Emma moaned loudly as Regina pushed her up against the wall, kissing her with unguarded passion, with a deep and desirable hunger that made Emma's whole body respond to eagerly.

She knew she shouldn't have been surprised that Regina brought her back to her condo, but she was because she thought they'd be going somewhere else, somewhere where there were other people and not just the two of them. Alone. Emma was nervous up until the moment they were inside Regina's condo and Regina began to kiss her feverishly until she couldn't process any of her thoughts clearly.

Regina had one hand buried in her hair and the other firmly on her hip, and as the kiss slowed down, she slid the hand out from her hair, down the nape of her neck and around to the front, trailing her fingernails lightly over Emma's skin before she pressed a palm to Emma's chest and pulled back from her lips.

"You're vibrating."

"Huh?"

Regina motioned to the phone in Emma's front right pocket. "Your phone is vibrating."

"Shit," Emma muttered under her breath and she fumbled to get the phone out of her pocket before it stopped. She saw Mary Margaret's name on the screen and rolled her eyes. "I need to take this real quick."

"Of course," Regina replied and she shrugged off her blazer. "I'll just be in the kitchen," she said before she draped the blazer over the chair near the door and walked off.

"Hi," Emma said, sounding out of breath as she answered the phone.

"Oh thank goodness you're all right, Emma. You had me worried when you didn't answer by the third ring."

"Sorry, I didn't feel my phone go off until just now," Emma replied. "And yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

She heard Mary Margaret sigh softly. "Do you need a ride home?"

"No, no I uh—I'll walk."

"Walk? Emma—"

"We're not at the inn right now," she said quickly and quietly. "We came back to Regina's place. She's just a few blocks away actually."

"Oh. Okay."

"I shouldn't be too late. Don't wait up, Mary Margaret," Emma said and she ended the call before Mary Margaret could keep on talking as she usually had a habit of doing. Emma pocketed her phone and walked down the hallway until she entered the kitchen. "Sorry about that. Uh, Mary Margaret was just calling to see if I still needed a ride home."

"I see," Regina said and she leaned on her elbows on the large island countertop. "How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted?"

"Got anything stronger?"

Regina laughed and motioned for Emma to take one of the glasses that were in front of her. "This is not like any apple cider you've ever had, I'm sure," she drawled out, her voice husky as she grabbed her own glass and took a sip. "I make it myself when I get a chance to head up to the vineyard. My mother taught me many years ago and I only just perfected the recipe last summer."

Emma lifted the glass and took a tiny sip, unsure of what to expect. It was nothing like she expected and she took a second sip, humming contently at the way the cider tickled her taste buds and felt smooth going down. Emma looked around the kitchen, not surprised at how expensive and shiny everything looked. She took another sip before turning her gaze back to Regina.

"Well?"

"It's delicious," Emma smiled.

"Don't let how sweet it tastes fool you," Regina replied. "It does tend to pack quite the punch. Sip it slow, Emma."

Emma nodded and when Regina motioned for her to follow, she did so willingly. "I've only just moved in here a few months ago," Regina said. "I had a place downtown, but I needed to be somewhere a little quieter. It's hard to find that here in the city."

"Yeah, definitely."

"I'm much closer to the office here," she continued as they walked past a series of closed doors before they turned at the end of the long hallway and into a large living area. "I do tend to work from home more often than not when things aren't too hectic," Regina said and she moved to sit on the dark grey leather sofa before patting the spot next to her. "Are you all right, Emma?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," Emma said quickly and she sat down beside Regina "Your place is really nice. Did you decorate it yourself?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I like clean lines and a simple color palette and minimal clutter."

"You'd definitely hate my place," Emma joked. "Mismatched furniture, clutter all over the place."

Regina chuckled and placed a hand on Emma's thigh. "You're not uncomfortable being here, are you?"

"No," Emma replied softly. "I didn't think we'd end up at your place when you asked me to leave the inn earlier. This is the surprise?"

"Disappointed?"

"No. Do you take all the women you date back to your place on the first date?"

"So, this is a date?" Regina asked with a teasing smile.

