. I had to see you for a goodnight kiss."

"Thank you for not leaving without a goodnight kiss. I would have been quite upset if you did," Emma says, wrapping her arms around Regina's neck and leaning in to get one last kiss for the night.

"Sleep tight, Emma, and see you at the border line tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Regina."

Emma waves her hand, and transports Regina to the ground. Regina looks up to where Emma is before she makes a run for the border. When she can no longer see Regina's silhouette, she turns to go back in her room, and go to bed. On her way to the bed, she picks the teddy bear and she falls asleep hugging it to her chest, dreaming of finishing that dance with Regina, and then having another and another.