Regina waited for Emma – the present Emma – to get there. She was waiting in her office with more than a little bit of nervousness built up in her.

It was one thing to make the bold declaration that she would flirt with Emma in order to help reset the timeline, but it was another matter to actually do it. It's not as if she hadn't flirted before, but this felt vastly different.

While she flirted with Daniel, that had come so naturally. Since then the only reason she had flirted was as a means to an end. She needed something or needed something done so she used her assets to get it. This wasn't the same, although she tried to tell her mind that it was the same. She wanted something – this future that the other Emma had told her about, and flirting with current Emma was the way to get it.

That was the way she tried to look at it, although not successfully.

"Sheriff Swan to see you mayor," her receptionist announced.

"Send her in."

Emma came in and stood in front of the desk. "Please tell me you have found a way to send her back."

Regina found she couldn't speak for a moment. Her mind had flashed to kissing future Emma and here was this other Emma who apparently wanted to do anything and everything to keep the timeline from being fixed.

"Um … no I haven't."

Emma sat down in disappointment.

Regina stood up and walked around the desk leaning up against the front of it in order to put her whole body on display. She was wearing a charcoal-colored skirt with a lighter shade of grey button up shirt and no jacket. The shirt was buttoned up only enough to appear proper while giving a good view of her chest if anyone wanted to look at it.

Right now, Emma was looking away from her entirely.

"I am working on it however. We have a few things we need to figure out," Regina said bringing Emma's attention back to her, but Emma's attention was on her face, not on her body. "As much I want Henry to be with me, we have to come up with some way for both of us to see him and you can't really have him in your apartment if she is there."

"What should I do with her, tie her up, gag and lock her in the closet every other weekend?"

"As much as I am sure you would enjoy that, no I don't think that is wise. We need to limit her contact with others. I think we can both agree on that. That leaves only one option and that is when Henry is at your place, she will have to stay at mine."

"What? No. I don't think that is a good idea," Emma said abruptly.

"How else do you propose we handle it then?"

"I don't know, but you shouldn't have to take her in."

Regina would like to have thought that Emma was saying this so to not burden her, but the truth was Emma didn't want future Emma around her.

Regina sighed and took a seat in the chair next to Emma's, crossing her legs toward the other woman. "If you don't see Henry he is going to ask questions."

Emma stood up and began to pace as she thought this through. Regina let her pace for a about 45 seconds before she got up and placed a hand on Emma's arm to stop her. Emma looked down at her hand for just a moment before taking a step back. "If, and it's a big if at this point, if we send her to your house while I have Henry what are you going to do with her?"

Regina could think of a few things she would like to do with her.

"I don't imagine I will be doing anything with her. She can stay in a guest room. As long as she doesn't leave the house or trash the place, I am not concerned with what she does with her time."

"You aren't curious at all about this future she comes from?"

"My concern is with not dying. Otherwise I don't think any person should have too much knowledge of their futures. It could have a ripple effect with unforeseen consequences. As I tried to tell you before."

"I don't really need another lecture about it."

"No I don't suppose it would matter," Regina said turning away from her. "At least your older self had the decency to try and apologize."

"You erected a magical barrier to prevent me from coming in," Emma said. "It's not as if I didn't think I should say I was sorry, but you didn't make it exactly easy."

"Maybe that was the point," Regina said facing her, and putting her hands on her hips to widen her stance. This wasn't going well so far and seemed to be headed toward yet another one of their arguments.

But this time when Emma looked away and then looked back at her, she caught it – the barest of glimpses, but it had happened. Emma had just looked at her chest before looking her in the eyes.

"Do you think we can put aside our differences long enough to handle this situation?" Emma said.

"I don't want to be odds with you," Regina said.

"Good because I don't want to be at odds with you either," Emma said. "We've shown we can work together toward a common goal before; and this is like that."

"Then let's work together. When Henry is with you, she stays with me. Your suggestion about tying her up and gagging her isn't an entirely unpleasant idea," she smiled.

"Um, yeah we should um probably avoid doing that," Emma said. "Look if she says something or does anything that would upset you while staying there … I just don't want that to happen. I am already on your shit list, and I don't need to add my future self's transgression to that."

"You are not my shit list as you call it," Regina said. "Was I angry at you? Yes. Am I still angry at you? No, but I am a bit upset with you, although not for the reason you may think."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"A future you has come back to prevent my death, but your biggest concern is sending this woman back. And like I said, she at least apologized."

Regina moved back behind her desk, she knew this round was over and while she certainly didn't succeed she felt better for letting the Savior know how she felt about her lack of concern. This may be her future wife, but that didn't mean she was going to let even her wife get away with treating her in a way she didn't deserve.

Emma was looking at the floor and then looked up. "We will need to figure out how to get her to your place discreetly," she said.

"I figure you can merely bringing her with you when you pick up Henry. Before Henry goes out, you make sure she goes around to the back door and I will let her in and then once you are back in your car, Henry can be sent out to you."

"Ok, that sounds like the best option. I will pick Henry up Friday, then?"

"Yes."

"Ok," Emma said and she walked to the door.

"And Miss Swan," Regina said. 'Thank you."

"For what?"

"For not apologizing when I pointed it out. If you are truly sorry, you will know the right time to do it."

Emma didn't say anything and walked out.

Regina sat down and got out her phone.

"Didn't go well," she texted to future Emma.

"It couldn't have gone too bad," she replied.

"It did."

"Ok, don't get discouraged. U can do this."

"This would be easier if I only had to win you over."

"You've already done that, which means U can do it again with her."

"All she is concerned with is getting you out of this time."

"I know."

"What if we can't fix this?"

"U can't think like that. She is me. I love U, which means she does."

Regina smiled at the 'I love U,' and wished she could feel as positive about it as future Emma. Right now she felt like current Emma was the kind of person who would put her on trial, take her son from her. No, that wasn't true either. Somehow she knew Emma wouldn't do that to her. But Emma certainly didn't seem to be interested in her beyond a means to an end – that end being sending future Emma back.

Regina wouldn't let that happen. The only way future Emma was going back was if it was to the right timeline.

She needed to do a better job next time around, be less confrontational with her. And maybe a little less Madame Mayor looking.

She sent one more text message, "tell me, how do you feel about me wearing leather?"

Future Emma sent her back a smiling face emoticon.

"Leather it is then," she said to herself.