Thank you so much for all the reviews, follows, and favorites! I'm loving the way you all are responding to the story because I'm really into it too. :D Enjoy the latest and know that the next one should be up by tomorrow at the latest if something doesn't come up.

Emma slowly woke up to the morning sun brightly illuminating her once peaceful bedroom. She squinted her eyes as she sat up and groaned. All the muscles in her body ached. Her memory was hazy as she tried to remember what caused her pain when flashes of the previous night rudely reminded her.

The Mayor had played rough on more than one occasion within a matter of hours. She'd made Emma come undone twice within one hour alone. She hadn't even finished her dinner before Regina had her in her lap moving with the regal woman in a competition to see who could hold out the longest.

She threw her legs over the side of the bed and grunted as her body told her to give up and lay back down. She ran a hand through her hair and looked at her alarm clock as she fought against her body's screams.

10:32am.

"Shit!"

She shot up and stood too fast for her sore body. She nearly collapsed as she wobbled to keep herself upright. She reached out and rested her weight on her hand as she placed her palm against her nightstand.

Her head pounded loudly like she'd woke up with a hang over and her left thigh wasn't too forgiving of the hell it had been put through at the mansion. The "R" Regina had carved into her skin no longer bled out at that time, but the blood had clotted enough to leave a large, red mark across the expanse of her milky skin.

She sighed as she looked down at the mark. If she was lucky, the butter knife wouldn't leave a scar that would permanently deem her Regina's property.

She took a deep breath and pushed herself off the nightstand. She walked over to her closet and grabbed the first outfit she could put together in a matter of seconds, though she didn't own much other than her usual white tank top and tight, dark jeans.

She pulled out a faded dark blue V-neck tee and a pair of jeans. She tugged on the jeans with grunts and groans that could be heard throughout the empty apartment. She pulled on her shirt and fanned out her hair to give it more volume in an attempt to rid her blonde tresses of the bedhead look.

She grabbed her boots by the bedroom door and yanked them on after she slipped into mismatched socks then scrambled downstairs. She hurried out the front door and left behind her jacket as she locked up. She didn't have time to think let alone go through a mental checklist of the things she'd need for the day.

Thankfully, the air was crisp but not too bitter. She'd been through worse weather without a jacket before and didn't have time to go back for anything. She hadn't even bothered to apply any make up she knew she'd need to cover up her tired eyes.

She ran down her car, jumped in, and headed straight to Granny's for breakfast like she did every day. That day, however, she didn't just want breakfast, she needed it. If she didn't get caffeine or any nutritional value in her system soon, she wouldn't make it through the day.

She burst into the diner, desperation written clear across her face as she took her usual seat at the end of the bar.

Ruby flashed her a smile when she turned from her place in front of the two coffee pots then turned around to check the clock on the back wall.

"What happened to you this morning," Ruby asked as she came over to Emma with a coffee pot in one hand, a mug in the other.

"I overslept," Emma answered as she watched the long haired brunette pour hot liquid in her cup.

"Obviously," Ruby chuckled as filled the mug almost completely to the top then pulled it away from the mug.

She pulled a bottle of creamer out from under the counter, good creamer, and set it in front of Emma.

"Rough night," she asked.

Emma looked up at her with worried, fearful eyes as wide as saucers. She thought about the likelihood that Ruby knew anything about what she'd been doing after hours with the Mayor. It would be impossible for anyone to know. They hated each other. The last thing anyone would expect them to do was sleep with each other, although they didn't do any sleeping when they were together.

"Um...late. It was a late night," Emma slowly corrected, though she'd been in bed by ten, which was normal for her if not a little early.

Ruby cleared her throat and flashed her eyes down at the counter top before she continued.

"Then...how do you explain that ridiculously sized hickey," Ruby grinned and stared into Emma's eyes as she asked.

Emma's jaw dropped and shot her hand to her neck. She ran her fingertips over it to feel more of Regina's damage and had no defense.

"Now who could've possibly done that to you since the only guy in town worth jumping on, now that Graham's gone, is that coma patient David. And he's off the market considering Mary Margaret's feelings for him."

Emma looked down at her cup of coffee and after a moment, she started to slide it in her direction.

Ruby almost gasped and placed her hand over the top of the mug to stop Emma from getting her caffeine fix.

