Coffee To Go

by unicyclehippo

*AU* Emma is new in town with her young son Henry. She runs into a certain dark-haired woman at the diner and decides, quite abruptly, that there is no one else for her in the whole wide world. I mean, no one ever said love made sense. Especially not when you can barely speak around the Mayor, let alone profess your love.

21. Chapter 21

Coffee To Go: Chapter 21

I don't own Once Upon A Time.

This chapter is dedicated to a friend of mine who had a pretty hectic week. I hope this is alright. Please enjoy.

It's been two weeks since that lovely day at the aquarium. I only realise because I glance at my calendar and spend a few moments counting – the days have gone by in a blur, I almost can't believe it. Fourteen. Fourteen days since sharks and ecstatic Henry and teasing Regina about the octopus. And fourteen days of really nice everything.

Work has been easy: true, Mrs Beechley still calls at least twice a day, which is an improvement on her previous five; Graham has been pretty supportive of me and Regina by keeping his suspicious glares to a minimum and not saying anything about us, 'us' being the worst kept secret relationship in town; and Regina and I have been on six, no, seven lunch dates.

Are they lunch dates? Lunch meetings? Lunches? I don't know what they are exactly. They're not quite dates because we aren't doing anything, you know, funky. We haven't gone past kissing – chaste kissing, at that. I just…I just really like to spend my hour with her talking and teasing and trying to make her laugh which, can I add, is quite hard when she's being all 'Madame Mayor' official and all on the clock. At first it took about half of our hour for her to relax and actually enjoy herself but she's getting the hang of it. Getting better, faster I mean, at switching between Madame Mills and Regina now. If that makes any sense at all…

Okay. Let me try again. You see, 'Madame Mills' is beautiful and smart and quick-witted and deadly devil red lipstick and clicking dagger heels and yeah she's utterly perfect but in that way that's kind of stilted and hitched breath and sharp and you're afraid to touch because you could hurt yourself on all that sharded perfection. But Regina, Regina's just wonderful. She's so lovely and sweet and thoughtful and there's no tension around her eyes and her smile just boom! ignites my heart and her laugh is like a sucker punch wham bam thank you ma'am right to the solar plexus and I'm so stunned that a human can be so right. Just wow. You know?

I think about her all the time – no surprises there. So, it's with her in mind that I pick up the phone on Sunday morning.

"Hey Regina," I greet her, tucking the receiver between my cheek and my shoulder as I made breakfast – pancakes, of course. The perfect Sunday breakfast (only occasionally swapped out for waffles).

"Emma. Good morning."

I laughed at the slightly hoarse note to her voice. "Sleeping in, Regina?" I blinked and panicked for a moment, realising what that meant. "Oh no," I said. "Oh god I'm sorry. I didn't even think about that. You can go back to sleep, I'm so sorry."

"Emma, it's fine," she said and I could hear a tiny fleck of amusement. I closed my eyes and savoured it, savoured that I could talk to her whenever I wanted, that she let me of all people hear her at less than her usual impeccable standard. After a moment, I realised that neither of us were speaking and that there was a slight inhale on her side of the line. I thought it might have been a yawn and I grinned at the image of her nose crinkling through a yawn. Adorable, I managed not to squeal out aloud, merely thinking the word very strongly in my mind.

Then I panicked again. Good panic. No, well, sort of a bad panic as well because I realised that I wanted to see that. I wanted to see that in the morning every morning, when she's tucked into my shoulder and her hair is mussed and she has pillow lines all over her arms and face and she hates that and she groans and turns into my side because there's a crack in the curtains and the sun is burning into her eyes. It's a good panic because it's a warm feeling that swells in my chest that has been a long time in coming, a long time since I've felt it; and it's a bad panic, a deadly horrible hyperventilation-worthy panic because I really don't think those are the kind of thoughts you should have after just one date.

"What's wrong?" I heard her ask.

"Nothing!" I squeaked. And then, when I realised that she meant 'why did you call me at eight on a Sunday morning', I reassured her again. "Really, nothing's wrong."

Henry then stumbled his way into the kitchen, felt his way slowly along the counter to his seat with bleary eyes and sleep-numb hands, and plopped into his seat. I took a moment to wink at him and flipped a pancake into the air. He came abruptly awake and clapped and grinned a wide, happy grin as he saw one) my feat of great pancake-flipping skills and two) that I had made him pancakes.

"I was just wondering," I continued, "if you'd like to come to the library with me and Henry today."

"'Gina?" Henry asked. I nodded. "Gimme the phone!" he demanded and raced to me, jumping up and down at my feet. He stretched his hands up for me to hand him the phone.

