The fluorescent light flickered to life with a quiet click and low hum . Illuminating the shelves inside. An edible trophy case, showing what it had to offer. Cool air filtered out and caressed the brunette's face, and she sighed in return as her eyes went to the transparent plastic tub that sat in the middle of the top shelf. Right where she'd put it two days ago. The rest of the contents in the fridge were ignored. Overlooked as she focused solely on the tub, unable to reach for it. Sure that she didn't deserve to even possess it. Drawn to it all the same. A beacon that taunted her. The longer she gazed at it the more she didn't see it. Replaced by the images in her mind. Furious green eyes that widened in pain. Her stomach no longer felt empty. It felt heavy and weighed down with cold stones.

"Eat it." A familiar voice stated behind her in exasperation.

Regina felt herself frown as her back tensed. The fingers of her right hand curled tighter around the handle of the door until her knuckles turned white. "No." The word fell from her lips to land flat on the floor at her feet.

"If you don't eat it then you'll need to throw it out, and that's just a waste." Reasoned Tracy as she walked around to peer over her friend's shoulder. Truth be told she couldn't work out what the big deal was, and it showed as she turned to eye the brunette suspiciously.

Silence lingered as Regina continued to stare at the tub. After a moment, she sucked in a deep breath and spat out tersely, "I can't." As if just saying those two words were offensive. Some sort of weakness that she felt loathe to admit out loud. Even to herself.

Tracy narrowed her eyes and shifted to lean on the other side of the fridge to really look at Regina. Something had been going on with her the whole day. The brunette had been present physically but mentally it felt like she'd been elsewhere and this? This was starting to get weird, even for her. "What do you mean you can't?"

Dark eyes rolled as Regina heaved out a sigh and forced herself to look at her friend for a split second. "Physically yes, of course I can." The brunette shook her head and redirected her gaze back to the top shelf. Back to the container. Did she really have to clarify what she meant? Wasn't it obvious already? "I mean I don't want it right now. I'm not in the mood for something sweet."

"That's horse shit." Tracy snorted derisively.

One haughty eyebrow lifted as Regina turned slowly to scowl at the blonde. "Excuse me?"

"Regina take a look at the island." Tracy pointed behind her with a look that said she wasn't to be tested and waited until brunette turned her attention to it before she continued. "See the two packs of hot tamales, the milk duds and the bowl of popcorn? Those are not savoury snacks."

The muscles in Regina's jaw twitched as she clenched her teeth. She was all too aware of what they had selected to take back into the living room with them. After all, it had been her own idea to pause the game to get something sugary, preferably covered in chocolate. "Exactly." She stated, then sniffed as she brought her dark gaze to Tracy. Automatically she changed tactics and offered a small smile. "I don't need any more sugar. Neither do you or we'll end up in a coma."

Tracy raised both hands to wave around like a wild magician that had forgotten the next trick. The blonde sputtered out, "Beside the point." Only to shake her head in annoyance. This wasn't about sugar. It wasn't about food at all. Which left very few options considering they both knew where the damn thing came from and one of them seemed hell bent on avoiding that fact.

Regina merely blinked. Content to feign ignorance as she kept her mask up, and replied coolly, "Care to enlighten me?" In a way that suggested she was conversing with a simpleton. Insults were a good defence, providing the person had no idea that's what they were. Unfortunately she knew her friend would see through it, but still, better to appear normal than unusual.

Tracy took a moment to just run her fingers through her hair as she deflected the barb. It granted several seconds in which she had the chance to compose herself, and form exactly what she had wanted to say, since the last time they'd came in to get soda. "Every single time we come into the kitchen you open the fridge and just stand there, staring at the stupid pastry like it's about to come to life and tell you the future. You're well on your way to either making it a shrine or shaking it like a magic eight ball, and I'm not sure which is worse."

"You're being over dramatic. I do not stand and stare at it every time we come in here." The lie sounded rational. It tasted sane on her tongue and Regina smiled in that pleased way that could mean anything from 'I'm genuinely happy' to 'any second now I'm going to make you swallow your own teeth'.

Tracy stood her ground and went so far as to raise her chin slightly to prove that she had no intentions of being swayed. "Yes. You do. I just don't know why. What's the big deal? You like apple. Is it too good to eat, or do you actually think she spat in it or something disgusting like that?"

"I know that." Regina snapped then pressed her lips together and closed her eyes to save herself the trouble of rolling them. With a deep breath she opened her eyes again to glance at Tracy and stated lightly, "I am aware of things I do and do not like, thank you very much."

Tracy returned the haughty gaze head on. When she spoke her tone was firm as she pointed towards the tub. "Then either eat it or name it because sooner or later it'll sprout legs and walk out of here on its own."

Regina's features shifted in disgust as she gazed at the tub warily. Perhaps it would keep in the freezer. Though, it ran the risk of being found by Cora, who would no doubt assume it was a sign of guilt. "Well, now I've lost my appetite entirely."

Tracy held one hand up as if to shush her friend. Then the blonde cocked her head and brought her hand over to her ear as she whispered, "Do you hear that?"

On impulse Regina leaned towards her friend and dropped her voice too. "Hear what?"

"The sound of me not believing a single thing you say!" Tracy all but boomed dramatically in the otherwise silent kitchen. The brief flash of shock on Regina's face had been worth the increased volume and she grinned at the brunette.

"I don't own enough pain killers to counter the migraine you're going to give me." Regina sighed back, already tired of the conversation and yet smart enough to know it had only just begun.

"Good." Announced Tracy, with a look of pride that she knew her friend would silently applaud. "It'll teach you not to be so stubborn."

"Oh please." Scoffed Regina as she flipped her hair out of her vision, "I'll only be more stubborn to spite you."

"Finally some truth." Tracy sassed back with a pleased smile of her own. Though it didn't last long as she frowned and attempted to shoo her friend away from the fridge by waving her hands. "Get out of the way."

"Very funny." Regina replied dryly with a roll of her eyes. On the surface she looked aggravated but under it she quietly enjoyed the way they could banter together. Harsh words were never actually harsh words, not between the two of them. Which baffled anyone who overheard them bicker at school. Without moving so much as an inch, Regina narrowed her eyes suspiciously to query, "Why do I need to move?"

Tracy exhaled a sigh so weary it was a wonder that she remained standing. "I'm sick of catching you with your head in the fridge so I'm going to throw it out." The look she added to accompany her tone suggested a silent duh.

