It was like having an out of body experience. Ever since Emma had left, Regina had been on auto pilot. Everything ever since that kiss had been a blur. She vaguely remembered inviting the blond to dinner. Why the hell had she done that?! This question had been running in her head over and over again. Nevertheless, she had done it and she would be a good host and that is why she was now preparing a sumptuous meal for the sheriff and herself and had an elegant dress laid out for the evening. 'Yes, keep telling yourself that.' Her sub conscience supplied helpfully. She ignored it like she did the other dozen or so times before. Like the time she had asked herself how she could have forgotten to set a time for the dinner. 'Like you could do anything straight when you had your tongue shoved so far down the savior's throat. And yes pun intended.' Regina had just cleared her throat and fired off a quick text to Emma.

To Emma: Be here at seven.

SQSQSQSQSQ

"Hey mom. . . Where are you going?" Henry asked when he saw his mother priming in front of the mirror in a dress. A dress! When was the last time he saw Emma in a dress? Never!

"Out."

"Yeah, out where?"

Emma bit her lip in thought. She knew Henry had warmed up to Regina, but he was nowhere near being comfortable with his two mothers dating each other.

"Mom?"

"Just going out, with some friends."

Henry frowned suspiciously. "What Friends?"

"Some people I met at the Rabbit Hole."

"Oh."

"Yeah. . . ." Emma knew she was walking on thin ice here. 'okay, time to change the topic.' "So. . .um, did you want something?"

"yeess, I need a lift to Nick and Eva's. We're going to work on our History project. Paige is going to be there too."

"Alright. When do you need me to come pick you up?"

"We'll be having dinner together then work on the project some more, so nine-ish?"

" Sounds good. We'll leave in twenty. Go pack your things." Henry nodded and rushed off.

"Phew. Little hound that one. Be careful, Emma. Regina would drop you in a moment if Henry opposed. Now where's that earing. . . . . "

SQSQSQSQ

The ringing of the doorbell marked the end of Regina's pacing. She rushed to the foyer, but stopped just before she reached the door and composed herself. Taking a deep breath she opened the door, looking completely regal in her wine red form fitting dress. To Emma she appeared breath taking. She always looked perfect. But today the ex-mayor looked something ethereal.

"Wow. . . you look beautiful."

"Thank you. You look nice too. Why don't you come in?" Regina held open the door, catching a whiff of the blonde's perfume as she moved in. She couldn't help but sniff in a second time trying to place the heavenly smell. 'Like I said, keep telling yourself that. Denial's not just a river in Egypt.'

"So, um, seeing as you're getting flowers every day, I brought chocolates. I would have brought wine, but I wasn't sure what kind. You can't go wrong with chocolates right?" Emma awkwardly held out a neatly wrapped box of chocolates.

"Thank you Miss Swan," the Brunette said, accepting the gift gracefully. "The Dinner is almost ready. Would you like to wait in the study?"

"Sure."

Both of them took a seat on the ornate couch. Regina deliberately sitting as far away from Emma as possible.

"So. . . ." Emma began. "What's your favorite movie?"

"What?"

"Well, what's your favorite movie? We never discuss things like that. And tonight's good a time as any." Regina just looked on.

"Alright, I'll go first . . . my favorite movie is The Vow. Have you watched it?"

"No."

"Well you should watch it. It's about this couple where the wife has amnesia and forgets her husband and tries to get back with her ex-fiancé and, you know what, you should watch the movie. In fact I'll bring the DVD next time, um if there is a next time. I mean if tonight goes alright there'll be a next time right? Sorry I don't mean to presume, it's just that -"

"Roman Holiday."

"What?"

"My favored movie. Roman Holiday."

"The Audrey Hepburn one?"

"Yes." Emma waited another few moments for the other woman to elaborate.

"Okay,' Emma said when no explanation was given. "Um, favorite song?"

"I can't decide on any one."

"Yeah. Me too. There are just too many contenders." Another bout of silence followed. "What about. . ."

"I think the dinner is ready. Please follow me to the dining room." The brunette quickly interrupted.

The table was already set. So all Regina had to do was pull the Lasagna out of the oven and set it aside to cool. While the hot dish cooled, the Brunette served a salmon dish and they both sat down to eat. "Regina this is delicious, what dish is this?" The blonde asked, quickly refilling her mouth after she was done talking.

"Cinnamon rubbed salmon with couscous and harissa yogurt."

"Cinnamon. . . ha no wonder it's so delicious. But I thought you didn't like cinnamon."

"Not true. I like cinnamon just as much as anyone else. I just don't have an unhealthy obsession with it that you and Henry seem to share." Once both their plates were cleared, Regina served the Lasagna. Emma helped herself to seconds of her favorite dish and two helpings of the dessert. By the time they were done, Emma was glad she was in a dress and not in her usual tight fitting jeans.