"Not a chance, little man. I'm talking to her. Also, you didn't say please." I stuck my tongue out at him and he pouted. "So, what do you think, Regina?"

"I'd love to. Now hand the phone to Henry, please."

I sighed and shook my head. "Aww man, you two. I knew you guys liked each other more than me." But her wish was my command – not to mention Henry's puppy dog eyes – so I handed it over and Henry nodded as though it was his God given right to speak to his 'Gina. And then he stuck his tongue out at me.

"Hi 'Gina." He wandered off, up the stairs. I heard doors opening, things being shifted, a man's voice – Graham's – grumbling a tired good morning to Henry, and then he came downstairs again. My son trotted into the bathroom and out again, around the coffee table once, twice, another half and then clambered over the table, before finally returning to the kitchen. I shook my head, bemused. Kid liked to walk and talk. Go figure.

"Done?" I asked him when he pressed himself against my leg. He nodded so I swiped the phone. "Hey. Me again. So, do you still want to come with us or did the kid talk your ear off?"

"Mamma" and "Emma" were the scolding responses I got for that joke and I rolled my eyes.

"We're having pancakes for breakfast and I always make extra so if you want to join us…" I trailed off and then continued. "Or you can meet us here at about nine and we'll walk down to the library together, okay?"

"I think I will meet you at nine," she said – and that was definitely a yawn. "Should I bring anything?"

"Just your lovely self," I said automatically. Then I blushed. Stupid. That was a stupid thing to say. But she just chuckled and hung up, leaving me blushing, yes, but also knowing that she didn't mind my stupid streak. And that she actually maybe liked it, as Graham had told me. And that left me humming and grinning all through breakfast.

---

A precise and quick rapping on the door announced Regina's presence. I skittered down the stairs and raced over, flinging it open. I didn't even have time to look at her before I was away once more.

"Henry, come on!" I shouted up the stairs. "Have you found it?"

"No!" he yelled back, sounding like he was almost in tears. My heart broke for him – I mean, it wasn't serious or anything but just hearing him like that was painful – and I sighed. "I dunno where it is!" I ran a hand through my hair, wincing as I tugged on a tangle.

I looked over at the still and calm Regina, looking a little out of place in our apartment where everything was everywhere in a calamitous mess, and I held up a finger. "Just one sec," I said desperately before sprinting up the stairs. "Okay kid, where did you have it last?" He was under a pile of sheets – great, I'd have to make that bed again tonight – and looking at me sadly. I tugged him out and we spent a few minutes looking for his book bag, the one we used on the weekends with his library books in it and his little notebook, and finally found it far underneath his bed.

I carried him down the stairs and set him on his feet in the living room. "Checklist time," I said. He nodded. "Bag?" He held it up. "The books we got? There were two of them." He opened the bag and showed me both the books. "Hat?" He pointed and I plopped it onto his head. "Shoes?" He lifted his left foot and then his right, showing me the shoes that he had successfully, if sloppily, tied. "Jacket?" I took it from the coat hook and he shrugged it on. "Are we missing anything?" He thought for a moment and shook his head. "Alrighty then. Graham!" I bellowed up the stairs. "We're going to the library!"

I heard a loud grunt in response and shrugged, taking it as an acknowledgement. I cast my eyes around to double check we hadn't missed anything and grinned when I saw Regina primly seated on the couch.

"Hey," I said.

"Good morning."

"Morning, 'Gina!" Henry said loudly. He hopped over to her and offered his hand, which she took. "Let's go to the libry!"

"Library," I corrected as I ushered them out of the apartment, locking it behind us. "Remember what I said? You say it like that because?"

"Lib-rare-y," he said slowly, forehead crinkling. "'Cause it's full of rare stuff?"

"Like books and stuff?"

"Good kid," I praised, ruffling his hair. He ducked away from me and out of my reach, onto the pavement outside. I mock-scowled and grabbed him, ruffling his hair for twice as long as I normally would have. He squirmed and wriggled but laughed and, when I finally let him go, he raced to Regina's side and grabbed her hand. He peeked around her legs and poked his tongue out at me. "You'd better stay there, kid," I warned, wriggling my fingers threateningly at him. "I'll tickle you, I swear."

"Protect me," he whispered to Regina, who smiled down at him.

"Don't you worry," she told him. "Your mamma is a pushover."

"Like a jumper?" he asked with a confused little frown.

"No, my dear, that's a pullover." I liked the way she spoke to him. Like he was the smart kid I knew he was instead of, you know, just a kid. "Pushover means that we can make her do whatever we want." She grinned at me and winked. I sighed. That was true. These two would be the death of me.