"Is it?"

"I believe I asked you that question first, Emma."

"I—I want it to be," Emma said under her breath, inhaling sharply as Regina's hand slipped a little higher on her thigh. "Do you?"

"Sure, but," Regina said, pausing to take a sip of her cider before reaching over to place the glass on a coaster on top of the stone coffee table. "To answer your question, no, I don't normally bring women back on the first date. In fact, you're the first I've brought home with me since I moved in."

"Really?"

"Would you rather I lie to you and tell you that I always bring my dates home with me?"

"Nah," Emma grinned. "See, I have this superpower."

"Do you?"

"I can tell when people are lying. It's a thing."

"Then tell me this, Emma Swan, am I lying if I tell you that all I want to do is to keep kissing you?" Regina purred and Emma felt her mouth grow dry and her panties damp at the sensual sound of Regina's voice. "Am I lying if I tell you I cannot stop thinking about you?"

"You can't stop thinking about me?"

"All day, darling, I could not stop thinking about you."

"All day?" Emma gulped and Regina eased the glass out of her hand and placed it on the coaster next to her drink. She licked over her lips as Regina kicked off her heels and moved to straddle her thighs. "Really?"

"Yes."

Regina cupped her cheeks gently and guided Emma in for another kiss, one that wasn't as feverish as the kiss had been when they first got to the condo, but still it was one full of longing and passion. Emma's hands were trembling as she moved to place them on Regina's hips and she pulled back with a small shake of her head.

"I wasn't kidding when I told you I've never been with another woman before," Emma said and she winced, thinking like the other night, she'd just ruined everything. "Regina, I—"

"As much as hearing you say that makes me want to run as far and as fast as I can in the other direction, I'm far too intrigued to do just that."

"Okay."

Regina chuckled lowly. "You truly are adorable, Emma."

Emma blushed, but there was something about the way Regina called her adorable that felt more endearing than anything else. "And you're beautiful," Emma murmured and she surged forward, unable to resist kissing the woman in her lap for much longer.

She felt a smile tug at Regina's lips before Regina slipped her fingers into her hair and deepened the kiss. It was slow, it was sensual, and it made Emma's toes curl. Regina moaned quietly, but she didn't part from the kiss as she moved a hand on top of Emma's right and silently encourage her to touch her anywhere else but just on her hip. Emma sucked on Regina's top lip as she slipped her hand under the hem of her nearly sheer and soft black shirt, splaying her fingers over the smooth skin of her lower back.

The way that Regina moaned into her mouth only made Emma want more, to let her hands roam further, to let her lips taste the skin along the side of her neck and elsewhere. She moaned when she felt Regina roll her hips lightly and she kissed her with the same hunger that had been there when they first walked through the door.

Emma's hand grew bolder, the one on Regina's back sweeping over her skin, higher and higher as the other moved from her hip to grip at Regina's thigh. Emma moaned as she moved her hand from Regina's thigh to her back, slipping it under her shirt with ease and she lightly dragged her short nails down the smooth expanse of Regina's back.

Regina ended the kiss suddenly, breathing heavily as she moved off of Emma's lap and smoothed her shirt down her sides. Emma idly wiped at her lips and tried to still her racing heart to no avail. Regina reached for both glasses and handed Emma hers while she took a rather large sip from her own glass and exhaled sharply.

Emma couldn't take her eyes off of Regina and she licked over her lips, tasting Regina and a hint of the cider lingering there. She knew it was probably a good thing Regina had put a stop to their kiss before it went any further. As much as Emma wanted more, they were both a little drunk, and Emma did not want her first time with a woman, with Regina, to be while they were both under the influence of alcohol and a heavy dose of lust.

"Damn," Emma muttered when she felt her phone start to vibrate in her pocket and she frowned as she pulled it out and saw Ruby's name on the screen.

"Your roommate?"

"The other one," Emma sighed and chose to ignore the call. "The one you met this morning. Ruby. She must be on her break."

"If you want to take that, feel free."

"No, she probably just wants me to come around and keep her company until her shift is over."

