Emma and Mary Margaret arrived at Ruby's at 9pm on the dot. Emma was wearing a short, figure-hugging pink dress with black heels while Mary Margaret was in a black skater skirt with a blue blouse.
'Shit Emma! You look hot!' were the words that greeted the women as Ruby opened the door to her home. 'After all the jeans and vests I did not know you could dress like that!' Ruby's eyes raked up and down Emma's body.
'Careful Ruby, if you're not careful I might think you're flirting with me.' Emma winked 'Thanks though, I don't get dressed up often so thought I might as well go all out.' Ruby wrapped an arm around each woman and guided them into the house.
'M and M, you look good too, I mean you look married but you make it look good.'
Mary Margaret slaps her friend playfully on the arm. 'That's because I am married idiot! Anyway, at least I'm dressed.' Her eyes trace disapprovingly up and down Ruby's ensemble; short shorts, heels and a crop top.
'Hey come on Mary Margaret, Rubes looks great, and you know she's after that guy.'
'Which guy?'
'Oh, I don't know, whichever one she decided to like this week.' Emma threw a wink over her shoulder to Ruby. 'I'd like to think she knows by now that she has enough of a personality not to need to dress like that but' Emma turns her attention to Ruby 'if that's how you feel comfortable then we're okay with that. Aren't we Mary Margaret?' Mary Margaret ducked her head, feeling ashamed that someone she had known for barely two weeks seemed to understand her best friend better than she did.
'Yes we are, I'm sorry Rubes, you look great.'
'Where are the others?' Emma asked just as there was a knock at the door.
'Sounds like they just got here' Ruby opened the door to Ashley, Kathryn and Belle who were all dressed similarly to Ruby and Emma. Only Emma noticed as Mary Margaret popped a button on her blouse. She wrapped an arm around her friend and whispered 'You look great,' Mary Margaret leaned into her in thanks before they returned their attention to the other women who were discussing what drinking games they should play to get girls' night started.
'Never have I ever?' Ruby suggested.
A unanimous yes resounded from the other girls in the room. Ruby grabbed everyone a beer.
'Let's get started! Never have I ever fancied a girl.' Ruby stated, she, Emma and Belle all raised their bottles and clinked them together before taking a long swig. A knowing glance passed between Ruby and Mary Margaret as Emma swallowed.
'Never have I ever kissed a girl' Belle stated nervously flicking her eyes over to Ruby. This time it was Emma and Mary Margaret who shared a look. Emma and Ruby raised their drinks to their lips once again.
The game continued in a similar fashion for over an hour, the beers turned into tequila and everyone was more than a little drunk. Mary Margaret was the most drunk of all of them and it was she that asked the question that she and Ruby had been waiting all night to get to.
'Never have I ever wanted to kiss the mayor.' Everybody's glasses remained firmly on the floor. Kathryn laughed awkwardly as Mary Margaret and Ruby shared a confused glance.
'Great way to end the game M and M,' Emma laughs, 'On that note, shall we make our way to the streets of Storybrooke?'
Four of the six girls giggled their way out of Ruby's home. Mary Margaret and Ruby hung back to discuss Emma not drinking on the final question.
'Maybe we were wrong?' Mary Margaret asked.
'M and M, you can be so naïve sometimes. We are most definitely not wrong, Emma just hasn't worked it out yet. She's got some pretty high walls and I'm guessing they're there because someone hurt her in the past. She doesn't know that she likes Regina because she's forgotten what the difference is between love and friendship. To be honest, she may not ever have known.'
Mary Margaret looked sad for her friend, 'So what are we going to do?'
'I think that for tonight we're just going to have to give it up, we'll enjoy our night and from tomorrow we'll start on Operation Swan Queen.'
Mary Margaret linked her arm through Ruby's 'We'd better catch the others up then!' Both girls started chasing the others down the street, when they finally caught up with them they'd nearly reached The Rabbit Hole.
The six girls danced until their feet hurt, Ruby and Belle spent the night getting closer and closer to one another until they finally found a corner together and got lost in the feeling of the other. Emma and Mary Margaret shared a smile knowing that Ruby had waited for this for a very long time and that her dressing up had not been for men at all. Emma stifled a yawn and suggested to Mary Margaret, Ashley and Kathryn that it was time to head home. Ashley tapped Ruby on the shoulder to let them know they were leaving and smiled as Ruby grabbed Belle's hand and pulled her out of The Rabbit Hole after the rest of the girls. As they said their goodbyes Emma pulled Ashley into a hug but quickly pushed her away again, she did the same with Kathryn, Belle and Ruby. Finally she pulled Mary Margaret into a hug, she rubbed her hands up and down the woman's back but also pushed her away sighing in frustration.
'Not that we don't enjoy hugs Emma, but what the hell was that!?' Ruby asked, slurring her words slightly.
'I just needed a hug.'
'Well you got five but you didn't seem too happy about any of them.' Emma shrugged her shoulders and pulled Mary Margaret off in the direction of home.
'I guess we're off then girls,' Mary Margaret said with a laugh as she allowed herself to be pulled home by Emma.
Once they arrived at Mary Margaret's Emma flopped onto her bed, still wearing her dress and attempted to get some sleep. She soon realised that her attempts were in vain.
It was exactly 2am when Regina was pulled from her dreams by the buzzing of her phone. She moved her hand blindly to the bedside table and slid across the phone to answer the call without checking who it was.
'Hello?' Regina's voice was laced with sleep.
'Regiiiiinnnaaaaaaaa' Emma slurred.
'Emma, it's 2am, are you okay?'
'No.' Emma pouted at the phone. Regina sat a little straighter in bed.