"What?" Startled, Regina promptly slammed the fridge door shut and stepped in front of it to block her friend. "Absolutely not!"

Tracy's frown transformed into a triumphant smile as she witnessed how quickly the brunette moved to guard it. "So you do want to eat it." She laughed, evidently pleased at her own tricks to weasel the truth out of her friend. Sometimes it had to be done. She didn't always have the patience to pull teeth.

"No. I don't." Regina enunciated slowly and crossed her arms over her chest. Damn it, why hadn't she realised it had been a ruse? Probably because she hadn't been thinking clearly. Which had everything to do with low blood sugar and nothing at all to do with anyone else. If she said it enough in her head she might even start to believe it.

One golden eyebrow quirked. "But it means something to you." Tracy spoke just as slowly. Grin still in place as she dared the brunette to deny what was abundantly obvious now.

Regina sniffed and brought her right hand up to brush through her dark hair as she muttered dismissively, "I never said that either."

Oh, she wasn't about to let the brunette play it down. The blonde was on to something here and she was pretty sure she knew the answer already. However, such opportunities to tease Regina were few and far between and she planned to get as much use out of it as she could. Tracy regarded her friend a moment longer then said rather deadpan, "Do us both a favour and just take a picture of the damn thing then."

Regina's gaze shifted towards the popcorn while she pursed her lips just enough for her chin to jut out like a stubborn child. She wanted to say something witty or cutting, preferably both, but all it took was three seconds for her neck to warm and by then she couldn't focus on anything else.

"You've got to be kidding." Tracy's jaw dropped slightly from a mixture of amusement and surprise and she shook her head. Silent laughter caused her shoulders to shake as she prompted, "You already took one, didn't you?"

Regina released a huff of breath through her nose and shot her friend a dirty look. "Stop being so callow." She chided, not nearly as forcefully as she'd hoped. "Come on." She waved towards their snacks absently. "The game isn't going to play itself."

"Oh we'll get back to that in a minute." No way were they going anywhere after that kind of information. Everything had just started to make a hell of a lot of sense. It was right in front of Regina's face but as usual it appeared that her friend refused to acknowledge the obvious. Rather, she was going out of her way to ignore it as best she could. Time to put an end to that. Tracy's eyes sparkled with mischief as she inquired not so innocently, "What's so special about the danish that it can't be eaten or thrown out? Does it grant wishes? Are you going to plant it in the hope that it'll grow?"

"There's nothing special about it!" Regina realised belatedly that her voice had gone dangerously close to being as shrill as it ever got, and she forced herself to walk around the kitchen island to pour a glass of water. The brunette took her time, and went so far as to sip at it repeatedly, until she felt herself relax enough to face her friend currently still watching her. "Now…" She sighed, and set the half empty glass back on the counter. "Can we please go back into the living room?"

"Well since you asked so nicely… No!" Tracy made herself comfortable by leaning against the island to rest her forearms around the bowl of popcorn. It wasn't a possessive gesture so much as one that made it clear they weren't finished talking yet. "You've been acting weird all day and I've let it go, but this is strange even for you."

"I don't have to justify my behaviour to you." Regina all but snarled out, instantly offended. "Furthermore, I have not been acting weird." Had she been? And just not noticed? What exactly had she done that she couldn't remember? Nothing. Regina shook away the doubt to finish with a nod of self-assurance, "I've been perfectly fine."

"Oh really?" Tracy asked rhetorically. The fact that her friend looked genuinely puzzled made her want to laugh but she knew that would end badly. Instead she kept her face as blank as she could and carried on. "So avoiding the cafeteria at lunch to walk around the school grounds is normal then, is it?"

"Exercise is important." Regina didn't even hesitate as the words left her mouth. A pre-prepared excuse formed at the time. "Especially since we both knew we'd be eating our body weight in junk and binge playing video games until our eyes bleed."

"Really." Tracy arched her eyebrows and let the corners of her mouth curve up in amusement. "That's what you're going with?"

Where exactly did Tracy plan to go with this? Why even bother to bring it up now, hours later? A quick glance at the clock confirmed that it was close to midnight. Confused, Regina narrowed her eyes and shrugged. "Do you grudge going for a walk?"

"It was raining!" They'd been the only two wandering around in it while everyone else had either gone inside or sought shelter under archways leading to different parts of the building. It hadn't really bothered Tracy beyond the initial chill the breeze had brought with it, she had no desire to tell Regina that, it would ruin the fun she was currently having. "Okay fine. What about our study period? Explain that to me."

Regina's brows furrowed as she thought back to their free period and she came up blank. "I don't understand." She finally admitted. "We didn't do anything."

"Yeah exactly. We never just sit in the class. You weren't even drawing. You just sat there for the whole period barely saying a word." Tracy watched the array of emotions wash across Regina's features and grinned as the cogs in her friends head began to turn. There it was, the spark of realisation in dark eyes. The truth behind her actions that she fought so hard to conceal.

It slowly dawned on Regina where her mind had been during that class. She hadn't noticed how much time had passed until the moment the bell rang. Almost an entire hour wasted. Lost in thought about the one person she'd worked so hard to keep out of her life. She'd sat and mentally replayed the events of what she'd done the day before. Right in this very kitchen. The irony that her own behaviour was the very reason she couldn't get the blonde out of her mind wasn't lost on the brunette. Which explained the sudden annoyance as she spat back, "Can't I just sit around while my lunch digests? Do you want me to feel bloated?"

Tracy had expected anger the second she had began to verbally prod her friend, and wasn't disappointed in the slightest. Anger and denial went hand in hand but how many excuses could Regina really make on the spot? Would she crack around the edges? Cave and just admit that she had the capacity to feel things despite her best efforts to pretend she didn't? The blonde wanted to find out. "On what, air? You didn't eat anything!"

"You're being ridiculous." Regina countered quickly, perhaps too quickly, as she shifted to lean her hip against the island to snag a small handful of popcorn. "I had the ham sandwich I brought." She finished smugly, then ate a few pieces with a victorious crunch as her lips twisted into a smirk.

"No, the birds had the sandwich you brought." Tracy fired back with a grin of her own. Did the brunette honestly think she wouldn't have spotted the way she casually tore off small chunks to throw at her feet as they walked? "You had half a pack of gum and oxygen." The blonde raised her eyebrows as if to say 'go on, counter that, I dare you'.

