"Yeah! Hey, hey. Heeeey. Regina was adjusting my dress. The dress. There was something weird with the…dress. Okay, we should go back in," Emma said, speaking at a rapid rate. She smiled at Snow and nodded to Regina, completely unsure if Snow actually saw anything. Emma's heart was beating so fast she thought it would thud out of her chest.

They walked quickly toward the door, leaving Snow with her mouth agape staring after them. Regina realized the gravity of the situation, but couldn't help whispering to Snow as she walked by.

"Just a little problem with her dress," she smirked, quickly catching up to Emma who was holding the door for her.

They avoided each other for the rest of the night, stealing glances here and there. Emma's heart sunk as she watched Robin open Regina's car door for her, and slink in next to her with a bright smile on his face. She was equal parts perturbed and guilt-addled.

Trying desperately to duck any type of conversation with Snow, Emma took off her heels to walk up the stairs and opened the door quietly. No sign of them.

Up in her room, Emma breathed a sigh of relief. She threw her shoes into the corner before flipping her light on. She jumped when she saw Snow sitting on the end of her bed.

"Emma."

"Shit, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Emma asked loudly, hand on her chest.

"She wasn't fixing your dress."

Fuck. She should have known Snow wouldn't just let something like this go.

Emma decided it was easier to just keep up the charade. "Well, if you must know, my underwire was poking into my skin. She was just trying-"

Snow closed her eyes and shook her head. "Emma, don't. She wasn't "fixing" anything. You were dancing. Quite intimately."

"Okay, so we were out by the ocean and neither of us felt like going in. The music was playing and we thought it would be funny," Emma shrugged, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"There was nothing "funny" about it. I saw you. How long has this been going on?"

"Come on, Mom, there's nothing going on! You're overreacting. You know Regina and I have been on good terms for a while now."

"You're on good terms with Leroy. Would you dance with him like that to be "funny"? Would you let him tickle your back with his fingers?"

"No!" Emma said, much too quickly. "That's different. Leroy is…" Emma trailed off, changing into a t-shirt and pair of shorts.

"Unattractive?"

"I did not say that!" Emma could feel herself getting defensive. She was fighting a losing battle, and she knew it, but she didn't know how to stop it. The truth seemed like a terrible, horrifyingly, bad idea.

"Then what's the difference?" Snow continued to sit on the edge of the bed, her demeanor unchanged. Her calmness and detachment was both disturbing and intimidating.

"I'm closer to Regina. She and I share a son, we talk a lot, and we just spent all those nights at her house. So of course it's different."

Snow acquiesced. "Fine. Would you dance with your father like that?"

"God, Mom, that's disgusting! Why would you even…"

And with that, Emma lost the battle.

Snow nodded, eyebrows raised and lips pursed. "So how long has this been going on?"

"Since the night of the tornado," Emma breathed, taking a seat on the bed next to Snow. Losing graciously had never been her strong suit. "We uh, spent a lot of time together in the basement, and talked about a lot of things. She isn't as happy with Robin as she may seem on the surface."

"What about you, with Killian? I thought everything was wonderful between the two of you."

"It is. On paper."

"What does that mean?"

"It means," Emma stretched back, uncomfortably, "that I care about him a lot. I think he has come leaps and bounds over the past few years, and he really is a pretty good guy. He's very considerate and I know he'd move mountains for me."

"I'm not understanding."

"I just don't have that strong desire to be with him. There's no whirlwind of emotion, no cliché butterflies in my stomach. I was content with him, but I don't know if that's enough anymore." Emma chewed on her lip while she snuck a glance at her mother. It was the most honest she'd been with herself in a very, very long time.

"Oh, Emma," Snow sighed, putting her hand on Emma's knee. "Those kinds of feelings don't last, sweetheart. What you may be feeling for…Regina," she swallowed, "is the newness, the excitement, and maybe the danger of getting caught. All of those things are fun and exhilarating, but they don't last. A solid foundation, trust, companionship – that's what matters in the long run."

Emma stood, effective pushing her mother's hand off of her. "I'm not a child, Snow. I know the difference between a real relationship and a fling. If I could remove her from my thoughts and settle back into a nice, comfortable, companionship with Killian, then that would be one thing. I don't think I can do that. I really…kinda…want to be with her."

Snow's face clouded over. "You're right, you're not a child, Emma. If you want to throw away what you have with Killian, I won't try to stop you. But you need to think long and hard about this. Regina is not a sweet little cream-puff who will roll over and give in to your every whim."