'What's wrong?' Regina asked as she ran a hand through her hair. What could possibly be so wrong with the blonde at two in the morning when she'd just been out for a night with the girls? Regina started to panic as the other end of the phone remained silent. Finally she heard Emma let out a breath.
'I need a hug.'
'What?' Regina breathed a sigh of relief as she realised that this call was simply a drunk dial.
'A hug, I need one.'
'Miss Swan you are drunk, and on a work night no less. I'm sure Mary Margaret will give you a hug, she's like that.' Regina's mind reflected back to a different time when she and the petite brunette had not got along, to a time after Daniel and before Emma when Regina didn't get along with anyone. A pang of guilt passed through Regina as she remembered how the woman had tried to give her a hug and Regina had simply pushed her away.
'No, I tried her, and Ruby, and Kathryn, and Belle, and Ashley. They didn't fit me. Or I didn't fit them. I don't know.'
'Emma what are you babbling about?'
'You fit me.'
'What!?' Regina couldn't keep the smile out of her voice, but she hoped the blonde couldn't hear it.
'We hugged earlier, twice in fact. And we've hugged a few other times, after dinners and film nights and stuff. I know that you fit. I need a hug or I won't be able to sleep.'
Regina felt her heart skip as she realised what the blonde was asking. She knew the other woman was drunk however and probably wouldn't remember this in the morning. She wasn't ready to let her heart be broken again. 'Emma I am not coming over there to hug you. Even Henry doesn't need tucking in anymore.'
'Fine.' That pang of guilt rushed through Regina again as she realised she had upset the blonde; the last thing she had wanted to do.
'Oh Emma, don't be upset.'
'I'm not upset. I'm coming over.'
It was almost an hour later when Regina heard the knocking on her front door. She walked carefully down the stairs and opened the door to see Emma in a skin tight pink dress with killer heels that made her legs look even longer than usual. It took a minute for Regina to realise that the blonde was shivering. She stepped aside and let the blonde into the house before shutting and locking the door behind her.
'I was beginning to think that the alcohol had finally hit you and you'd fallen asleep. How did it take so long to get here? It's only a twenty minute walk!'
'My legs wouldn't go straight.' Emma dropped her head and her long hair hid her face.
'How much did you drink?'
'Ummm… A couple of beers and too much tequila.' Emma looked up at Regina 'I still need a hug. Please can I have a hug?' Emma walked towards Regina and attempted to wrap her arms around the brunette.
'Emma you're freezing. Come upstairs, I'll find you some warmer clothes. You're going to catch a death if you stay dressed like that much longer.'
Emma huffed, folded her arms and stayed planted to the spot, her lips in a pout. Regina looked around from the bottom of the stairs and found herself wanting to kiss that stupid look off that stupid face. More than anything she wanted to wrap her arms around the woman, but she knew she needed to be careful. For her sake and Emma's. She wasn't entirely sure that she'd be able to let go if she hugged Emma in that moment, not with her dressed like that.
'Let me give you some other clothes and then we can talk about that hug.' Emma grinned and followed Regina up the stairs.
Regina handed Emma some silk pyjamas, green ones that matched the blouse she borrowed from the woman when she first arrived in Storybrooke. Emma disappeared into the bathroom and quickly came back now wrapped in pyjamas. Her messed hair and slightly smudged make up had Regina wondering if this was what Emma looked like when she woke up in the morning. She tried to push the image to the back of her mind but found it nigh on impossible when the image was basically standing right in front of her.
'Now will you hug me?'
Regina opened her arms and Emma practically ran into the embrace nearly barrelling the two onto the bed. As Regina's arms wrapped around Emma's neck the blonde hummed happily into the brunette's hair. 'This is better. You fit.' Regina smiled and couldn't stop herself from stroking her hand through blonde curls, hardly believing that this was happening. She knew Emma was drunk and clearly just needed comfort but Regina would take what she could get.
'The guest bedroom is made up if you want to stay dear? You can't go all the way back to Mary Margaret's now.' Emma nodded.
'Okay, let me find you a toothbrush.' Regina extricated herself from the blonde's grasp and disappeared into the master bathroom. When she returned Regina found Emma asleep in the spot she had vacated when the blonde had finally arrived on her doorstep. Regina argued with herself for a couple of minutes, unsure whether she should leave the blonde there and sleep in the guest room herself or if she could just get into bed next to her.
'Friends can share beds.' She muttered as she made her decision and walked around to the other side of the bed. She lifted the duvet and slid in, careful not to move the bed too much or to get too close to the blonde.
Regina lay there for several minutes listening to the quiet sound of Emma's breathing; she had just begun to relax into sleep when the blonde rolled over. Regina's breath hitched as she felt a strong arm settle on her abdomen, she tried to roll away, unsure of exactly how she felt about this position. More than anything she wanted to cuddle up to the blonde but she knew Emma was drunk and that this behaviour was most likely a result of that. She tried to ignore the nagging in her mind that told her that drunk actions speak sober thoughts. As she rolled however the arm simply wrapped itself more firmly around her and she felt the blonde settle into her back. As blonde hair spilled over her shoulder Regina realised that Emma had nestled her head into her neck. Regina decided in that moment to simply accept the comfort now and deal with the consequences when they occurred. She moved her arm down to rest over Emma's and held her close, intertwining their fingers for the second time that day.
'Good night Emma' Regina whispered into the darkness.
'Night Gina, you're the best. You fit. We fit.'
'Yes, we do' Regina smiled and drifted into a happy sleep.
A/N: So drunk Emma seems to be a little closer to realising her feelings than sober Emma but she's still not quite there. Someone is going to give her a push in the right direction soon!
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