"It's not him, is it?!"

Emma looked up and shook her head.

"No, of course it's not him. I may have done a lot stupid shit in my life, but betraying a friend like that has never been one of 'em and I intend to keep it that way."

"Oh," Ruby sighed with relief. "Good. ...So then, who's the new guy?"

"It's not a big deal."

"That thing is the size of Texas! I'd say it's a pretty big deal."

Emma uncomfortably shifted in the stool and pulled her hair over her shoulder to hide her neck from view. She looked down to avoid eye contact when the bell on the diner door jingled.

Pawnshop owner Mr. Gold limped through the door with his cane, a gold handle at the top where he distributed most of his weight on his right hand.

Ruby looked past Emma and went silent at the sight of the scruffy, aged man. Her expression turned rigid and slightly frightened if not intimidated.

Emma turned around to see what caused Ruby to immediately stiffen and gave the shady looking man a once over. She put up with Regina's mental, not to mention physical, abuse on a daily basis. The mystery man she stared at didn't elicit fear from her. As far as she was concerned, Regina was as bad as it got and she could handle her so the man before her posed no threat.

"Good morning, Mr. Gold," Ruby nervously greeted.

"'Morning, Miss Lucas," he gave her a slimy smile and replied out of respect then looked at Emma. "Ah, a new face to this town. Sorry, dearie, I haven't gotten out much lately otherwise I would've made your acquaintance sooner. You must be Sheriff Swan," he crookedly grinned and flashed his gold tooth.

"Um, yeah," Emma gave him a questioning second look, one she hadn't planned to give him, that was, until his presence had involved her. "That's me."

"Good. Then you can help me. You see, I own the pawnshop at the end of the street and this morning I noticed there was something missing."

"Do you think it was stolen?"

"I don't want to point any fingers, but yes, I suspect as much. I was hoping you could come to the shop and go through my inventory with me before I require any further help from you."

"You want me to go through your inventory. You do know what the job title Sheriff means, right?"

"Emma," Ruby quietly warned from behind the counter.

Gold smirked.

"I realize there are other things you could be doing this morning like perhaps repaying the person that did that to your neck for a time well spent, but I'd appreciate it if I had another pair of eyes to double check my work. That isn't a problem now, is it, dearie?"

Emma parted her lips and flashed a small grin of approval. He'd known her for less than a minute and already managed to insult her when she'd gotten smart with him.

After a moment, she gave a single nod.

"Okay. I'll stop by after breakfast."

"Why wait? You can eat it at the shop."

Emma frowned.

"I possess a great deal of things and I don't think either one of us wants this to take all day."

Emma sighed then turned back to Ruby.

"Can I get my usual breakfast. To go, please," she asked with a sad and discouraged look on her face.

Gold stood behind the cash register as he flipped through his leather bound record book of everything he'd ever acquired while Emma looked through the shelves against the far wall.

"You know, Sheriff, I might not get out much, but I still hear things. Storybrooke is a small town and not much happens here so when something does happen, it's the talk of the town."

"Yeah? And what have you heard?"

"Enough to spark my interest. You and the Mayor seem to have it out for each other. I suppose mostly fighting over Henry since you're his birth mother. Am I correct?"

"Yeah, I'm his birth mother. You here that around town too?"

"How else would I know," he asked then paused before he continued. "Lately, though, things have been quiet with Regina."

"She's been anything but quiet," Emma mumbled as she made her way down the shelf.

"Is that so," he stated rather than asked as a glimmer of curiosity appeared in his dark eyes.

Emma closed her mouth and tensed a bit before she stopped looking through the shelf and turned the upper half of her body toward the register.

"You probably haven't heard anything because she and I don't run into each other in public anymore."

"Then where do you run into each other, dearie?"

Emma didn't have a lie prepared. Any answer she gave him would be the truth, or some version of it, and she couldn't tell him the truth. Not without him getting more suspicious than his tone already suggested.

"Just...around," Emma awkwardly answered as she turned back to the shelves. "What is it you think is missing?"

Gold grinned as he took a moment to revel in the fact that he'd rattled her cage. His grin soon faded and he answered her.

"A contract."

"A contract," she disbelievingly asked.

"Yes. Someone made a deal with me some time ago and it's about time I collect what they owe me."