"And do you do that often?"

"Not really," Emma shrugged. "I used to."

Regina just nodded and Emma's phone started to vibrate again as Ruby immediately called her back. Emma ignored the call, placed the phone on the coffee table, and took another small sip of her cider, already beginning to feel a bit of a stronger buzz float through her body.

"She seems quite insistent on you answering," Regina said when Ruby called back a third time barely a minute later. "Perhaps you should answer."

"No, I'll call her later or just see her when she gets in from her shift. She usually closes on Saturday nights. Right now, I'm with you, and I don't want to answer a personal call when I'm with you, Regina."

"I honestly don't mind," Regina said with a hint of a flirty smile. "Answer it and tell her you are busy."

Emma furrowed her brow before moving to grab her phone and swiped at the screen. "Hi Ruby."

"Jesus, Em, that took you forever!" She yelled into the phone and Emma could barely hear her over the music playing in the background. "Were you sleeping or something?"

"No, I wasn't sleeping," Emma replied. "I'm busy right now, Ruby."

"Busy?" Ruby sounded confused. "Doing what? Didn't you go out for dinner with Regina?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"And we came back to her place for a drink," Emma replied. "Which is where I am right now, so I'm kind of busy right now. I'll talk to you when you get home, okay?"

"Busy? Em! Busy doing what?"

Emma ended the call and then turned her phone off, not wanting any other interruptions while she was there. "Sorry," she said quietly. "I'll make sure next time we're out that they both know not to call me unless there is some kind of an emergency or something."

"Next time?" Regina teased. "There is going to be a next time?"

"I hope so," Emma quipped. "Do you want there to be a next time?"

"Yes," Regina replied. "I most definitely do want there to be a next time. Several, in fact. Speaking of," she paused to take a sip. "What are you doing on Tuesday evening?"

"Nothing as far as I know, why?"

"I'd like to cook you dinner," Regina replied. "Would you like to join me for dinner on Tuesday, Emma?"

"I'd love to."

The truth was, Emma wanted to see her before then, but she didn't want to say it for fear of pushing the beautiful brunette away. It was one of the reasons she didn't date or become involved with anyone over the years because of her fear of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Regina stood up from the sofa and walked over to the elegant wood desk that was positioned in front of the large set of windows.

Emma watched her and allowed her eyes to roam over Regina's curvaceous backside and she downed the last of the cider in her glass in one gulp. Regina returned a moment later with a piece of stationary that looked like it cost more than Emma's most expensive pair of boots.

"My cell phone number is the first," Regina said and she pointed to the second number. "And that is my personal line at the office."

"Thanks."

"Don't hesitate to call me," Regina winked as Emma gently folded the paper up and slipped it into her pocket. "Day or night. If I don't answer my cell, try my office. I tend to keep it off when I'm there. Fewer distractions."

"Wouldn't me calling you at work be a distraction?"

"A lovely one at that," Regina chuckled. "It is getting late, Emma. Perhaps we should call it a night."

"Okay."

"I'll call Jerry—"

"I live two blocks away, Regina. I can walk."

"It's almost midnight. Let me get Jerry to take you home. Please? Just to give me a peace of mind that you'll get home safely?"

"Okay," Emma relented and despite knowing she could handle the walk home alone, the pleased smile on Regina's face was worth giving in.

Emma pocketed her phone while Regina walked back over to the desk and picked up the old rotary style phone that sat on top and a moment later, she spoke with her driver and told him that Emma would be down shortly. Regina led Emma to the door and turned to her with a sweet smile before she gave her a lingering kiss on her cheek that fell just shy of her lips.

"I don't mean to make you feel as if I am putting an abrupt end to our night," Regina whispered and she stepped back, smiling as she ran her fingers through Emma's hair. "I fear that if you stay any longer, I won't be able to control myself around you, darling."

"Oh."

"I don't want to rush this," Regina continued and she reached for the lock on the door and clicked it open. "You are different than the others, Emma Swan. Special."

"Don't forget intriguing," Emma chuckled and Regina laughed along with her.