Henry just nodded at that and soon forgot about my tickle threat and about needing Regina to protect him. He ran around and in front of us and chattered endlessly about what he wanted to learn about today. Meanwhile, I inched closer and closer to Regina until our shoulders brushed with every step and occasionally I felt her fingers touching mine accidentally on purpose. When that happened, I would turn a fraction and grin not quite at her – at those trees maybe, or that innocuous street sign but certainly not at Regina, no surely not that – but of course she knew I was smiling at her and her face would flush a little and her hand would retract to the safe zone.

Our quiet Sunday morning spent alone, just the three of us, was not to be. Ruby exited the B&B and spied us as we walked past. Her face broke into an enormous grin and she jogged over to join us. She ducked to give Henry an enthusiastic high-five and then nodded to Regina, smiled at me. She fell into step with us, walking alongside me.

"Hey," she said cheerily and loudly. I nodded. Her eyes narrowed. They zeroed in on our hands and then her grin changed, just a little, until it was sitting smug on her face. "Sooooo," she crooned. "Something you want to tell me?"

"Nope," I said. Ruby turned on Regina immediately with raised eyebrows.

Regina stared her down.

Ruby gulped and turned back to me. "Come on, Emma. You gotta tell me."

"No, I don't."

"Uh, yes you do. Who made you perfect coffees every morning to take to a certain mayor?"

"I paid for those coffees," I reminded her.

"Yeah but," she frowned. "Okay well, what about when I messaged Regina for you?"

"I hated that. That was a bad move," I also reminded her.

"Okay but…" Her lips fell into a pout and her eyes widened pleadingly. "Please, please, please tell me?"

"What is happening?" Regina murmured to me.

I ducked my head down and to the side a little so I could talk to her almost privately. "Ruby wants to know if we're dating and I won't tell her." Regina nodded slowly. "It's just," I said very quietly, "you know, we hadn't really discussed it at all." Are we dating? I didn't know. I thought so but that was all it was – a thought – until she confirmed it for me.

"Whatever," Ruby huffed, "I don't really need you to tell me." She was snooty and stubborn now that we were basically ignoring her. "I mean, you're making your normal super googly eyes at Regina and you're basically holding hands and it's a very romantic and pretty Sunday morning and you're out with the kid. You two crazy kids are totally doing it," she squealed.

Regina flushed a deep red and Henry, of course, heard that comment out of all the possible things he could have heard. He piped up with a loud "Doing what?"

My mind blanked for a moment but luckily Ruby was totally on top of it and she smiled at Henry. "Doing gross things like holding hands and kissing. Are they doing that, Henry?"

It was low, very low, for Ruby to ask my son. I narrowed my eyes at her and then tried to make eye contact with my son, shaking my head. The traitor made a grossed out face and nodded.

"Yeah, sometimes. At least…seven twenty times." My son, the exaggerator. We'd only kissed three times. Four. Five? Did the times preceding our date count? I don't know. It was hard to figure out because every time I even thought about kissing Regina my brain goes kinda fuzzy. Five, though. I think.

"Really?" Ruby drew the word out, sounding incredibly interested, looking over her shoulder and waggling her eyebrows at me. "Seven twenty, huh?" I shook my head at Ruby but she was grinning madly and ignoring me. She knew that was a ridiculous number that Henry had made up but I think she was just delighted to be in the know.

Regina was still blushing and her mouth was tight and her shoulders stiff and so I frowned at Ruby. She promptly dropped the smile, relaxing it to sincerity, and reached back to pat my shoulder. "Hey, relax. I'm not going to say anything. I just want to be able to say, when everyone does know, that I was the first to know, you know?"

I blinked around that confusing statement but nodded. "Promise?"

"Promise." She made a cross over her heart and some kind of symbol that was definitely not scouts honour and may have been some kind of devil sign. I don't know but it made me laugh. "Hey, where are you guys headed anyway?"

"Library," Henry said. "Belle's gonna teach me 'bout fish."

"Fish, huh? You know your Uncle Graham likes to go fishing," Ruby said. Henry grabbed both her hands and demanded she walk with him and tell him everything about fishing, acting grossed out when she told him about hooking worms and excitedly practising an approximation of flicking an invisible fishing rod.