"And what is it they owe you?"

"That's my business."

Emma furrowed her brow as she looked him over. She recognized all the signs that he wouldn't say anything more and moved on to the next shelf.

After hours of searching the front of the shop, Emma came up empty handed.

"Okay, I think it's time we check the back," she said as she walked further from the shop entrance.

"That's quite all right, Miss Swan," Gold forced a smile as he stepped in front of her before she could reach the archway between the two rooms. "I'll continue to look for the contract, but it's almost two now. You should probably check in at the station. Wouldn't want to keep the rest of the town waiting much longer."

She curiously and suspiciously eyed him before she thought about it. She could tell he was hiding something, but she didn't want to be there in the first place and she hadn't even opened the station.

"You're right. Good look with the search," she said before she turned to leave.

"Oh, Miss Swan, I almost forgot," Gold said as he reached into the cardboard box on the far end of the counter. "I found these earlier today before I went to the diner. I thought you might like these. For your boy."

He offered her a pair of walkie talkies and she looked them over.

"Uh...thanks," she warily accepted them.

She placed both talkies in her left hand when she reached the front door and pulled it open with her right as she exited the shop.

Emma skipped her lunch break and slaved over the paperwork Henry had helped her with the day before until it was time to pick him up from school. She'd only worked for an hour and forty minutes that day if she didn't count the time spent at Gold's shop, which she didn't because it turned out to be a sufficient waste of time. Though she did admit the walkie talkies were nice.

She was a little disappointed in herself if she was being honest, but the thought of seeing Henry made her feel less guilty by the minute as she drove to the school.

She followed his instructions, but still decided to park in the fire lane against his warning not to and got out of the car. She headed over to the nearby bench and smiled when he turned and saw her.

He beamed and shot off the bench then ran straight at her. He collided with her and wrapped his hands around her waist as he clung to her in a tight hug.

"Hey," she chuckled as she hugged him back, his head only reaching up to her chest. "How was school?"

"Boring," he said as he pulled out of the hug but remained close to her on the sidewalk. "How was work?"

"Unproductive," she replied as she turned and started to walk back to the yellow bug.

Henry followed her and stayed at her side as they walked.

"Really? How come?"

"Well, I woke up late this morning."

"Did you forget to set your alarm? Sometimes I do that and my mom has to come in and shake me until I get up. I don't usually cooperate the first time either."

Emma laughed.

"I can't remember if I set my alarm or not, but even if I did I doubt I would've heard it. If I'm exhausted, when I'm asleep I'm out until my body recuperates."

"Recuperates?"

"Gets enough rest so I can function again."

Henry gave a nod of understanding as he reached the passenger door. He opened it as Emma walked around to the other side.

"Have you eaten anything today," Emma asked as she made it to her door.

"Yeah. Spaghetti and meatballs for lunch today. Not very good. There was barely any sauce and it was watery. And I think the school buys cheap noodles because the whole plate tasted like it came out of a ready-made box."

Emma smiled and shook her head as she got into the car while Henry got comfortable in his seat and shut the door.

"So now you're a food critic," she asked as she shut her door.

"I may have a big appetite, but I won't eat just anything. I'm picky like that."

"Guess you got the appetite from me and being picky from your mom."

"Gotta be."

Emma started the car and drove through the turnaround before she got back onto the main street.

"Well, you might have eaten, but I haven't had anything since breakfast. Mind if we stop by Granny's before I take you out?"

"No problem! As long as you buy me a chocolate milkshake."

"Okay, but if your mom finds out you're addicted to those things, she'll kill me."

Henry smiled.

"Don't worry. It's a secret addiction. She'll never know."

She squinted at him as she looked him over with a small grin.

"Sometimes I worry you're too sneaky for your own good."

"Eh, it's not like I'd lie to you, though."

"As glad as I am to hear that, you probably shouldn't lie to your mom either."

"But...if I don't lie to her she'll kill you, remember," he asked as he smirked up at her.

She chuckled and reached over to playfully mess up his hair as she kept her eyes on the road, her left hand on the steering wheel.

Within minutes, Emma opened the diner door for Henry and let him scamper inside.

He went straight to the counter and sat in Emma's usual stool with the most accessibility to the exit. He drummed his hands on the counter as he looked around the place and waited for Ruby to finish with another customer.