"I…" The smirk on Regina's lips faltered and soon became non existent as she realised how true her friend's statement happened to be. Gradually every word from Tracy's mouth backed her into a corner, the feeling was unpleasant and served no purpose other than to further annoy the brunette. "Well, so what? Obviously I wasn't feeling hungry. It's not a crime."

"Obviously." Tracy sighed out dryly. Inside though, she was filled with childish glee. Regina's facial expressions might not give much away when she fought so rigorously to remain composed but her eyes could say everything if you knew what to look for. "Moving on, why did we skip the short cut through the parking lot on our way back here after school? And don't you dare say exercise again."

Lips parted then closed as Regina swallowed back the exercise excuse. Fine. She didn't need it anyway. Too obvious. No, what she needed was something new. Plausible. Calculated enough to potentially be true, Seconds later her face lit up as she smiled sweetly. "I've been looking forward to tonight and wanted to minimise the risk of being run over."

For a precarious moment Tracy did nothing but gawk at her friend, utterly flabbergasted. Only to snap out of it with an incredulous, "Do you actually hear the words you're saying?"

"I…" Relief washed through Regina as her phone blared to life and she actually sighed. The kind reserved for sinking into a warm bath or comfy bed after a long, tedious day. The number didn't look familiar and the person didn't belong in her contacts, yet right then she didn't care. It was the perfect way to end the conversation with Tracy. With a smug grin she answered the call and regretted it immediately. Music blasted through the speaker and Regina winced, "Yes?" When she received no answer she raised her voice to make sure she'd be heard, "Hello? Who is this?" Voices in the background mingled with the song playing and then the line went dead.

"Who was that?" Tracy asked curiously, noticing the confused expression Regina had given her phone before she slipped it back into her pocket.

"No idea." Regina admitted lightly, then shrugged. "Wrong number I guess." With that said she picked up the bowl of popcorn and turned on her heel to make her way back into the living room without a backwards glance. Pleased that her friend had been as distracted by the call.

Tracy frowned down at the two packets of hot tamales and the milk duds then quickly grabbed them up to make her way out of the kitchen with a yell of, "This conversation isn't over, Regina!"

"Yes it is!" Regina called back, already settled on the couch.


One drink turned into another with no solution at the bottom of the plastic cup. Perhaps it would appear if she filled it up again. The idea was entertained quietly as the punchbowl was stirred absently. The pink liquid swirled slowly, sliced lemon bobbed on the surface and floated around and around lazily. Bottles lined the counter. Copious amounts of hard liquor within reach for those who fancied something a little less sweet. Despite the noise of the party, despite all the bodies that filled the house, nothing drowned out the thoughts of Regina. The brunette effortlessly pushed all of Emma's buttons. She'd stayed awake late last night pondering everything she'd said, and hated it because the girl had been right. Well fuck her. Emma thought to herself. Long fingers tightened around the handle of the ladle until knuckles ached, then she let it go to land with a splash and took out her phone. A few swift clicks brought up a number and she scowled at it. She'd regretted leaving without more of a fight. She'd almost ground the enamel off her teeth during lunch when Regina had failed to appear, because it had ruined her plans to march over and give the girl a piece of her mind. Well she'd give her a piece of it now. With a rough push of her thumb Emma brought her phone up to her ear. Every ring she heard fuelled her on. The sound of Regina's voice, however, robbed her of the words she'd gathered on the tip of her tongue. Emma clenched her teeth and huffed out a breath through her nose in frustration. The curious, and somewhat confused question made her reel. The brunette had no idea it was her. The bitch had deleted her number. Emma opened her mouth once more to spew some very choice obscenities down the line but was cut off by a friendly shoulder bump.

"What are you doing?" Ruby murmured as she leaned down to settle her chin on Emma's shoulder lightly. The lanky brunette sighed and tried to peek at the screen but rolled her eyes when she got denied the privilege.

Immediately the blonde ended the call and stuffed her phone back into her pocket. "Oh, just checking my messages and getting a refill." The lie was breezy as she stepped away from her friend, the scowl hidden, to pick up the ladle again. She poured the pink liquid into her cup and watched it slosh up the insides like miniature tidal waves. A physical representation of how her own emotions felt contained within her skin. With a slight nod towards her friend Emma inquired lightly, "You want one?"

"You know I do." Ruby laughed, and held out her own cup to be filled. "I can't believe how many people are here." She half yelled over the music as it changed. "It's insane!"

Emma carefully dumped a full ladle into her friends cup and rolled her eyes. Lame. Her mind corrected, as her eyes tracked a group of people standing around a tequila bottle. "Proof that money really can buy friends." She said said dryly, and stepped away from the kitchen counter with a look of disdain to the guy who shuffled towards the bowl.

Ruby didn't even try to hide the sigh as she looked towards the ceiling as if silently asking for strength. "Well we were invited. So get that down you, pour another, and lets get our dance on." There was no friendly request, just a clear instruction as she she brought her own drink to her lips as if to lead by example. They were meant to be enjoying themselves and Emma was bringing down the mood. One way or another, Ruby vowed silently, she would make sure the blonde finally had some fun, even if it killed her.

Alcohol on a sour mood was like gasoline on a fire but Emma came to the conclusion that she had nothing to lose and raised her own cup to her lips. Five large gulps and the punch was gone, leaving behind sticky saliva and a desire for more to quench her thirst. "Where's Belle?" She cocked her head and used the back of her hand to wipe across her mouth.

"That girl is a secret pool shark once she's had a drink." Ruby grinned slightly, impressed that her friend put up no struggle as she downed the contents of her cup. She quickly finished off her own drink and leaned against the counter. One thumb jabbed over her shoulder in direction as she finished with a laugh. "She's off hustling a couple of guys, it's a sight to behold."

Emma merely nodded, no trace of a smile as her mind worked over the call she'd just aborted. Why did she choke when she heard her voice? The low, vaguely husky tone had thrown her off. It seemed amplified through the tiny speaker. "We should bring her a drink." Emma added absently, and reached for the ladle to fill both of their cups again.

"Nah she has one." Ruby said through a bright grin, and snagged Emma's arm before her friend had the chance to take a sip of her drink. "Come on, I love this song." The announcement was followed by her enthusiastically pulling the blonde along behind her, narrowly avoiding elbows as they made their way through the crowd to get back into the heart of the party.