"Will you call me or text me when you arrive home?"

"Sure," Emma nodded. "Thanks for tonight, Regina. I really enjoyed spending time with you."

"Perhaps next time we can get to know one another a little better," she smiled and she pulled open the door slowly. "Jerry should be waiting just out front for you."

"Thanks. Good night, Regina."

Regina reached out for Emma's wrist and pulled her in for a proper good night kiss that left Emma's knees a little shaky. "Good night, Emma."

Emma walked away slowly, pausing halfway to the elevator to look back and she grinned as she found Regina leaning against the frame, arms crossed and a sinfully beautiful smile dancing over her lips. Suddenly Emma felt seventeen again, filled with giddy joy and an overwhelming rush of new and exciting emotions, much like she had when she first met Neal Cassidy.

Neal was the last person she wanted to be thinking of, but Regina made her feel the way he had many years ago, but it was so very different with Regina and in ways that Emma was sure she would find out sooner rather than later.

Emma smiled at her before she turned and headed the rest of the way to the elevators, surprised when she hit the button that the doors immediately slid open. With a deep breath, Emma turned once more and gave Regina a small little wave before she stepped into the elevator and hit the button to take her down to the lobby.

Regina's driver was waiting just inside the lobby door and he led the way out to the car with a tired smile on his face. Emma got into the backseat and waited for him to get in behind the wheel before she gave her address and he glanced in the rearview mirror in surprise. He said nothing as he pulled away from the front of the building and did a U-turn on the nearly empty street. It wasn't long before he pulled up in front of Emma's building and shifted the gear into park.

Emma thanked him and got out, walking around to the back of the building before she realized she hadn't brought her keys with her and she swore under her breath. She pulled out her phone and let it power up, pacing as the chill of the night made her shiver uncontrollably. She text Mary Margaret and waited a few minutes until she heard the window above just off to the side open.

"Emma?" Mary Margaret asked curiously. "What are you doing out there?"

"I forgot to take my keys."

Mary Margaret laughed lightly, disappearing from the window before returning a moment later. She tossed down her own keys. "I almost forgot you did. I should've stayed up."

"I told you not to," Emma replied. "Thanks."

Emma let herself in the back door and up the stairs, not surprised to find Mary Margaret waiting for her at the door. She handed the keys back over to her and headed straight for the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water, determined just to head to bed and try to sleep off everything she was feeling in that moment.

"Did you have a nice time with your new friend?"

"I did," Emma nodded, twisting off the cap of the bottle of water and she nearly downed the entire thing under Mary Margaret's watchful eye. "What?"

"Nothing," she smiled. "It's nice you finally went out with someone that wasn't me or—"

"Ruby. Yeah, you said that before," Emma nodded. "I'm just going to go to bed."

"Bear missed you," Mary Margaret said and she looked at Emma sheepishly. "He kept whining so I let him come down to my room to sleep."

"Okay."

"Can he stay with me tonight?"

"Sure. Good night, Mary Margaret."

"Good night."

Emma headed up the stairs to the loft and exhaled sharply as she kicked off her boots. Emma stripped out of her clothes and pulled on a pair of clean boxers and a tank top before she pulled the piece of paper with Regina's number on it and quickly typed up a text to let Regina know she had gotten home safely.

She crawled into bed with her phone in her hand and she smiled when Regina text back just a few minutes later, wishing her a good night for the second time. Every time Emma licked her lips, she could taste the unique flavor that was Regina along with the remnants of the cider they'd drank. She fell asleep with a blissful smile on her face and her head filled with nothing but thoughts of Regina Mills.

[X]

Emma sat at the table with the Sunday paper laid out in front of her, a cup of hot coffee in one hand and an apple in the other. It was early, just before eight, and she had been up for over an hour despite not having gone to sleep until nearly one. She was in a cheerful mood too and there was no doubt that it was because her night, her date with Regina had gone so well.

Even though she was in a good mood, her thoughts were dark and storming through her mind, the threat high on her very thoughts changing the course of her mood in an instant. The source of those thoughts was the fact that she had thought of Neal Cassidy last night at the end of her first date with Regina, someone she had not thought about in years.