"Hey, Henry," Ruby smiled as she walked over to him while Emma took the seat to his right. "Can I get you something?"

"A chocolate milkshake please."

"To go," Emma completed his order.

Ruby looked from Henry to Emma and smiled at her.

"You got it," she said with a salute then spun on her heels and went into the back.

Henry looked up at Emma and quizzically inspected her neck.

"What's that," he asked as he pointed to her hickey.

Emma looked down to see the direction of where he pointed and quickly covered the mark with her hair.

"It's nothing, kid."

"It doesn't look like nothing. What happened?"

"I, uh...pinched myself...with the zipper on my jacket yesterday."

"When," he disbelievingly asked.

"Um, when you fell asleep in my car. I had to carry you to your room and the zipper cut me a few times trying to make sure I didn't hit your head on any of the walls."

"Oh...sorry."

Emma smiled after a short moment, happy he bought it and amused that he felt he needed to apologize.

"Not a problem," she said as she patted him on the back.

Ruby came out of the kitchen with a medium sized Styrofoam cup and plastic lid then made Henry his shake.

Emma removed her hand from Henry's back as Ruby walked over with his shake. She pushed the lid on at the last minute before she handed him the shake then pulled a straw out of her apron and offered it to him.

"Thanks," he smiled as he took the straw and ripped it open before he stuck it into the lid.

"Here for a late lunch," Ruby asked after she turned to Emma.

"Yeah. I didn't leave Mr. Gold's until about two this afternoon. I sacrificed my lunch hour to make sure I at least got something done before getting Henry."

"You went to Mr. Gold's," Henry asked after he swallowed his first sip.

"Yeah. He needed help looking for something he thinks might have been stolen from him," she informed him.

"In that case," Ruby started. "What'll it be?"

Emma smiled.

"Make it a BLT today, extra bacon."

"How much extra bacon?"

"Let's just say I wouldn't be torn up if you had to take off most of the lettuce to make room for the bacon."

"You got it," she chuckled then turned and went into the kitchen a second time.

After an hour at the diner, Emma drove Henry to the park for their first after school adventure. She didn't think the park was anything special since it was mostly grass and trees, but she figured the kid had enough imagination to have fun there.

Once she parked in the designated area by the surrounding water, Henry beamed up at her from the passenger's seat.

"That's my castle," he exclaimed and pointed at the structure just off the pathway.

Emma squinted as she looked out the windshield to see what he was talking about and when she gave it a once over, she smiled then turned to him.

"Guess I had the right idea bringing you here. What do you do in your castle?"

"Read, think. It's where I go to get away from her."

"Your mom, you mean."

He nodded.

"I hope you like company then."

He lightly laughed.

"I'm happy you'll be here with me. I'm happy I can share this place with someone."

"So...the point isn't to have a moment to yourself?"

"It is, but...it's just a secret from her. As long as she doesn't know about it or doesn't come looking for me here, I'll be okay. Otherwise, it gets kind of lonely, especially when I'm here a lot."

Emma frowned as Henry opened the door and moved past his own admission.

He smiled as he got out of the car and waved her out before he shut the door.

She followed after him at a slower pace and watched him bounce over to the castle, his castle. She stopped a few steps from the yellow bug and remembered something. She turned back and popped the trunk. She grabbed the walkie talkies by their antennas and shut the trunk.

Henry frowned as he waited for her to step away from the car, but when she did his expression didn't change much. He cocked his head as he eyed the objects in her hands.

Emma stuffed her car keys into her back pocket and switched one of the walkie talkies into her right hand so she had one in each. She made her way back toward the castle at the same leisurely pace she'd set for herself the first time and handed him one of the walkie talkies.

He accepted it and rested the device in his lap along with the hand he'd used to take it. He watched her hop onto the wooden landing he sat on and get comfortable beside him.

"What's this?"

"A way to communicate," she answered as she blew hair out of her face then looked at him. "I got them from Mr. Gold today. If you need to talk about something, anything, you can always get a hold of me with that."

She pointed at the walkie talkie in his hand as she said her last words.

"I don't trust Mr. Gold."

"Then trust me. Here," she said as she took back the walkie talkie.

She changed the channel to number eight and matched hers with his before she handed it back to him.