Over the years Emma had given up on how cavalier Neal's father seemed to be about throwing such lavish parties. Anything Neal wanted, he got, and anyone that upset him didn't seem to stick around for very long once his father caught wind of it. Most people feared the man but Emma didn't know him well enough to fear him. She just felt confused by him, and a little creeped out. He was like a wet painting, everything looked right on the surface but if you interacted with him you'd see how oily he truly was. There was just something about him that screamed to the blonde to tread carefully around him whenever he showed up. She couldn't explain why, but her instincts were loud and clear. Neal's father couldn't be trusted.

Green eyes sought out Neal as Ruby coaxed her into yet another dance to a song Emma barely cared for and she sighed when Killian sidled up to him with a trademark smirk. Honestly, after the public humiliation anyone with any sort of self respect would at least look a little bothered, but not him. The two friends stood together as a couple of guys walked up, each one shook Killian's hand and he in turn slapped them on the back and grinned wider. Were they actually congratulating him?

Emma leaned into Ruby as the lanky brunette gyrated against her and tried to ignore the fact that several people were staring at them. "What's the deal with the guys all shaking hands with Killian?" She hissed loudly over the music.

Ruby barely paused her movements as her big eyes flicked towards the new group all laughing with Neal and Killian."Oh, his brother scored him a few magic beans for the party." She said with a shrug, like her words actually made sense.

"Magic what?" Emma inquired, utterly confused as her eyebrows scrunched together.

"Beans." Ruby enunciated, then rolled her eyes before generously explaining. "He says it sounds less illegal than pills." At the wide eyed shock on her friends face, the brunette quickly added, "Emma, you need to lighten up, we're all here to have fun."

"I am lightened!" Emma shot back indignantly, then narrowed her eyes and took a large gulp of her drink to prove her point. Belatedly she wondered why she felt like he had to prove anything to anyone. Least of all Ruby Lucas. "Wait, have you taken one?"

"No!" The brunette fired back, and managed to look a little offended despite her own curiosity towards the effects they might cause if she ever did try one. "I'm happy enough with this." With a deep breath in she decided to change the topic entirely, and leveled the blonde with a look. "You're still crashing here tonight, right? Neal gave us the guest room at the back of the house. Belle put our bags in it earlier when you went to the bathroom."

Shit. Emma had completely forgotten about her bag. Why Ruby thought it would be a great idea to stay over and nurse a hangover at the source of the pain the next again day was beyond the blonde and she sucked her teeth before sighing out, "Oh I don't know, Ruby…"

"Look my Gran thinks I'm staying over at Belle's." Ruby pointed out, not nearly as casually as she thought. "Belle's dad thinks she's staying over at mine and your mom thinks…" She trailed off and stopped dancing as the cogs in her head turned sluggishly over. The effects of alcohol well on their way to slowing down her cognitive function. "What did you tell your mom again?"

Emma regarded the brunette for a quiet moment then filled in the blanks dryly. "That we were camping."

"See? So crash here. I mean what are you going to do, call your mom after midnight and ask her to come pick you up?" Ruby laughed at her own joke and added, only half seriously, "You'll be grounded until graduation."

"I'd call my dad." The blonde supplied lightly, then grinned a little. "I'm pretty sure he slipped a few beers into my bag along with a pack of marshmallows and stuff for s'mores." Emma's eyes darted towards the staircase. Chocolate sounded good right about now.

"I can't decide if that's cool or weird." Ruby mumbled around a slight pout and playfully shoved her friend as she stated, "Either way, I think I kind of hate you now."

"You're just jealous because if your Granny caught you drinking you'd be in the dog house for weeks." The offhand remark caused Emma's face to light up as she recalled a memory, and she grinned wickedly at the brunette. "Like that time you brought a flask of her scotch and thought she'd never notice because you filled the bottle back up with cold tea."

Completely offended, Ruby gaped at her friend before launching into a small tangent as she raised her finger to signify how serious she was. "Okay first of all the colours looked the same to me and it tasted so bad I thought she'd never be able to tell the difference and second, shut up! I had to scrub the toilet and do all the laundry for a month, on top of my other choirs. Stop laughing!"

Emma's shoulders shook as laughter spilled out of her and she sucked in a deep breath to continue. "I can still see her standing there holding the bottle, outraged that you contaminated the rest by daring to dilute it. She'd have probably forgiven you if you hadn't done it. That just makes it funnier." She finished, giggling into her cup as she tried to stop the flow of amusement.

"You suck, Emma." Ruby prodded her friend sharply with her fingertip then sighed forlornly. "She'll never let me live it down, you know,"

"What's this about sucking I hear?" Asked a voice from behind them.

Without even turning around Emma knew exactly who it was and her short lived good mood got squashed instantly. "You see what you've done Ruby? It's like saying Bloody Mary in the mirror, you deal with him."

"Pass." Ruby spat out quickly, and flashed a grin towards Emma. "I'm going to go check on Belle, maybe she needs a fresh drink by now."

"Ladies, there's no need for that." The tone was amused as the figure shifted to stand between them. "Can't a man just have a dance without you fighting?"

Emma resisted the urge to make a gagging motion and settled instead for a less than sincere small smile as she turned to face him. "We're not fighting over you Killian, we're fighting about who gets stuck with you."

"On that note, I'm off to see Belle, have fun you two!" Ruby practically danced away cackling, knowing full well that if looks could kill, she'd be dead from the glare Emma was no doubt directing at her back.

"That we will." Killian murmured into Emma's ear. The close proximity gave him the chance to cover her drink with his hand momentarily. Plenty of time to drop the pill into the pink liquid without her, or anyone else, seeing. When he stepped back it was only so he could get in her face to stop her from walking off. "Now, about that dance?"

"I would but… Uh…" Emma looked around desperately for any kind of excuse. With her friends out of sight and everyone else either dancing or talking, she was left with very little options. The only one she could think of was in her hand, so she raised it to chug the rest of her drink quickly then turned the empty cup upside down to prove her point. "I need another drink."

"You sure, Swan?" Killian grinned at the blonde, so very pleased to note the fact that she'd evidently swallowed everything within the cup. "Just one little dance?"

"Oh. I'm sure." Emma added with a nod, then pushed by him to scamper off into the crowd in hopes of finding her friends. Or maybe her bag. Or both, since she didn't want to stay here all night. "See you later!"

