Disclaimer in Chapter One

AN: I swear some of you have some sort of psychic ability. Welcome newcomers to this crazy little product of my mind! I've successfully sucked you in. Thank you for all the amazing reviews everyone! Thank you for all the favourites and the subscriptions! All of your levels of awesomeness have skyrocketed.

Chapter Ten

"Hey Ruby," Emma muttered under her breath at the far end of the diner's counter, writing quickly on the back of a receipt. "Can you give this to Regina?"

The brunette raised an amused eyebrow. "You're still doing that?"

Emma looked up confused. "Yeah. Why?"

"It's been a month, Emma," the waitress reasoned.

"So?"

"She hasn't done anything about it."

"She talked to me again, at that meeting," the Sheriff pointed out.

"Yeah, once and that was like a week ago. Has she contacted you since then?" Ruby asked.

"She just needs some time," Emma reasoned.

"No offense, Sheriff, but you're not really giving her that."

Emma pursed her lips at the note in between her fingers. "When am I supposed to thank you again?"

Ruby smirked. "When you listen to me and let the Mayor cool off. Still want me to give it?"

Emma glanced at the note then to the brunette reading a newspaper at the table by the windows. She drained the rest of her hot chocolate and stood, pocketing the note. "Remind me to fire you when this doesn't work out."

Ruby laughed and called out as the blonde headed towards the exit. "You won't fire me. Who will get your grilled cheese for lunch?"

Emma gave an exaggerated eye roll, forcing herself to look ahead and not glance at Regina.

It was official. Emma was an addict. Her drug? Regina Mills. Though she hadn't spoken to the brunette since their email interaction during the budget meeting, at least Emma knew Regina would be receiving her notes.

Upon Ruby's advice, Emma had stopped with leaving her Easter eggs for the Mayor to find. After distancing herself from the task for a full twelve hours, Emma scrunched up her face in deep contemplation. Holy shit, she was obsessive. She rolled her eyes. Clearly her roommate was having an effect on her.

Still, Emma couldn't help but wonder maybe the notes got through to Regina. Or maybe the brunette just wants her to stop.

It was only eight and, true to her word, Emma kept away from Regina. This included refraining from logging into her IM account precisely from 8-10 just to see if Regina would ever log back on. Had the blonde kept to her rigorous schedule, she would have witnessed just that.

Regina was nervous, to say the least. It was already noon and not one message from Emma graced her path. She was surprised when she didn't get one that morning at the diner. She could have sworn she saw Emma scribbling on a piece of paper out of the corner of her eye, not that she was watching, but after she had stood and her deputy laughed about not being fired, Regina still remained note-less.

She waited an extra ten minutes after receiving her bill to see if one of the many conspirators would pop up and even began watching Ruby's movements to see if she would return to her table, but no one came.

No note. No cryptically circled words in her newspaper. No morning greeting on her coffee cup.

Feeling rather lost, Regina paid for her breakfast and headed to her car.

Four hours later, Regina was feeling anxiety just waiting for something to pop up. How clever could the blonde really get after all?

Not one to wait to be surprised, Regina marched out of her office and stood directly in front of her secretary's desk with a stern glare, earning herself a squeak from the mousy woman.

"Do you have something for me?" Regina asked, her tone indicating she better cough up whatever message Emma had given her.

The petite woman's eyes widened as she looked frantically around her desk for something to give to the Mayor. "What exactly do you need?"

Regina pursed her lips. "If I have to tell you then you don't have it."

The woman stammered as she sorted through files. "I have Mr. Gold's proposal, and the school board is looking into renovations and-"

Regina scowled and snatched random files off the desk and turned on her heels. The woman was useless.

She dropped the files on her desk and slumped into her chair. For a moment she eyed them cautiously then in a quick movement she began rifling through them, looking for a sticky note or some sort of comment in the margin.

Nothing.

And why would there be? Emma wasn't psychic. She couldn't have possibly known that exchange was going to happen or that she'd pick up those files.

Regina groaned to herself and began rubbing at her temples.

This is a good thing, she argued. The Sheriff was giving up.

As much as she tried to convince herself as such, it didn't change how distracted she was from her work or how she began walking around Town Hall, under the guise of building rapport with her colleagues, but secretly looking for a note so she could get some work done.

She didn't find one.

"Are you okay?" Henry asked over dinner. "You're kind of. . .twitchy."

"Henry," Regina scolded as if it were foul language.

"Do you have somewhere to go?" Henry questioned. His eyes suddenly brightened. "A date? Are you meeting Emma online?"

She glared pointedly. "No."

"Oh." The disappointment in his voice was evident.

The Mayor cleared her throat before leaning closer and spoke an octave lower. "Have you seen Ms. Swan today?"

Henry averted his eyes knowing full well his mother had forbade him from seeing her, even though he knew she knew he was helping her in Operation Singlebrooke. "Uh no."

"You won't be in trouble," Regina rushed to clarify.

He shrugged still avoiding eye contact. "She walked me to Archie's from the bus stop."

"What did you two talk about?"

"School. Games. She beat her high score on Fruit Ninja." Henry answered finally looking up.

"Anything else?" Regina hinted.

The boy jutted out his lip in remembrance before shaking his head. "No."

Regina leaned back and sighed. If Emma was going to give something to Henry he would have already planted it. Her eyes widened at the realization. "Homework then bed."

She stood and gathered their plates hurriedly, depositing them in the dishwasher before briskly walking up to her room. She didn't realize she was holding her breath until she released it in disappointment, though the Mayor would contend it was a pleased surprise.