"Channel eight?"

"Yep."

"Why eight?"

"I've lived in seven different places the last ten years. I didn't like staying in one place too long, still don't, but...now there's you. So, eight because it's our number."

Henry looked at her quizzically.

"This is the eighth place I've been since you were born and this is the place I want to stay as long as you're here," she explained.

He smiled at her then looked down at the walkie talkie. He turned up the volume to hear the crackle over the speaker before he held down the communication button.

"Eight is my new favorite number," he said into the walkie.

Emma smiled down at him then pressed the button on hers.

"Mine too," she said.

His smile widened and she couldn't help but reach over and playfully mess up his hair.

He laughed and wiggled away from her touch before he ran a hand over his hair to fix it.

"So, what happened with you and my mom last night...after I fell asleep?"

"Nothing," she shook her head as she continued to lie to him. "We talked...briefly then I left."

"I wish I'd been awake so you could've stayed for dinner."

"Another time," she said as she elbowed him in the bicep to cheer him up.

A thought came to him after a second and he flashed a small smile filled with hope.

"I'll race you through the woods out to the street. If I win, you have to stay for dinner tonight."

She hesitated, but as she looked down at him and his wishful hazel eyes, she couldn't resist.

"...Okay. And what if I win?"

"What do you want?"

"Hmm," she thought about it, truly thought about what would be worth betting a ten year old.

Then it came to her.

"I wanna see you get an 'A' on your next history test."

"What if you win, but I don't get an 'A'?"

"Then you'll spend the next few days we're together with me studying and doing homework."

"No! That's what my mom does."

"The you should be really motivated to get that 'A'."

"You're on," he agreed after a moment.

Emma grinned and hopped off the castle. She set her walkie talkie down where she previously sat and waited for Henry to follow her lead.

He left his walkie talkie on the space next to him and jumped down from the castle. He smirked up at her and spoke.

"You're gonna lose."

"I wouldn't bet on that," she joked.

"Ready?"

"Set."

"Go!"

The two of them took off at full speed, but Emma slowed down when she made it to the first tree to give him a fighting chance.

Henry took the lead and dodged large, fallen branches as he kicked up leaves. He smiled as he ran and occasionally looked back at Emma to measure the distance between them. He felt confident she wouldn't catch up to him and sped up to reach the pavement in the distance.

Emma allowed him a huge advantage as she purposely acted tired and moved at the pace of a fast walk, not even a jog. She waited until he got cocky enough to keep his eyes on the road ahead then burst into a sprint.

Within a matter of seconds, she was hot on his heels and she didn't try to quiet her feet against the crunching leaves beneath her.

Henry could hear the loud sound and turned to see Emma at arm's length. His eyes went wide as his smile faded in shock.

She laughed as she swooped down and lifted him into her arms. She'd used all her energy to catch up to him so she only had one weapon left. She started to tickle him until he kicked and bucked in her grasp. She smiled as she enjoyed the sound of his laughter and slowly brought him to the ground.

She laid him on his back and continued to tickle him as he rolled from side to side to escape her.

"Stop," he laughed. "Can't...breathe!"

She tickled him for a few more seconds as she watched his nose scrunch up, his teeth on display as he couldn't contain his laughter. When she thought he was down for the count, she stopped tickling him and pushed off the ground.

She popped up on her feet and jogged toward the road. She made sure to look back at Henry in case he wasn't okay, but smiled when she saw him roll himself into a sitting position.

She looked ahead of her again to avoid running into anything then took another second to look over her shoulder at him once more.

He got up and started to run after her, but they both knew she would be claimed victor.

After a few more strides, Emma looked down as soon as her foot made contact with the pavement. She shot her hands up above her head in victory and spun around to face Henry as his run slowed to a jog.

"I win."

"By cheating," he said as he stopped a few feet in front of her and tried to catch his breath.

She panted before she lowered her hands and slapped them against her knees. She bent over and nodded as she tried to regulate her erratic breathing.

"You're right," she said. "Okay, new deal."

She pushed off her knees and stood up straight again before she continued.

"I come over for dinner tonight and you get that 'A'."

"Done."

"Same consequences apply, though."

"Got it."

"All right, I think I've tired myself out enough. Why don't we get out of here."

"Okay," he shrugged.