Killian kept his eyes on her until she vanished from his line of sight, then he checked his watch with a private grin. "You can count on it, Swan." He murmured to himself.


"Watch out it's right behind you." Tracy mumbled from behind her hand to stop popcorn flying out of her mouth. The sound of squelching, shuffling footsteps filled the room in between groans.

Regina didn't take her eyes off the screen as her thumbs worked the controller. The tip of her tongue poked out between her lips in concentration."I see that." She shot back, narrowly making it into the room. "What's the code to the safe?"

Tracy's fingers scooped up a few more pieces of popcorn as she leaned towards Regina to say slowly. "Two. Two. Three. Six." When the safe opened she chewed on her snack. "Oh! Remember to grab the valve handle at the other side of the room, you passed it when you ran to the safe."

"Oh look, acid rounds, and we have no grenade launcher, how useful." Regina drawled, clearly unamused by the fact that she'd risked dying for a map and some useless ammunition. One dark eyebrow quirked as she moved her player on screen to run around the room, narrowly avoiding being grabbed as she took the valve handle and escaped into the hallway. Around the corner, a dead body lay strewn on broken glass, the windows all shattered from the crows that sat perched. She eyed them warily as she searched the body.

"He's been pecked to death." Tracy announced dramatically as the words appeared on screen.

"Lucky for us." Regina muttered under her breath, and took off running down the hallway as the crows swooped down to attack. "Thanks for the bullets." She added belatedly, and walked into the next room.

Tracy chuckled and shook her head. Regina didn't actually have any kind of console herself but she never seemed to mind the older ones when the blonde brought them over. "I kind of love how we just run around scavenging off corpses. I mean when you think about it in that situation you would."

Regina nodded once in agreement, though her eyes remained fixed on the screen. Absorbed in the game as she played. "Rather them than us." Though she grinned darkly and turned to Tracy when the newest prompt appeared. "Will I take the blue card key? Let me think about it for a minute…"

"I know right, can you imagine trying to progress without it?" Tracy grinned right back and set the bowl of popcorn down to grab her soda. She took a sip as she watched Regina move the girl on screen around the room, investigating the surroundings. "Why even give the option?"

Regina hummed in thought as she took in the peculiar room then shrugged lightly. "To trick people into thinking it might be useless? The same way they ask if we want to discard things after we've used them. People will probably hold onto them just in case." Which no doubt aided in their death. There were only so many spaces to hold things after all.

"Well, grab it already." Tracy finally muttered, eager to see what else would happen. Though they'd played this game before they'd never actually played Scenario B.

"Patience. I like to look around first." Though even as she said it Regina found herself accepting the card key. Immediately, the glass roof shattered as a beast landed on all fours, it's flesh looked skinned, it's claws the size of hands as it scuttled forward, blind and vicious. Regina's entire body jolted with shock and surprise, and she turned wide eyed to bark somewhat shrilly, "Did you know that was going to happen?"

Tracy's own reaction of almost spilling her drink was neglected as she laughed back, "Nope, but watching you almost throw the controller through the ceiling was priceless."

Regina growled low in her throat and pointedly ignored her friend as she made the girl run out of the room and through several others to get to the main lobby. "You just had to insist we play this on hard, I don't know why I listen to you." The brunette grumbled after she wasted half her ammo on two of the dead officers that had lurched towards her. Finally, she grabbed the Unicorn medal and made her way down the step ladders. Each footstep gave a chilling clang that echoed around the room.

Tracy shrugged playfully and shot a wicked smirk towards her friend. "It's scarier when the risk of dying seems iminent. Plus you're funny when you're scared."

"I'm not afraid." Regina insisted with a glower. "It's a video game, an old one at that, look at the graphics." She waved one hand towards the screen as she activated the lobby computer to open the locked doors with the key card. As she turned the girl around she spotted a new weapon behind the desk and grinned. "Ah, there's the grenade launcher." Quickly, she used the unicorn medal to retrieve the key that fell from the vase a statue held. When she checked it, it merely stated it was in the shape of a spade. "Really? I had no idea. Thank you for such wonderful information."

Tracy grinned against the can of soda. Though they took turns at playing, she quite enjoyed just listening to the brunette's commentary. "Try to lock pick the desk." She said lightly, aware that every little thing would be useful at some point.

"How handy." Regina stated when she collected the first aid spray, then dodged the two zombies to get out of the room. She moved around the headless corpse to pick up a green herb, then used the key to get into the storage room. With a swift push of the paper cart she had the girl climb up it to grab the lighter and headed straight back out. In the hallway, she ran by windows and nearly leapt through the ceiling when zombies suddenly flung themselves through them, right behind her. "Okay." Regina stated loudly, and tossed the controller to Tracy who cackled. "Your turn, I want popcorn and I can't play and eat at the same time."

Tracy continued to laugh as she moved the girl on screen through the double doors of the conference room. "Yeah you're not scared." She teased, and made easy work of using the lighter to start a fire in the fireplace. The picture above it burned as a red jewel fell through the canvas. Seconds later and she'd made it back into the hallway, up a flight of stairs, and into an office marked S.T.A.R.S. "Ooo, cut scene."

Leon!

It's good to see you're still among the living. It looks like we're not going to find your brother here after all.

"But here, have his diary instead." Regina dead-panned then turned to regard her friend fully. "If for some reason you can't find me, you do not have permission to hand out or read through my belongings."

Tracy turned her attention to Regina and quirked a golden eyebrow, clearly amused. "You have a diary?"

The death glare Regina gave Tracy said that she wasn't that stupid, but felt like it should be clarified said all the same. "No. I have sketchbooks."

Tracy arched her eyebrows and grinned mischievously. "Same difference."

There's no reason for us to stay here any longer than necessary. Lets split up, look for any survivors, and get out of here.

In Regina's mind there was a huge difference, but she had no desire to get weaseled into another conversation about feelings. "That's his plan? That is a terrible plan." Of course it was, they'd heard all this before, the cut scene never changed. "In the event of some catastrophe and we're together, we're not splitting up. That leads to certain death."

Tracy smirked knowingly but never said anything. If Regina wanted to ignore what she said then so be it, because all it meant was that it had struck a nerve, and Tracy would bet that particular nerve had glasses and blonde hair.

Right.

One last thing. Here's a radio. Take it. That way we can keep in touch if anything happens.