With Ruby thus distracted (go kid!), I pushed the sleeves of my jacket down to cover my hand and fingers and snuck a step closer to Regina so I could take her hand in mine. She didn't look my way but she did squeeze my hand lightly. When Ruby opened the door to the library and looked back to hold the door open for us, her eyes skittered down to our joined hands and she grinned widely but said nothing. I smiled shyly and she just nudged my shoulder with hers, winking, And somehow, that strange friend of mine managed to say both 'I'll keep your secret' and 'yeah you got the girl woohoo' in one wink. It was a talent of hers.

"So, who's Belle?" Ruby asked into the wide expanse of the library, patiently following Henry to the front desk. The lovely librarian stepped out of her office and beamed at Ruby.

"I happen to be Belle," she said.

Something miraculous happened.

Ruby, always graceful, always quick-witted, stumbled. She stuttered and stammered her way around the word 'hey'. I watched her carefully and saw the way her eyes tried desperately not to blink and the way her mouth flopped open and her limbs locked into place. I had to hide a grin.

Oh boy. She got it bad.

"Ruby?" Henry poked my friend in the hip and she snapped out of her daze, glancing down at my son.

"Hey. I mean, yeah?"

"This is Miss Belle," he said excitedly. He turned to his Miss Belle and smiled toothily. "This is Ruby," he introduced. "She's nice."

"Oh. Ruby. It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard so much about you." She frowned a little, causing her forehead to crinkle. "You work at Granny's, yes?" Belle's voice, smooth and soft and kind, probably didn't register at all in Ruby's mind. She was struck dumb for the second time in as many minutes and I, with a final squeeze of Regina's hand, stepped forward to rescue my friend.

I jabbed Ruby surreptitiously in the ribs and smiled at Belle, talking over Ruby's yelp. "Yeah, she works at Granny's. Make the best coffee." I widened my eyes at Ruby, who swallowed thickly.

"Coffee," she repeated. "Yep. I work at Granny's, for my Granny, who is the granny of Granny's. The name, I mean. She's granny. And her diner is called," she yelped again when I dug my elbow into her ribs. "Granny," she finished her sentence muttering to her shoes. I saw that she was employing the tactic I'd used around Regina at first – don't look and she can't ensnare your sense.

"I'm quite fond of coffee," Belle said, either ignoring Ruby's strange rambling or finding it endearing. "I must come visit you at some point." Endearing. Definitely endearing. Ruby just nodded dumbly. "Please," Belle said to all of us. "Won't you come into the library proper? It's beginning to get chilly outside and I have some books I'd love to share with Henry today."

Henry raced in. I began to follow him, Regina next to me, and Ruby…Ruby took only a few steps further into the library when she bumped her hip into a cart full of books and managed to send several thumping to the floor.

"Oh no. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She dropped immediately to pick them up and blushed hot, even hotter when Belle crouched neatly next to her to help.

"It's not a problem, Ruby," she said with a crinkled smile.

I shooed Henry to his usual desk and chair to sit and happily watched the scene unfold.

Ruby stared dumbstruck up at Belle, Belle smiled at Ruby, Ruby blushed red like a tomato, Belle laughed at her…it had all the makings of a romantic comedy. And, naturally, something came between them.

Ruby's phone rang and she had to snatch it out of her pocket. "Granny? Yeah, okay, fine. I'll be there. Fine!" she hissed. She shoved it harshly back into her pocket and glanced up at Belle. "I have to…" she trailed off, seeing Belle's expectant face. "Umm. I have to go." She stood, collecting all the books and dumping them back on the trolley. "I have to go. But, um, yeah. You should…" she sucked in a deep breath. Her eyes darted over to me where I was kind of maybe hiding behind a bookshelf and I gave her a double thumbs up. She nodded. "You should definitely come check me out. It! It out. Granny's. Coffee. The first coffee is on me. It's on the house, always is. I have to go," she said and stepped back. She bumped into the trolley again but quickly righted it before any more books could fall.

"That's very kind of you." Belle probably would have said more but Henry was up and out of his seat and he tugged on her hand and asked to be shown to the books about fish, which she was more than happy to do for him. "Another time, perhaps?" she asked Ruby quietly and my friend nodded.

I stood next to Ruby and we watched as Belle disappeared into the stacks with Henry. I started laughing quietly until it was Ruby's elbow that dug into my ribs.

"It's not funny," she hissed.

"Umm, yeah, it kind of is," I said. "You've got it bad. You've got bit by the love bug," I teased.

"Oh please, like you weren't a ditzy idiot when you saw Regina for the first time."

I shrugged. "True."

"That is true," Regina said, somehow standing directly behind us. "I now realise it was infatuation, but I will freely admit to believing you were an imbecile." I grimaced at her and she smiled.

Ruby groaned. "Belle thinks I'm an idiot?" she wailed as quietly as she could.