Regina watched on with amusement. "You really do appreciate your food, don't you?"

"You quickly learn to appreciate food when you're in the foster system." A brief pause. "Sorry didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," she said when she saw the brief look of discomfort flash through Regina's face.

Regina hummed and set about clearing the table. Emma quickly followed suit. "Emma what are you doing?"

"Helping you."

"I assure you there's no need. Why don't you watch something on the television? I'll join you shortly."

"Nope. I like it right here. I am no royalty. I don't need special treatment."

"Except that you are."

"Huh?"

"You are royalty Emma."

"Not in Storybrook. Here, I am just a lowly sheriff."

"Doesn't matter. Once a royal, always a royal."

"That's not even a thing."

"It most definitely is."

"Well maybe it is, but since we're done here," and that was when Regina realized everything was cleared away and loaded in the dish washer. "I'll take you up on your offer, and you can join me right away."

When the brunette was still not moving fast enough for her liking, Emma grabbed onto a finely manicured hand and pulled her along. When they reached the living room, she gently sat the brunette down on the couch and went about checking Regina's movie collection. Once she found the one she was looking for, she put it on and came back to sit beside Regina, making sure there was very little space between them.

Regina was pleasantly surprised to find her favorite movie playing on the 52 inch television. She leaned back into the couch and settled down to enjoy the movie. About half an hour into the movie, she felt eyes on her, but when she turned to acknowledge the blonde, Emma quickly looked away. This happened a couple of times. She would feel Emma staring at her, but when she looked, the savior would quickly turn away, seeming to be deeply engrossed in the movie. Finally she had enough. "What?" The brunette snapped. Emma hadn't been fast enough this time and Regina had caught her eye before she could turn away.

Emma flinched at the forceful tone, but then started speaking sheepishly. "Um, . . . I was wondering, hoping really, if I may kiss you again?"

Regina gracefully shifted to now face the blonde and cleared her throat. "I suppose. . ." She said.

Emma grinned and cupping the other woman's face in her palms, she leaned down to kiss the red painted lips with at most devotion. This kiss was vastly different than the previous one. Where the kiss that they had shared in the afternoon had been explosive, this kiss was an implosion of feelings and passion. It turned Emma inside out drawing a whimper out of both the woman. For Regina this kind of intimacy was new, yet there was some kind of old familiarity to the kiss, to the touches that ghosted over the skin of her bare arms, to the symphony of ever shallowing breathes and moans that she couldn't help but melt into the kiss, losing all her inhibition.

Emma slowly drew the brunette closer until she was comfortably engulfed within her arms, one hand cupping the back of her head, the other trailing patterns on the exposed skin of her back, just above the neckline. Another moan and the greedy fingers boldly gripped onto the zipper and pulled until the dress lay open, baring more caramel skin for the scrutiny of pale fingers. Somehow, during the course of the kiss, they had moved, so that Regina was now pressed against the arm rest almost horizontally and Emma was half lying, half leaning over her. Soon she felt fingers lingering over the exposed clasp of her lace bra as if waiting, asking for permission. A 'yes' was hissed out between kisses and suddenly the bra loosened around her and the front of the dress was being pulled down along with the bra to reveal two brown tipped mounds of flesh.

The blonde pulled away momentarily to take in the glorious vision. Breasts heaving to draw in breaths, hooded eyes looking up at her savior, Regina looked nothing short of a goddess. Emma laid her palms flat against sculpted abdomen and licked her lips with a hunger she hadn't felt in a long time, if ever. Slowly but surely her hands began to slide up the smooth skin, as she leaned down for another kiss, but stopped just short of her breasts, her fingers just barely touching the undersides of the mounds. She broke the kiss once again before she bought herself level with Regina's heaving chest and sucked in one of the chocolate tips into her mouth, causing a gasp followed by a delighted hiss to fall from the brunette's lips. Emma smiled into her chest and sucked harder to draw out series of moans and whimpers before switching to the other nipple.

Breaking away to once again kiss those luscious lips, Emma couldn't help but stop to admire the beauty that was Regina. Not in a million years had she imagined herself lucky enough to be able to touch, to kiss such perfection. And in that moment something that had been brewing for a long time spilled over and words that hadn't been said since that first day slipped past the blonde's lips. "God, I love you."

Dark eyes, stormy with lust, snapped open in acknowledgement, but the body stilled in realization. Dainty hands began pushing at pale shoulders, and Regina sat up, quickly covering herself up with the dress. Emma looked on in confusion as the other woman put distance between them.

"Emma it's late. I think you should leave."

"What? Regina. . ."

"Go, Miss Swan." Came the stern reply.

Jaws set, Emma quietly gathered herself and without saying another word saw herself out.

Much later, when the blonde was safely in her home, a tear slid down Regina's cheeks, as she stood under the shower, only one thought troubling her. 'What is happening to me?'