"Riveting conversation. We're all going to die." Regina sighed with a shake of her head, then pointed towards an object on screen that twinkled to signal it could be picked up. "Sparkle sparkle on the desk."

"We're not going to die." Tracy chided, utterly amused as she added cheerfully, "We have a radio for back up, what could possibly go wrong?" The second the girl on screen stepped out of the room a child let out a high pitched scream of, Ahhh! Help me!

Regina's phone came to life at the exact same moment, to vibrate loudly against the table as music blared from the small device. Instinctively the brunette jumped to her feet with a cry of, "Ahh!What the-"

Tracy paused the game in fits of laughter and set the controller on the table, unable to contain herself as she watched her friend try to compose herself.

Regina shot an angry glare towards Tracy and snatched up her phone. She answered with a barked, "Hello?" And was met with the strangest sound of hitched breath before a voice mumbled back with, "Tasty egg quesadillas."

Dark eyes narrowed in confusion and she actually took the phone away from her ear to look at it before snapping back, "What?"

"Twisted elephants quack." Came the garbled response. The loud music in the background obviously drowned out the voice. "Who is this?" Regina demanded, her own tone dangerously low despite the volume of it. The answer she received was a hiccup.

Several seconds passed then the voice returned with more strangeness. "Totally exciting quest. Tiny elegant quilts?" Torn between utter confusion and annoyance, Regina settled for shouting down the line. "I am not the Riddler!" Then hung up to slam her phone down against the table, belatedly hoping she hadn't broken it. Evidently her heart was still stuck somewhere on the ceiling from the fright she'd gotten.

Tracy's laughter threatened to bubble up again as she watched Regina freak out, but she managed to keep it at bay long enough to ask, "Wrong number again?"

"Some idiot stuck on a loop of gibberish." Regina muttered, the fingers of her right hand brushed through her hair as she tried to calm down. "Tiny elegant quilts? What the hell does that even mean? How do these people survive without swallowing their own tongues when they sleep?" She shook her head, obviously not requesting an answer, and sighed heavily. "I'm getting a soda, do you want one?"

Tracy eyed the phone then Regina. She had no idea what it meant either. Obviously the brunette wanted a moment alone to gather herself so the blonde shrugged and gave her an excuse without pointing a spotlight on it. "Yes please. I wouldn't say no to some reheated mac 'n' cheese either."

Regina huffed out a breath and rolled her eyes. "You'd think we were friends." She sassed gently, but smiled gratefully at the blonde before she turned and made her way into the kitchen.

Tracy had only touched the controller when Regina's phone sprang to life again and she picked it up to look at the number. Whoever it was sure as hell wasn't in her contacts list and Regina rarely gave out her number. Whoever it was must have a death wish.

"Answer it and tell them that if they don't stop calling, I'll hunt them down and gut them!" Regina called out from the kitchen with enough venom to make Tracy believe her.

Tracy accepted the call but before she could say a word the voice on the other end began to ramble. "Don't hang up! Just… Just tell me what T.E.Q. means! Then you can go back to being a complete bitch and I can go back to wishing I'd slapped you and we can both go back to hating each other."

So the wrong number knew Regina after all. This suddenly got a lot more interesting. Tracy cleared her throat and stated slowly. "Regina's busy right now. Who is this?"

"Oh…" Came the startled response down the line. Whatever else it said sounded too garbled to understand but Tracy was sure it had sounded like I'm a swan. "You're a swan?" She asked bemused, her own face contorting as she tried to wrap her mind around it. No wonder Regina had slammed the phone down. "Shouldn't you be in a pond somewhere?"

"No, Em-ma Swan." Enunciated the voice on the other side of the phone. "What's it mean? Driving me nuts."

Oh… Well this just kept getting better and better. Tracy actually bit back a laugh as she said, "I'll go ask. Hold on." She pressed the phone to her shoulder to ensure her conversation wouldn't be overheard and walked into the kitchen to ask calmly, "What happened with Emma?"

Regina paused in her stirring of the cheesy pasta like a deer caught in headlights and licked her lips nervously. "Emma who?" She fired back casually, and finally looked up to meet her friends questioning gaze.

"The mystery caller?" Tracy began, knowing she would be pushing it, yet compelled all the same now that she knew why Regina had caused such a huge scene in the cafeteria. "Is her trying to drunkenly work out your tag and oh, here's the best part, her last name's Swan, but I think you already knew that."

The brunette sniffed and returned her attention to the pasta as she resumed stirring. "So what if I did, it's hardly relevant."

"Hardly relevant?" Tracy hissed, although she wasn't in the slightest bit surprised. Everything made so much more sense now that she had that little detail. "You publicly smacked around Killian because he was talking about her!"

"Pure coincidence." Regina began offhandedly, well aware that her ambivalence was on full display. "I just don't like the way he treats the female of the species."

Tracy narrowed her eyes suspiciously and pressed the phone harder against her shoulder. "Something happened between you two." One way or another, she'd get to the bottom of it.

"Nothing has happen between us." Regina replied smoothly, because one almost kiss did not a something make.

The snort Tracy gave was derisive as she walked over to her friend and turned off the oven. "So why did she go from thanking you one day to calling you a complete bitch the next?"

Regina turned away from the pot of heated pasta, less annoyed by Tracy's boldness as she all but snapped, "She called me what?"

The non-answer resulted in Tracy offering a small smile as she sweetly stated, "I'll just ask her myself." Then purposefully raised the phone away from her shoulder to call Regina's bluff.

It worked, much to the brunette's frustration as she grabbed Tracy's wrist to halt her. "No wait! Wait. It's complicated." She sighed, and folded her arms around herself.

"Everything is with you." Tracy pointed out, unsurprised and motioned with her free hand for her friend to continue. "Out with it."

Regina pressed her lips together before grudgingly spitting out between clenched teeth, "She came over to check on me yesterday."

Tracy arched her eyebrows and fired back accusingly, "And you punished her for it."

"I did not punish her!" It would have sounded more convincing if Regina actually believed it herself. No, she had been cruel, but at the time it had felt necessary. "I… Might have said some things to make sure she'd keep her distance in the future. It's for the best."

"What kind of things? How can that possibly be for the best?" Tracy cocked her head and narrowed her eyes. She'd seen the worst in Regina and she'd seen the best in her, what she rarely saw however was remorse or shame. So to be met with both fuelled on her own suspicions. "She did nothing wrong but it sounds like you did."