"I don't think it matters what she thinks," I said, "if Granny kills you before you can talk to Belle again. You really have to go." Ruby swore quietly – I glared at her, a natural response when I don't want my son potentially hearing words like that (if I have to restrict myself to shoot and oh bother then so does she) – and she raced out of the library.

Regina didn't say anything more about my idiocy/infatuation but I could tell from her smirk that she was still thinking about how much of an idiot I had been…and still was sometimes. I took her hand, leading her in the opposite direction of Belle and Henry, so we could make out in the history section. No one goes to the history section.

---

I finished tucking Henry into bed – the kid completely and utterly knackered – and made sure that Puppy, also exhausted, was comfortable and safe curled up as he was at the end of Henry's bed. Satisfied with my little ones, I slid my shoes off and padded down the stairs in my socks. Odd socks, maybe, but comfy.

"You really didn't have to come with us," I said quietly to Regina as I slipped into the living room where she was waiting. She was seated on the couch, much like she had this morning only now she was far more relaxed, and she had slipped off her heels. Boy, those had to have been uncomfortable. "I'm sorry if you felt like you had to."

"Don't be silly," she chided. "I very much enjoyed spending my day with you and Henry."

"Yeah but…walking Puppy with us? You didn't have to do that. I know he's, well, he's a bit crazy."

Regina nodded. "True. However, I found his chasing of Dr Hoppers Dalmatian quite amusing given the size difference." Regina let a smirk adorn her lips as she leant back into the couch cushions. "And lunch was lovely. As was dinner."

"Mac and cheese isn't lovely," I told her. "It's awesome, yes, and probably the perfect dinner. I don't think it's ever been called lovely before."

"Well it has now." She hesitated, examining my face, and then nodded a very small nod. More to herself than it was to me, I assumed. "Emma?"

"Mm?" I looked away for a second so I could pull out one of Henry's toys from behind my back and toss it to the side, then snuggle between two of the fat cushions.

"Would you…that is, would you care to have dinner with me?"

I frowned slightly. "We just ate. Are you still hungry?" I jumped up from the couch. "You should have told me. I would have given you extra. I can go and get some from the fridge, heat it up for you, I'll be right-" Regina laid a hand on my arm and shook her head no.

"I meant," she tilted her head and smiled. "I meant on a date."

"A date?" She nodded. I grinned. "I, yeah. I'd love to."

"Yes?" I nodded again and she smiled as well. "Excellent. As I recall, Henry is going to a sleepover on Friday evening." I nodded again and my heart swelled just a little knowing that Regina actually listened when Henry jabbered on and on and on. "I thought perhaps you would care to come to my home. I can cook and then we can have a glass of the best cider in Maine."

"Sure," I murmured. "We can do that." My eyes flicked down to her lips as she spoke and I couldn't quite draw them away. Beautiful.

"Emma, why are you looking at me like that?" Her words were innocent but her tone…playful. My eyes darted up from her lips and she quirked a brow, smirking at me.

"Because I'm happy," I said softly. "And because I want to kiss you. May I?" I inched forward and, when she nodded, forward again. I let my lips gently brush hers and then I felt her teasing smile drop and she reacted, fingers in my hair and tugging me closer, closer, and well everything was a bit of a blur until she tore herself away from me and slid a hand to my collarbone, keeping me at a slight distance.

"As truly pleasant as this is," she murmured, voice a little husky, lips a little swollen, "I really must go."

"Huh?" I tried to lean in again but she kept her hand firm against my shoulder and shook her head. I blinked, dazed, but nodded. "Okay. Yeah okay. Come on, let's get you home."

---

Friday came and we were standing in her kitchen. Regina was, well, puttering is the only word I can think of to describe it. You know how old ladies when they have guests over they get really excited and they putter around putting cookies on plates and brewing tea and making sure that you're comfortable? That's basically what Regina was doing. She would walk one way, check that the vegetables were steaming. Walk the other way, check on the oven. Stop in the middle, fiddle with the cutlery. Repeat. Me, on the other hand, well. I was awkwardly standing against the counter and trying not to be in the way. Also, I was eating my way through this awesome cheese platter that she'd put out.

"Are you worried about him?" Regina asked suddenly. "Henry, I mean?"

I paused with my cheese and cracker halfway to my mouth, looked at it, looked up at her again, and slowly lowered the bite. "Umm…" I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, I always am when I can't see him. It's just a thing." I shrugged again. "Being a mom means that never really stops." I ducked my head in a little nod, pursing my lips as I thought about it. "But Henry's been to sleepovers and stuff before and I know he'll be fine. And this is nice. Usually I just sit at home and worry about him."