Nothing in here either. Her mirror was clear, no flowers on her bed - not that that one had happened yet - or ever.

Regina closed her eyes and tried to shut herself up.

She left the room displeased and agitated before making her way to her study to try to get some work done that she'd neglected to do this morning. Her emails held nothing new, her text messages were mainly from Kathryn or Henry, and somewhere between allocating funds to Storybrooke Prep and responding to work emails, Regina found herself on her IM account with no one online.

Did Emma really give up? Sure, the blonde was persistent when she wanted to stay in town and defy Regina's wishes, but now she backs down just like that?

She shut her computer down angrily, unsure of this sudden emotion. She should be rejoicing. She got exactly what she wanted.

"Why are you listening to Miracle on repeat?" Mary Margaret had finally had enough of the song as it made its way around for the eleventh time and climbed up the stairs to roommate's bedroom to find the blonde staring up at the ceiling.

"It's not on repeat," Emma argued. As soon as the song was done she pointed her remote in the general direction of her dock and clicked.

Mary Margaret already had her eyes shut as the bars of the song repeated itself.

"You've been holing yourself in here for two days," the teacher observed and made her way to sit on the bed. "Come out to dinner. We'll visit Ruby at the diner."

"We can do that any day."

"But today we'll help you forget about Regina," the brunette argued softly.

She gave a small smile when Emma whipped her head to the side to look at her. After a silent conversation shared between the two, Emma grumbled and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

Regina nursed her second glass of cider. She didn't know why she had been so irritable the last two days, but she was sure it was entirely the blonde Sheriff's fault.

Emma had finally stopped all attempts at contacting her, and though Regina should have been thrilled, she oddly felt a sense of loss.

That loss was quickly replaced with anger when she had taken Henry to dinner at Granny's that night and found Emma and her two brunette friends laughing and enjoying their dinner and ignoring the Mayor's presence entirely.

She scowled. Clearly she had just been a game to Emma which she was quick to get bored of.

After putting Henry to bed, she immediately went to her cider bottle and drank, allowing the soft buzz to ease the tension away.

It wasn't enough though.

Regina needed retribution, and she'd get it. Gulping down her third and fourth glass, she fished out her cell from her purse and began composing a message. Luckily auto-correct was on her side for her fingers wouldn't cooperate with her buzzed mind. Typing furiously for a few minutes, Regina pressed 'send', pleased with herself before wobbly walking up to her bed to lay in a fit of restless sleep.

The Mayor was doing work for once, pushing the makings of a headache from her mind as a result too much cider from the night before. It wasn't until her door opened and slammed shut did she start to relinquish her hold on keeping her headache at bay.

"Ms. Swan-"

Emma stalked around the mayoral desk and tugged the brunette up. Regina's eyes widened at the unexpected move and their close proximity.

"What the hell are you doing?" Regina gaped.

Emma just studied her expression before slipping a paper into her hand.

Furrowing her brow, Regina automatically looked into her palm and unfolded the paper.

Do you want to go on a date with me?

Yes:

No:

- Emma

She gasped and looked up at the Sheriff. "What is this?"

"A question," Emma answered obviously.

"Why on earth would I want to do that, after everything you've put me through?" Regina asked harshly though the usual venom in her voice was missing.

"Because your email said you missed me," Emma reasoned logically.

The brunette scoffed. "It said no such thing."

"You forget, Madame Mayor," Emma said as she pulled out her phone. "I can read between the lines."

With a smirk, she began reading out loud Regina's email.

Dear Ms. Swan,

I couldn't help but notice your persistence has been waning. It appears you've finally learned something.

Though your manners could use some work because if you're going to do something as crazy as flourishing a woman with love notes than it would be common courtesy to tell her that you're going to stop. I lost two days of work waiting around for your stupid notes.

I doubt you care though. You've clearly already pushed me to the back of your mind. What happened to the lovesick Sheriff who looked up when I walked into Granny's? Here I thought you were a worthy adversary, but now I know that as soon as you don't get your way you give up. I knew you thought this was a game.

Luckily for me I did not cave.

Emma glanced up at the Mayor, her expression softened. For her part, Regina remained petulant though the blush forming on her cheeks after hearing what she wrote out loud couldn't be hidden.

"I didn't say I missed you," Regina muttered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You didn't have to," Emma whispered. She could see Regina steel her jaw and put her walls up, so Emma backed up a step. She motioned to the note still in the Mayor's hand. "You don't have to answer it now."

Emma stayed standing in front of her just a moment longer before offering a small smile and heading to the doors.

Mary Margaret had been living with Emma for the past six months. She knew her roommate wasn't a very emotional person. In fact, the blonde only ever really opened herself whenever Henry was upset or when she had a confrontation with Regina. After realizing Emma's feelings for the Mayor, Mary Margaret could see the effect the older woman was having on her friend.

But ever since Emma had been outed on the whole dating profile thing, she noticed Emma had gone through an array of emotions. There were those depressed first couple of days, followed by scheming-Emma, which Mary Margaret hadn't forgiven the blonde for yet - her own involvement in the plan had her mortified. Then depressed Emma was back again only she was mixed with a nervous twitch.

But this Emma, Mary Margaret thought as she walked through her apartment door to find the blonde jumping up and down with a giant grin on her face, this Emma was another being entirely.

"Uh, Emma? Are you okay?" The teacher approached cautiously.

Without answering, the blonde simply shoved her phone into Mary Margaret's hand. Mary Margaret squinted her eyes in confusion glancing at Emma's eerily happy face then down to the device.

It was an email from Regina and simply held one word.

Yes.