Yes. Regina was all too aware of her own actions but she certainly wasn't going to explain them to Tracy. Friend or not, these were things she'd keep to herself. "I never said she did." She finally admitted, and moved to grab her soda on the counter to take a liberal sip.

"Oh, you like her…" Tracy breathed out through a grin, just above a whisper, and watched the way Regina's complexion changed from olive to ruddy. "And she likes you. No wonder you're running for the hills."

The can in Regina's hand creaked as her fingers bent the thin metal unintentionally. "I am not running anywhere and it's none of your business." The warning came out as a snarl as she turned her dark gaze to Tracy. "This conversation is officially over."

Tracy knew better than to poke wild animals with sticks but the more she thought about it all, the more she slowly began to realise something crucial. "You're afraid." She said softly, careful to make sure that she wouldn't come across as taunting, so much as curious.

The muscle's in Regina's jaw danced wildly beneath the skin as she tried to resist the urge to lash out. Regina could handle being many things but afraid was not one of them. Especially when it came to a girl. "Tracy you will drop it this instance or so help me…"

Tracy ignored the threat as she leaned against the kitchen island to observe her friends reactions. "What is it about her that frightens you so much? She seems nice."

Regina released a huff of breath. "Yes. She's very…" Dark eyes caught the smug smile that tugged at her friends lips and she automatically changed the subject. "I'm not having this discussion with you. Now give me back my phone."

Tracy rolled her eyes as she shook her head. She would never tease Regina for liking the girl so why her friend couldn't just talk to her about it frankly hurt. It wasn't as if she didn't know which team Regina swung for, they'd talked about it before. "For the record I think you're an idiot." Tracy stated as she held out her phone.

"So noted." Regina said, and snatched her phone back to snap down the line, "If I tell you, will you stop calling me?"

Music and a muffled voice came through the line. The sound of something shifting, fabric perhaps, but Regina couldn't be sure. "Are you there?" She tried again, the frown on her face deepening, and not from earlier annoyance.

Another voice this time. Deeper. Masculine. The words themselves were unintelligible as she strained to make out the conversation. "Hello?" Regina raised her voice just shy from shouting, and could have sworn she heard Emma in the background faintly before hearing the deeper voice, much closer this time. Then the line went dead. The hairs at the back of Regina's neck stood on end. "How drunk did she sound?" She asked, searching Tracy's gaze with dark piercing eyes.

Tracy opened her mouth then hesitated. Obviously something had happened but she wasn't sure what. Cautiously she answered as honestly as she could from the brief conversation she'd had with the blonde. "Slurred enough to be having a good time, why?"

Regina's didn't even bother to hide the wave of anxiety as it hit her. Feet moved of their own accord to get her into the hall as she fiddled with her wallet to get her front door key. "Because someone just hung up and I don't think it was her."

Tracy followed Regina into the hall with a frown. Since when did Regina ever show signs of panic? The sight unnerved the blonde as she called out, "Wait, what? Where are you going?"

Regina paused just long enough to look at Tracy as she opened the front door. "Grab your keys, we're going for a drive."


Emma had wandered into the room so she could carry on the conversation but she'd set the phone down on the bed to rummage through her bag for the elusive bar of chocolate she knew lurked inside it while she waited for, whoever it was, to come back with Regina. "Regina." Emma mumbled to herself, lips quirking into a slight smile as she thought of the brunette that got under her skin. She'd been angry earlier but now she was starting to feel happy. Floaty, almost, like all of her troubles were dissolving. "Where is it?" She asked her bag, one hand stuffed inside it. She didn't notice Killian enter the room, or the fact that he shut the door behind him, until he spoke.

"Ah, there you are Swan. We were starting to think you'd passed out somewhere." He grinned to himself, well aware that the blonde's friends had no idea where she was because they were too busy drinking and dancing to notice she'd vanished from the party.

"Mmh, here I am." Emma said, more to herself than him as she pulled out a pair of socks and frowned. That wasn't what she wanted. They were stuffed inside her bag again as she carried on her search. "What's up guyliner?"

Killian ignored the insult as he watched the blonde with an amused expression. "You're not leaving are you? The night's just begun." The words were barely out of his mouth as he stepped towards the window and casually pulled the curtains closed. The light in the room dimmed.

"Looking for stuff to munch." Emma muttered back absently, and pulled out a pack of four light beers. The cans were tossed onto the bed without a second thought.

"Don't mind if I do." Killian helped himself to one of the beers and that was when he noticed the phone. Without hesitating he tapped the button to end the call and turned to smile at Emma. "You still owe me that dance."

"Later." She grunted out, then gave up her search in frustration. She sat up straight and swayed. How much had she had to drink? "Do you have any chips?" Emma asked suddenly, because food would soak up the alcohol, or something, right? "Ugh, mouths sticky. How much sugar was in that punch?"

"Not on me." Killian said through a chuckle, and scowled at the blonde's phone when it began to ring. Quick fingers turned the device off as he coughed to mask the sound and handed over the beer. "Here, have a sip of this, it'll help."


"You can't just walk in there, what if nothings wrong?" Tracy tried to reason as she parked the car and turned off the engine.

Regina had considered that and honestly didn't give a shit. If nothing was wrong then she'd leave without causing a scene. She just couldn't shake the feeling that something bad would happen if she didn't at least go inside and check on the infuriating blonde. For some reason she wholeheartedly believed that if the tables were turned, Emma would do the same for her. Regina owed her that at least. "Then why did her phone ring before being switched off?" She countered softly.

Tracy chewed her lower lip as her gaze went to the house filled with nearly everyone in their grade. "Maybe her battery died…" The thought of it being anything else was too unsettling to dwell on.

"Maybe someone has it." Regina added, entirely too calm to be considered anything other than dangerous.

"Yeah, like a friend." It wasn't that she didn't believe Regina's gut feeling, Tracy just had to play devils advocate to go over all the possible answers but even to her own ears they sounded weak. "This is a bad idea, I'll go in with you. Stop people questioning why you showed up."

"I think I can handle a group of drunks." Regina scoffed, and shot a dark look towards the house. If she had lived near there she'd have called the police for the sheer level of noise. "With any luck their double vision will stop them from spotting me."

Tracy got out from behind the wheel as soon as Regina stepped out of the car. "I wasn't asking, Regina, we're going in together. Think of it as the catastrophe you mentioned earlier. No splitting up, remember?"