Regina nodded and finally joined me, resting her hip against the counter with me. "I see."

"But yeah," I said again. "This is nice."

"I'm glad you think it nice," she murmured. "I made lasagne with some steamed asparagus and dipping sauce for dinner and for dessert I have apple pie and vanilla ice cream. I thought simple would be best."

"Well, that's not simple. It sounds delicious." It did. It really did. My mouth was watering already. "And, uh, I didn't mean dinner. I meant you. You and being here with you and talking and stuff. It's nice."

Regina smiled and opened her mouth but before she could speak, the timer went off with a ping that made me want to break the little machine. Goddammit I wanted to know what she was going to say. I always want to know what she wants to say.

We didn't talk much for a time; she pulled dinner from the oven and I obediently set the table for her, which actually made me kind of sad. It was an enormous table, easily able to seat eight or even ten people, and Regina lived her alone. With no one to eat with. I set our places opposite one another so we could talk during and, spying a set of candle on a sidetable, I set some up along the length of the table.

"Oh," she said when she saw the candles. She paused, holding the plates, before continuing and nodding. She laid the plates on the table and allowed herself a little smile. "That's a lovely idea."

"Well, I saw them and I thought," I ran my hand up the back of my neck, awkward. Should I say it? Should I not? I said it. "The table was a bit big. I thought candles might make it seem a little smaller, that's all."

"Emma," she said. "They are lovely. Thank you. Now please, sit. Would you like some wine?"

I shook my head quickly. "No. I have to be able to drive if Henry needs me." I paused, wondered if I should go on. "And I, I don't really like drinking," I admitted quietly.

She tilted her head slightly and her eyes narrowed in that way she did when she was thinking or putting something together. Eventually, probably after only a few seconds really but it felt much longer, she nodded and returned her wine to wherever she got it.

"You can drink if you want," I called after her but she just shook her head and said no more about it. I waited until she sat with me again before I ate. All afternoon I'd been prepping myself – 'don't embarrass yourself, Emma' 'don't eat too fast' 'don't eat like a caveman' 'don't get sauce all over your face like a child'. The second that lasagne hit my tongue I was a goner. It was so fucking good.

"Oh my god," I moaned.

"What is it?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

"This is the best thing I've ever had in my mouth," I said, eyes now closed in utter bliss. "Oh god. I can die happy now." Regina smothered a laugh and I peeked at her, opening just one eye. "You don't believe me? I swear," I said loudly, emphatically, and sincerely, "this is the best thing I've ever eaten. Hands down."

She shook her head, still laughing. "Thank you dear. Perhaps," she said with a little glint in her eye, "I would take you more seriously if your face weren't covered in sauce."

"What?" I wailed. "No, seriously? I only took one bite. Goddammit." I wiped furiously at my face with the white napkins – white napkins? What's the point? – and groaned when a huge splotch of sauce appeared. "You know, I told myself I wouldn't make a fool of myself." I sighed and shrugged, relaxing back into the only slightly uncomfortable dining seats.

"A fool? Not quite." Regina relaxed as well. I could tell. She'd been standing and sitting so stiffly all evening and now her smile was more genuine and her posture wasn't quite so perfect. "I find it rather endearing actually."

"Yeah?" I brightened at that. "Endearing. I can work with that."

Conversation after that was easy. Until dessert. Then it was kind of hard to concentrate what with Regina licking her spoon like it was a lollipop and her eyes focused on me like a laser. I had to take shaky breath after shaky breath and avoid eye contact – something I haven't had to do due of Regina's presence in a long time – just to make sure I didn't hyperventilate and faint. Because that would be neither smooth nor suave.

"Do you remember what you said to me that day?" Regina said suddenly. "Before I kissed you?" I looked up from my pie and shook my head no. "You said," she paused, smiled, "You said that I 'might as well enjoy it'." I frowned. That wasn't exactly, you know, deep. Or profound in any way. "It was the first time anyone had told me to actually enjoy myself. Before that it was always," she hesitated before finished her sentence. "It was be smarter, be better, work harder. But you come along and shove your way into my life and you just…" she trailed off, sighing. I know what that sigh meant. It meant – you mess up everything – you're clumsy – you're a whirlwind of trouble – you're incorrigible – you're not as funny as you like to think you are – and it made me grin.

"Life is meant to be fun, Regina."

"Yes," she said.