Her time in Oregon was not filled with good memories and it was there she had met Neal Cassidy when she was only seventeen. It wasn't love, she knew that now, but it was an infatuation with the older guy who had a car and liked to live life on the edge. It had been a whirlwind of six months that she spent with him, running away from her foster home to spend days out on the road with him before she dragged her ass back home. Neal had loved her, she was sure of that. He was the first guy she'd ever been with and while it hadn't been unpleasant, that too left her with memories she'd soon rather forget.

The last time she ever saw Neal was just an hour before he was caught trying to fence over twenty grand worth of stolen watches. It was a month after he'd gone to prison that she found out she was pregnant and just a few weeks after that, she miscarried. She never spoke to him since he was arrested, she never wrote to him or told him that she'd been pregnant and then lost the baby. All she knew was what she'd read in the paper about his arrest and how he'd be spending the next ten years in prison.

Just three months after he'd been arrested, she aged out of the system and started hitchhiking across the country, ending up in Boston nearly a year and a half later. She had told Ruby about him only once, in the early years of their friendship, and they had never spoken of him again, just like Emma never thought about him again until last night.

"Thanks for hanging up on me last night," Ruby muttered grumpily as she walked out of her room and into the kitchen. "What the hell, Em?"

"I told you I was busy," Emma replied and she flipped the page in the paper and scanned over the various articles. "When did you get in?"

"Just after four."

"And why are you awake now?" Emma asked. "Don't you usually sleep until two?"

"Peter called late last night," she sighed. "He wants to meet for breakfast."

"Oh?"

"Didn't sound good," Ruby frowned and she helped herself to a hot cup of coffee and joined Emma at the table. "Are we absolutely sure that Mary Margaret disinfected the table thoroughly?"

Emma couldn't help but laugh and took a bite of her apple. "I'm sure she did," she said around the mouthful of apple before chewing and swallowing it quickly. "What do you think he wants to talk about?"

"I think he's going to break up with me. Again," Ruby frowned. "Just two weeks ago he was telling me how he can't live without me and now he "wants to talk" and you know that never means anything good when it comes to him. Anyway, enough about Peter and me. How was it last night?"

"It was good," Emma said and she couldn't hide her smile even if she'd bother to try. "I had fun."

"That's it?" Ruby scoffed. "It was good. I had fun," she mocked. "Well, is that all I get?"

"Yep."

"Are you going to see her again?"

"Yeah," Emma nodded. "She invited me over for dinner on Tuesday."

"A second date!"

"Ruby," Emma groaned. She really didn't want Ruby to know that she and Regina had started dating because she knew exactly how much Ruby liked to interfere even if her intentions were good most of the time. "We're not…dating."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure!" Emma responded tightly. "We're friends. That is all."

"Okay," Ruby said as she let it go. "Friends. Not a date. Got it."

"Do you?"

"Yes!"

"Good."

"You're such a liar," Ruby chuckled. "Did you kiss her again? Did you two fuck?"

"Yes and no." Emma tried to hide her blush by taking a sip of her coffee and Ruby slapped the table hard enough to make her jump. "We're just friends, Ruby," she said lowly. "Okay?"

"Fine!" Ruby snapped. "Fine. Just friends."

Emma knew from the look on Ruby's face that she was not about to drop it anytime soon. Ruby loved to pry and she loved to push people's buttons. Emma flipped another page in the paper and finished off her apple while ignoring the look that Ruby was giving her. She knew she had to turn the conversation around or else Ruby would keep trying to press her into talking about her date with Regina Mills.

Emma turned as she heard the dog run out of Mary Margaret's room and headed straight for her. She laughed as she put her mug down and reached to pet him with both hands, looking up as Mary Margaret walked out of her room looking a little worse for the wear.

"Morning," Emma and Ruby said and Mary Margaret just waved them off, heading straight for the coffee machine to pour herself what looked like a much-needed cup of coffee.