Regina paused to regard her friend. It was so much more than that and they both knew it. If something were to happen she knew Tracy would have her back. The nod she gave her friend said what her mouth simply couldn't. "Come on, the sooner we find her the sooner we can leave."


Emma didn't question why Killian appeared to care, she just took the beer and chugged it back until her saliva felt less like glue and stopped tasting of fruit.

"Better?" Killian asked as he cocked his head and smiled down at her.

Though she'd been about to nod she found herself burping instead and the fact that it startled her made her laugh for minute. "Hey…" She said, wiping her mouth as she spoke. "Can I tell you something?"

"You can tell me anything, Swan." The grin on Killian's face was positively lecherous as he sat next to her on the bed and slung one arm around her shoulders.

Emma lowered her voice and lifted one hand to stage whisper, "I'm wasted. Don't tell Ruby, she'll take pictures."

Killian laughed and gave her a quick squeeze as he inched closer to her. "But you feel good, don't you?"

"Mmm." Emma hummed lightly, her head lolling forward slightly as her vision blurred for a second or two.

"I bet I could make you feel great." Killian whispered. The fingers wrapped around Emma's shoulder began to rub slow circles down her arm as he coaxed gently, "Ever had a massage?"

"You're such an ass." Emma laughed, and shoved him away with enough force to send herself toppling back against the bed. "You see that right?" She blinked a few times then raised one hand to point above her. "The ceiling tilting."

"How would like to see stars instead?" Killian asked as he stood up. The tips of his fingers slowly began to caress from Emma's knee up to her thigh so very lightly. When he reached the hem of her shirt he plucked at the fabric with the intent to pull it upwards, when the door burst open. Light cascaded into the room and illuminated them. Killian took his hand back quickly and snapped out, "We're busy here. Get. Out."

"Oh I don't think so." Snarled Regina, and stepped into the room with an equally appalled looking Tracy. Killian couldn't see the way her friends hand had grabbed a fist-full of the back of her shirt to stop her from lunging at him. Every cell in her body felt like it was vibrating from anger and though she could see Emma in her peripheral vision, her dark gaze bore directly into Killian. "Nobody wants your two solid inches of disappointment."

Oh, that struck a nerve, because Killian's face turned a shade of purple as he sputtered back, "Swan can speak for herself!"

"Yes. She can." Regina agreed, still staring at Killian. "Do you want to sleep with this…" There was no suitable word for how vulgar she considered him to be but she found that leaving it open ended worked wonders.

"Hey, you're here!" The bright smile that broke across Emma's face could have parted clouds as she shifted to roll onto her side and stood up on wobbly legs. Then the question hit and she paused to look at Killian as silence stretched on. Rich laughter erupted from the blonde as she turned to look at Regina. "Hell no! Do you have any chips?"

Killian didn't move. Didn't blink, as Regina pinned him in place with her dark eyes and the silent promise that intense pain would be in his very near future. She didn't take her eyes off him at all as she forced her voice to sound light and somewhat cheerful. "Yes, lets go get them."

"Together." Tracy added, and held out her free hand towards Emma with an encouraging smile. If they stayed in the room any longer, she wouldn't be able to stop Regina from acting on every single impulse she knew was currently fluttering through her mind.

"Okay." Emma agreed with a crooked grin, unaware of Killian's intentions and the tense atmosphere that surrounded them all. With a slight grunt she picked up her bag and found her cell phone before she stumbled towards them like a newborn giraffe. "We can make s'mores, I have the stuff." She announced proudly, and took Tracy's hand.

Regina's features softened as she looked at Emma. The girl was three sheets to the wind, her pupils were dilated so much that the green of her eyes could barely be seen, and yet she was still so very her. Ultimately kind and very generous. Which only infuriated the brunette as she shot a deadly glare at Killian. How could anyone take advantage of her like that? What kind of depraved monster could possibly get off on hurting someone with such a big heart?

Killian didn't say anything and never once made any attempt to stop them as they backed out of the room, but the rage he shared with Regina was tangible.

Regina turned to carefully take the bag from Emma and slung it over her own shoulder as the girl walked hand in hand with Tracy down the stairs. They'd almost made it to the door when Ruby jogged over to tug on Emma's sleeve.

"Hey! Where are you going, with…" The lanky brunette trailed off, and she frowned at the two girls she remembered from the other day. "Where are you taking her?" The question was directed to Regina, as she she'd singled her out to be the one calling the shots.

Regina stiffened at the tone and stepped into the taller brunette's personal space as Tracy paused on the front step with Emma. "I'm taking her somewhere safe." She sneered. "Where friends don't leave her alone and her drinks don't get spiked."

"What? Her drink was spiked?" Confusion marred Ruby's features as she glanced towards Emma. The blonde was leaning heavily against the other blonde and she frowned. "She was fine like, half an hour ago."

"Her pupil's could rival an owls." Regina spat back. "Go back to the party. Enjoy yourself like you clearly have been all night while she was alone in a room with that bastard Killian."

When Ruby's jaw dropped Regina about turned and marched out of the house to catch up with the two blonde's. Tracy tossed her the car keys and Regina quickly unlocked the door before opening the back one to toss Emma's bag inside. She handed Tracy the keys and eased Emma into the back seat carefully. With a slight tug of war with the belt, Regina managed to buckle the girl in but paused to lean against the side of the car.

"You were right." Tracy said quietly as she looked over at Regina, her hand on the handle of the drivers door. "If we hadn't gone to check on her…"

"Don't." Regina warned. Not because she didn't agree but because she simply couldn't think about it. The idea turned her stomach. If she'd been five minutes later. If they'd been stuck at a red light. If she'd decided to check downstairs first. Anything could have happened. How far Killian would have taken things was a guess she did not want to make, her mind supplied the worst case scenario regardless.

Tracy winced, because her mind went to the same dark place Regina's had. She sucked in a deep breath and tapped the roof of her car. "We should get her back to your place."

"Yes." Regina acknowledged softly, and slipped into the passenger seat. Dark eyes glanced in the rearview mirror and softened at the sight of a Emma, head back against the seat, content as she nibbled on a bar of chocolate. She turned to catch Tracy watching her, and quirked a dark eyebrow.

"Tell me again that you don't like her." Tracy whispered, and smiled as she caught sight of her friend's blush.

"Just drive." Regina hissed back, then turned on the radio to stop her friend from whispering anything else.