"I like you just the way you are," I continued, looking down at my spoon as I broke the pie crust into pieces. "You don't have to be, well, anything you don't wanna be." Okay, so I really didn't care about the pie crust at all but right now it was the most important thing in my life because I didn't dare make eye contact with her. "And I'd never make you do or be anything you don't wanna do or be," I finished.

"I know," she said. So simple.

"Well okay then."

"Emma?" she asked quietly after a moment. "What are we doing here?"

I dug my spoon rather viciously into the pie and swirled it in with my icecream. "I don't know."

"What do you want to do?" she asked even more quietly.

"I guess…" I looked up at her, her face so expectant, open, waiting, wondering, hopeful, scared? "I'd like to date you," I said soft but firm. Sure. "I'd like to hold your hand when we go places. I want to share stuff with you and I want you to sleepover." I grinned at that and she rolled her eyes. "What do you want?"

"Much the same as what you just described. Though I am, well, I suppose you might say that I am anxious."

"What? Why? I don't think there's any need 'cause it'll all be like the aquarium, right? Just go with the flow, have some fun, and avoid the octopus." I laughed a little but her frown didn't lighten. I reached across the table for her hand. "Okay. Tell me, Regina."

"We…we don't really know each other. Not really."

"You mean you've got questions for me," I said. She nodded slowly. "Okay." I leant back in my chair and took in a deep breath. "Go for it."

"Pardon?"

"You want to ask me questions. Ask them. Or maybe we can swap again like you ask me and then I ask you something. How's that?"

"Are you certain?" she asked lowly. I could tell, from how incredibly cautious she was and from the wavering look in her eyes, that she had some faint idea what had happened to me.

I nodded. "I am. You want to talk about this and, well, sometimes the past isn't fun, you know? And I don't…I don't want you to find out how messed up I am and then decide I'm not worth it but I also would hate it if you didn't ask and we started this thing, this us, and you find out by surprise and-"

"Emma, surely you must realise that I think you are wonderful." She grazed her thumb over my wrist. "Your past helped to fashion you as you are and I…I must admit that I am curious to see how it is that you turned out to be such a…" She shook her head, unable to pin down the word she wanted.

"Badass? Ass-kicking MILF? Adorably awesome deputy?"

"Decent human being," she blurted out.

I blinked.

She pressed her lips together and looked like she regretted speaking.

"Oh."

"I know some of your past already, of course," she said hurriedly, not looking at me. She pulled her hand away. "I know of Henry and I know you were in foster care. I know you were in jail. I just," she pursed her lips, speaking slowly as she tried to piece together the puzzle. "I'm not certain how you came to be you. Anyone else, I am certain, would not have handled the hand you were dealt and survived with such joy and life and kindness. You are one of a kind, Emma." She finally looked at me again and she smiled. "Will you tell me?"

"I…sure. Yeah." I looked down at my bowl and frowned, shifting in the seat.

"Perhaps we should put these in the dishwasher and move somewhere a little more comfortable?"

"Sounds good!" I jumped on that idea and stood, grabbing my bowl and hers and following her into the kitchen. Unfortunately, cleaning dishes only takes so long and before I knew it I was seated on a very comfortable couch across from Regina and I knew I had to talk.

"Okay," I said. "Okay. What do you want to know?"

"Who is Graham to you?" she asked, tucking her feet up onto the couch.

"Graham? As in, Graham-that-I-live-with Graham?"

"That would be the one, yes."

"Umm well he's my brother." Regina's brow crinkled and I shrugged. "Foster brother, I mean. I lived here with his dad for about a year. Then some stuff happened and I had to leave again. And then I was put with the worst family ever and I ran away, stole the Bug, got arrested and the rest you know."

"So how long have you known him?"

"Mm about nine years now."

"And you are living with him?"

"Well sure. He's been there for me for some pretty hard stuff so when he asked me to come hom- come back – I couldn't really say no. Besides, I sort of missed the place. And Graham. I hadn't seen him since I'd been sent away."

"If you were so close, why didn't you return by your own volition?"

"Volly what now?"

"Volition. Desire."

"Oh. Volition. Okay, well, there was stuff going on. I guess…" I scratched the back of my neck and then, taking a moment, I pulled off my shoes and pulled my legs up so I was sitting cross-legged on the couch. I also took my hair out of its loose pony and ran my hands through it, sighing with relief when the tension receded from my temples. "The original reason was that his dad hated me. That's why I was sent away. I didn't-" like the way he treated Graham. I cut myself off here. "Sorry. I can't tell you that bit." Regina just nodded. "And then, after Grey's dad died I was with, I was with Neal and we didn't have enough money to visit."

"And after that?"