"Remind me never to let him sleep in my bed again," she muttered and Emma looked down at the dog as he sat down and cocked his head to the side. "He kept waking me up. First, it was because he kept hearing things, and then he just wanted to play. I'm exhausted."

Emma got up from the chair and headed over to where his leash was hanging on a hook by the door. "Want to go out for a walk, boy?" She asked and he barked excitedly, sitting down in front of the door while Emma pulled on an old pair of converse. "I'm just going to take him to the park."

"The park is like two blocks away," Ruby replied. "Why not just take him up the street and back?"

"He's a big dog," Emma replied before clipping the leash onto his collar. "He needs his exercise and I need some fresh air."

"Are you sure you're not just avoiding talking about your date last night?"

"Ruby!" Emma groaned and she shot her a look. "I already told you. It was not—"

"Totally a date," Ruby said to Mary Margaret who hummed in agreement. "You know, Em, for someone who has this so-called superpower when it comes to being able to tell if someone is lying or not, you are the worlds shittiest liar. I'm right, aren't I, MM?"

"Oh yeah."

"Shut up." Emma rolled her eyes and made sure she had her phone, some of the poop bags that Mary Margaret made sure she didn't forget at the store the other day, and her keys before she opened the door. "Come on, Bear, let's go," she said and she clicked her tongue and the dog obediently stood up and followed her out the door. "You guys are such assholes," she said, flipping them both off as she shut the door behind her.

Aside from Ruby being, well Ruby, and Mary Margaret taking her side, it did nothing to deter Emma's good mood. She took a shortcut to the park at the row of townhouses where she'd found Bear a few days prior and almost immediately he knew exactly where they were going once they crossed the second street.

The park was busy despite how early on a Sunday morning it was, the sun was shining and the air warm, a reminder that summer was just around the corner and with it long, warm days ahead. Emma's thoughts drifted right back to Regina as she looked over at her building across the west side entrance to the park. She wanted nothing more than to go and see her, to call her and ask her to come down to the park to spend time with her and the dog.

She knew she couldn't, so she shifted her focus to the dog and on their walk through the park on a beautiful Sunday morning. They stayed at the park for nearly an hour before heading back home, Emma taking the long way since the dog seemed to be more than enjoying himself outside.

Upon arriving at the back door, Emma found a deliveryman with flowers standing at the door and looking confused. She tightened her hold on Bear's leash and approached him with a friendly smile.

"Can I help you?"

"Maybe," he said with a nervous smile. "I have a delivery, but the man in the store said it was upstairs only the door is locked and the buzzer doesn't work."

"Who is the delivery for?" Emma asked him. "Blanchard?" She asked, knowing it wasn't unheard of for David to send Mary Margaret flowers, even early on a Sunday morning. The man looked at his clipboard and shook his head no.

"Swan. Emma Swan," he replied. "Is that you by any chance?"

"Yeah," Emma nodded. "Who are they from?"

"There is a card," he replied and held the clipboard out to her. "Please sign at the bottom. I have a few more deliveries to make and I'm already behind."

Emma shook her head and signed for the flowers, juggling the bouquet of roses in her arms as she struggled to get the back door open while holding Bear back when he tried to follow the deliveryman back to his van. Once inside, Emma let go of the leash and let Bear run up the stairs ahead as she searched the bouquet for the card on the way up to the second floor.

Emma found the card just as she reached the landing and she opened the door as she pulled the small card out of the white envelope. Bear ran ahead inside and she paused in the doorway to read what was written inside the card.

Last night was wonderful, darling. I cannot wait to see you again. Perhaps we can see each other today, meet somewhere for lunch? Call me when you get this. – R

"Whoa, check it out," Ruby laughed from where she was curled up on the couch. "Who are the flowers from, Em? Are they for MM? She just went to get some milk and—"

"No, they're not for her," Emma replied, slightly in a daze. "They're for me."

"So, last night was not a date, huh?" Ruby laughed. "I knew it!"


A/N: Wow the response to the last chapter blew me away! You guys are fab! Love that those reading are loving the story. We've only just begun to scratch the surface on this one. As always, you know what to do :)