She walked toward him and draped an arm over his shoulder as he turned back the way they came.

They headed toward the castle together, collected their walkie talkies, and got into the car.

Emma and Henry walked side by side into the reception area of the Mayor's office at City Hall. She draped an arm over his shoulder and patted him once to get his attention as they slowed to a stop.

"Why don't you wait here with Meredith while I go talk to your mom, okay," she asked when their eyes met.

"Why can't I come in with you? She's probably more likely to say yes if I'm there."

"Because...it might turn into a shouting match and I don't want you to have to see that."

"She wouldn't yell at you in front of me."

"Are you sure about that because there's not much she wouldn't do even if you're around."

He sighed and looked down at the floor before he looked up at her again.

"Okay, but if you're in there for more than ten minutes, I'm coming in."

She chuckled.

"You got it."

She patted his back before he went over to one of the chairs on the far side of the room. She watched him take a seat then turned to Meredith.

"Is she in there with anyone?"

"No, but I don't think she wants visitors."

"That's okay. She'll put up with me."

Meredith frowned.

"Mr. Glass tried to see her earlier and she threw him out. Literally. She shoved him into the hall with her own hands. I've never seen her do that before. Normally, she calls security, but even then there's usually no need."

"Well, if she tries anything with me, I can take it," Emma reassuringly smiled at the receptionist then walked into the hallway leading to Regina's office.

The door was closed, but that didn't stop her from walking right in. She didn't even bother to knock before she opened the door, which immediately angered the brunette before she looked up at the intruder.

"Miss Swan. That door was shut for a reason," she bitterly said as she threw daggers at the blonde with her eyes.

Emma shut the door behind her after she entered.

"If you really didn't want to be disturbed, you would've locked the door," she grinned.

"I don't recall locking the door the last time I didn't want to be disturbed."

"And Meredith walked in right before you had a chance to get off. Guess you didn't learn anything from that little experience."

Regina rolled her eyes then looked down at the massive amount of paperwork on her desk.

"What is it I can help you with, Sheriff."

"Dinner."

Regina's head shot back up as her eyes instantly met Emma's.

"I'm sorry?"

"Let me stay for dinner tonight."

"You got a free dinner last night."

"Henry wanted me to stay for dinner last night, but he fell asleep before we could ask you. Today I made a deal with him and said I'd come over."

"Looks like you're going to have to break that deal or make a new one."

"That was the new deal. I had kind of an unfair advantage when I made the first one with him and agreed to change it so everyone won."

"Everyone except me, of course."

"I wouldn't call last night a loss for you. Sure, you have to clean my apartment for a week, but you were satisfied. Thoroughly if I'm not mistaken," she smirked as she moved closer to the desk.

"You really want to come over for dinner?"

"Yes."

"Then you change your deal with me like you changed yours with Henry."

"What?"

"It's the only way you're setting foot in my house tonight, Miss Swan."

She sighed and shifted from foot to foot then took a step closer to the desk. She leaned forward and rested her palms against the edge of the desk.

Regina looked from Emma's lips down to her hips as the blonde brought her center closer to the edge of the desk.

"Fine."

Regina snapped her head back up to make eye contact with Emma at the younger woman's sudden answer.

"And what am I going to get out of this new deal?"

"A free back rub?"

"You'll have to do better than that, dear."

"And a day off from cleaning my apartment."

Regina opened one of her desk drawers and pulled out her keys.

"The same day you get the back rub."

She separated a master key from the key chain.

"Great. You can also help me start dinner tonight," she grinned and tossed Emma her house key.

Emma caught it with a frown as she looked quizzically from the key in her hand to Regina.

The brunette dropped the key chain back into the drawer and shut it as she continued.

"I make a list of two weeks' worth of dinners and put them up on the refrigerator. The recipe and instructions for the dinner tonight is first on that list. Henry can help you find what you need if you don't know your way around the kitchen."

Emma's jaw dropped.

"And the first day I'm supposed to clean that awful apartment would have been tomorrow, but you can come over to the house on my lunch break and give me that massage."

Regina flashed her a satisfied smirk.

"Enjoy that," she added at the last minute.

Emma rolled her eyes.

Regina stood and leaned over her desk. Her lips nearly brushed against Emma's as they shared the same air.