"Uh, why would you think I would even want that? She's challenging and straightforward and she calls me on my shit. She's beautiful and deep and sometimes a little mean. When she loves, she loves all the way. You know that firsthand. I thought you two were friends now, why are you putting her down like this?" Emma could feel anger begin to rise in her throat.

"I'm not putting her down. We are friends. I'm friends with a lot of people, doesn't mean I would want them dating my daughter."

"Well, until we figure out what's really going on between us, this conversation is pointless. She seems to cling onto the whole "soulmate" thing and I don't know if that's something she can get over."

Snow sighed, again. "You make the word "soulmate" sound like a degradation. It's a beautiful and magical connection between two people that most people in this world or any other never have the opportunity to feel. I don't blame her for not being quick to toss it aside."

"Okay, Mom. I really have to get some sleep. I'll think about what you said. Can you do me a favor though?"

Snow had risen, sullenly, and was standing by the open door of Emma's bedroom.

"What is it?"

"Can you keep this to yourself? Please?"

Snow nodded sadly, closing the door behind her.

XXX

Sleep was not in the cards. Sometime around three a.m., Emma started up her Bug and drove in silence to Mifflin. She knew it was not a good idea, she knew she was playing with fire. This whole thing was taking a very unhealthy turn, but Emma couldn't help the deep-seated need to see Regina, to talk to her about it, even though their conversations never ended with any type of solution.

As she sat outside the darkened house, she shot off a text asking Regina to meet her in the backyard. After a few minutes with no response, Emma wondered if Regina even kept her phone by her at night. And even if she did, was it enough to wake her up.

Right before turning her key in the ignition, Emma's phone lit up.

Give me two minutes.

A flood of relief washed over her as she made her way to the backyard and took a seat on the glider. She shifted a few times waiting for Regina to appear.

"Tell me, what couldn't wait until morning?" Regina asked, her voice still thick and gravelly with sleep. She tightened her robe and sat on the open cushion next to Emma.

"Sorry," Emma apologized, noticing Regina still had traces of her makeup from earlier in the evening and her hair was still perfectly coiffed even after lying on the pillow. Emma felt the familiar drop in her stomach at the sight of her.

"It's okay, but what's going on? Regina asked, yawning into the back of her hand.

"Snow knows."

Regina paused for a moment, looking down at the ground. "Is she going to say anything?"

"No."

Regina scoffed. "I don't mean to be contrary, but Snow is not the best secret-keeper I've encountered."

"She won't. But things just got very real, very fast."

"Yes, it would seem they did," Regina answered, gazing into her apple tree. "We are running out of options."

Emma sat back on the glider and kicked her feet forward to give the swing momentum. She covered her face with her hands.

"I think I should break it off with Killian."

"Yes, that would probably be the smart thing to do. I think you've made it clear to me, and yourself, over the past few days that he isn't making you happy. You deserve happiness, Emma," Regina told her, rubbing her arm affectionately.

Emma stopped and sat up straight. She turned so she was facing Regina directly. "Why are you making it sound like you aren't a part of this? Like you're a casual friend giving me some life advice?"

"I'm not. I'm just being honest with you – if you aren't happy, you should leave him."

Suddenly frustrated, Emma brought the swing to an abrupt halt. "And if you aren't happy with Robin, you should leave him."

"While that is true, I'm not going to immediately say that I should leave Robin because you're thinking of leaving Hook. That would be impulsive."

Emma felt tears spring to her eyes, and she willed them away angrily. "Am I alone in this, Regina? If I am, I just need you to tell me. What we talked about – just a few hours ago – made it seem like I wasn't. Has something changed?"

Regina leaned into her, taking her hand in her own. "Nothing has changed, Emma. I do feel all of those things I told you about at the wedding. But I also know that impetuous behavior usually ends badly."

She was hesitant to break eye contact, but Emma reached up and tangled her hand in Regina's hair, pulling her close. She leaned in and kiss her, afraid of rejection, but quickly put at ease. Regina brought her hands to Emma's waist, where she adjusted herself so that their bodies were touching. She returned the kiss with vigor, swallowing the heat that boiled between them. Just as her tongue slowly breached the entrance to Emma's mouth, Emma pulled away.

"Sometimes spontaneity can be a good thing. Good night, Regina," Emma said, standing quickly. She sprinted to her car, unable to erase the burning image of Regina's confused and broken countenance as she hastily walked away from her.