"Or would you rather enjoy being on your back," she purred. "Because I can arrange that in a matter of seconds right from where I'm standing."

Emma slowly grinned as she looked from Regina's eyes down to her lips.

Regina watched Emma's gaze lower and she purposely licked her lips to attract the blonde more.

Emma's lips parted as her breathing quickened.

Regina closed the distance between them and kissed Emma. She reached out and grabbed the V-cut of Emma's shirt. She pulled the shirt toward herself and Emma's upper body followed her lead.

Emma kept her hands on the edge of the desk as she kissed Regina, but the brunette had other ideas.

Regina let go of Emma's shirt when the Sheriff was where she wanted her and moved to the button on her jeans. She stuck her hand inside the denim and tugged. She ran Emma's center into the edge of the desk and caused the blonde groan.

"Can't..." Emma said between kisses. "Henry's here."

Regina hummed into their next kiss and slipped her hand lower inside Emma's jeans. She cupped the younger woman's sex.

Emma moaned and instantly became wet. She moved her right hand from the desk to Regina's hip. She pulled Regina into the desk and slid her tongue past the Mayor's lips.

Regina thrust a single finger into Emma.

Emma gasped and pulled back from the kiss, but kept her eyes closed and her hand on Regina's hip.

"Seven minutes," she barely managed to say above a whisper.

"What's that," Regina breathlessly asked before she pressed her lips to Emma's once more.

Their tongues wrestled for several long seconds, fighting for dominance before they mutually broke the kiss.

"Henry said if I wasn't out of here in ten minutes, he'd come in. Since then we've wasted three minutes. So we have seven minutes."

"I think getting you off in that amount of time is an achievable goal," Regina replied as she kissed Emma again and added a finger. "The trouble is keeping you quiet."

Emma lunged forward and rested her forehead against Regina's shoulder. She gripped tighter at the brunette's hip and moved her left hand from one edge of the desk to the other, the one closer to the Mayor.

Regina used her free hand to grab and hold the left cheek of Emma's backside as she considerably sped up her pace.

Emma's breath hitched and caught in her throat as she tried to keep herself from moaning.

The free hand on Emma's backside held the younger woman's thigh flush against the edge of the desk as Regina circled her thumb over the Sheriff's clit.

Emma scrunched up her face as she tried hard not to raise her voice. She stopped breathing for a few seconds as she waited for the moment to pass then exhaled in a soft whimper.

Regina angled her head downward and bit the shell of Emma's ear as she forced a third finger into the woman. She refrained from using her tongue one her ear to send the Sheriff over the edge because not only did she have Emma's ear in her mouth, but a few strands of blonde hair as well.

She gripped Emma's backside then released it before she gripped it again. She slid her hand down the back of Emma's right thigh then hooked her hand around her inner thigh. She pulled Emma's right knee onto the top of the desk and opened her up more.

She released the shell of Emma's ear and curled her fingers on every inward thrust.

Emma's hand fell from Regina's hip and hooked into the front of the brunette's dress pants. She yanked on them and crashed the Mayor's center against the desk as she let go.

Regina grunted on impact and slowed her fingers to a stop inside Emma. She held them there for a few moments as the blonde panted against her shoulder.

"Don't expect that after dinner," Regina said in her sultry tone, her mouth still close to Emma's ear.

"Okay," Emma hazily said.

Regina pulled away from Emma and removed her fingers.

Emma fell forward as Regina's shoulder no longer supported her. Her hand slipped out of Regina's dress pants and gripped the far end of the desk to steady herself.

"I do believe I made that happen in only two minutes, by the way."

"Congratulations. What do you want, a medal?"

Regina throatily chuckled.

"No, but now you owe me."

"Great. More deals."

"No deals, Miss Swan. Technically, it was your turn to satisfy me since last night ended with your pleasure and not mine."

"Oh, you got plenty of pleasure before the night ended even when I didn't have my hands on you."

"In any case, you owe me an orgasm and I plan on collecting as soon as possible."

"Fine by me. My fingers start to twitch now if they're not bringing you to your knees."

"You've never brought me to my knees."

"No?"

"And you never will."

"We'll see about that."

Emma swiped the key off the desk she hadn't realized she'd dropped then turned and started to leave.

"I'd reconsider leaving this office just yet," Regina spoke up before she licked her fingers clean.

Emma turned and saw her slip the second finger between her lips. She kept her composure though she watched the Mayor taste her.

"And why's that?"

"Stick your hands in your jeans and feel for yourself," Regina said before she sucked the third and final finger free of Emma's taste.

"Not much I can do about that right now."

"On the contrary, dear. Trade with me."

"Seriously?"

"Normally I wouldn't do such a thing, but you're going home with my son. I don't want him exposed to that."

"It's not exactly my fault."

"I wasn't blaming you."

"That's what it sounded like you were doing."

Regina shook her head as she unbuttoned her dress pants.

"Lock the door," she demanded.

Emma sighed and did as she was told.

Regina peeled off her dress pants and underwear.

Emma scanned over Regina's body from her feet up to her exposed sex.

Regina dangled her panties from her index finger and met Emma halfway as they moved to close the space between them.

"You already have a pair of mine," Emma said as she looked from the underwear to Regina.

"Now we'll be even."

"Not if I give you the ones I'm wearing."

"I'm not going to keep them. I'm not even going to wear them, dear. Henry doesn't seem to pay me much attention. I'll be able to slip them into the wash when I get off work in an hour. They should be done after dinner. Feel free to take them with you when you leave."

She stared at Regina a moment longer before she gave in and unbuttoned her jeans. She pushed them down her body simultaneously with her panties and stepped out of them both.

She picked up the wet red pair of panties and switched them with Regina's dry gray pair. She bent over again as she slipped the new pair on and slowly straightened herself out, her face inches from Regina's center.

Regina took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling before she released it in a sigh. She could feel Emma's hot breath on her sex and clenched her fists.

Emma noticed. She flashed a crooked smirk and took a step closer, still bent over at the waist. She placed her hands on the backs of Regina's thighs and took the Mayor's clit between her lips in a kiss.

Regina kept her hands at her sides to make sure she didn't give Emma any encouragement, but reveled in the feeling of the younger woman's lips on her.

"Don't start anything we both know you can't finish," she said in a low, sultry tone with her eyes closed.

Emma smiled into the next kiss she gave Regina's clit and crouched down. She balanced her weight on her ankles and nipped at the bundle of nerves with her teeth. She flicked it with the tip of her tongue then pulled away. As she stood up, she brushed her body against Regina's and pulled her in for a kiss.

"I'll pay you back soon enough," Emma smiled and opened her eyes.

"Is that a promise, Miss Swan?"

"Yes."

"One you can keep?"

"You probably wouldn't believe me if I said yes so you'll just have wait and find out."

"Even if I wouldn't believe you, tell me anyway."

Emma squinted her eyes at Regina as she wondered what caused the brunette to push that question.

"Yes, it's a promise I can keep."

Regina flashed a grin.

"Good," she said before she turned and walked back to her pants.

She slipped back into them, Emma's underwear in hand, when Emma danced and jiggled her way into her tight jeans.

There was a knock at the door.

"Emma," Henry asked from the other side.

"I'll be right out, kid," she quickly answered as she buttoned her pants.

She hoped her response would keep him from trying to open the door because she knew the question that would follow if he'd tried it: why was it locked.

"It's been ten minutes. Did she say okay?"

"Henry," Regina asked. "It's okay. I was just telling Miss Swan where the instructions for dinner were."

She moved to the door and unlocked it after she checked to make sure Emma was decent. She tucked the red underwear into her dress pants with the front of her blouse seconds before she opened the door.

"Why does she need instructions," he looked up at her, bewildered.

"Your mom needs help making dinner so I'm gonna get it started."

"Really," he asked Emma.

"Yeah, so let's go figure it out together. Okay?"

He smiled up at her as she took a step forward, into the doorway, and walked him away from the office.

Regina forced a smile as she watched Henry pay more attention to Emma yet again.

Emma looked back and caught the sadness in her brown eyes before Regina's gaze darted up to Emma.

Regina masked her hurt and gave Emma a nod.

Emma went along with it and gave a warm smile before she turned around and left with Henry.

Not a lot of Swan Queen interaction in this chapter, I know, but I'm setting up a few things right now that you'll see the pay off for in later chapters. Hopefully, you liked it anyway? Let me know with more awesome reviews! :)