"After that," I sighed. "After that Neal didn't want me to talk to Graham. And we had Henry so I was focused on him and then, um, after Neal I just couldn't face Grey." I let my hair hang in front of my face as I fiddled with my fingers, not quite able to make eye contact as I admitted that I was too ashamed to see my friend.

Honestly, I thought that the next question was bound to be about Neal but Regina just hummed and I heard the creak of leather as she shifted. "It's your turn, dear. Ask away."

I didn't want to ask a hard question but I so badly wanted to know more about her. "Do you have siblings?"

"No," she said. "I am an only child. But that isn't really the question you wanted to ask." She moved, stood, sat next to me.

"Why are you scared of your mother?" I asked, very quietly. She pressed her left side against my right. I unfolded my leg so that we touched from shoulder to hip and thigh. Slowly, very slowly, she reached for my hand and I let her have it. She entangled our fingers.

"I am not scared of her," she said.

"But she makes you super duper nervous," I said.

"True." She laughed, a little shakily, but her eyes were still bright and calm when I looked at her. "My mother is very particular. She has very strong ideas about what I should be and how I should do it. It took a very long time for me to realise that perhaps her way was not, was not the best way." She even stuttered over those words, probably still not wholly comfortable with the idea. "It was her idea for me to go into politics." She smirked. "It was mine to do it in Storybrooke."

"Sneaky."

"Quite. I used to take as much joy as I could from almost defying her when I was young. As I grew older, of course, such actions were…discouraged."

I frowned and gripped her hand harder out of reflex. "Did she hit you? Or your father?"

"She never beat me, no. Spankings when I was a child but no more than usual I would think. She was a very forceful personality. Things had to be done her way. She loved me," she tried to reassure me, or perhaps herself, "but she only truly showed that when I did things correctly."

"Right." I mulled over that for a bit. "It sounds lonely," I said finally. She nodded against my shoulder.

"It was. But I had my father and he was kind and gentle."

"Was he kind and gentle at the same time your mom was being crazy and forceful?"

"No," she admitted. "After. But he did his best."

I nodded. Her voice had become prickly and I didn't want to push. "Your turn?"

"Very well." She thought about it for a long second but I didn't mind. Especially not when she started to run soothing lines up and down my forearm with the hand not joined with mine. "Will you tell me about Henry's father?"

"He wasn't a one night stand, if that's what you're asking. And I don't know I think you know that he was my boyfriend because I had Henry and a babysitter and all that." Regina nodded. I rolled my shoulders, trying to forcibly loosen them. If I was tense now, I might not be able to get through this. "He was Neal, the guy I was talking about before. Papa, to Henry. He, um, he was sweet. Funny. I loved him."

I felt Regina's grip loosen on mine and I brushed my thumb quickly over her skin. "Loved. Past tense."

"You don't have to-"

"Nah, it's okay. He, he, oh god, I don't know. I don't know where to start, that's all. I guess with Henry. He was a surprise for us, of course. I didn't really plan to get pregnant at eighteen but we were excited about it. Him. The baby. And Henry was born and we had a little crib with a mobile and it had ducks and elephants and a pirate on it-"

"A pirate? Really?"

"It was some random thing we found at a garage sale. It was cute. I'll show it to you sometime." Regina nodded and I continued. "When Henry was about one, Neal got injured at work. Pretty bad too. We, ah, the surgery was covered by the company and they gave him compensation and everything but he hated not being able to do things. He'd just sit in his chair all day and watch TV. He, um," I shook my head and strained a smile. "Started drinking." Short sentences, Emma. Less words equals less chance for your voice to crack. "Got mean. Jealous too. Of Henry taking up my time. Of the hours I worked. " I shrugged. "He hit me."

Regina's hand tightened almost painfully on mine but I didn't mind. At least it wasn't slipping away in disgust.

"I…after a while it's easy to excuse," I said very softly. "When you're sure that you're doing everything wrong, when he tells you that over and over again, I guess you almost expect to get hurt. Punished, at least. Your cooking isn't good enough, you're not working hard enough, you don't look beautiful anymore. But a bit of me always disagreed with that because I've had that shit all my life – foster care, you know? It's not the greatest place to grow up. Not always. Anyway, I…fought that. Fought him. Yelled. He was sorry after 'cause of the pills and the drinking. He didn't mean to," I murmured, remembering all those things I'd told myself. "He loved me. When he could work again, we got a babysitter. You know how that turned out." Regina's mouth twisted into a frown. Disaster. "So I worked nights instead – just a waitress job but it didn't help at all that the boss was a letch and so were most of the guys at the diner, you know? So Neal was just jealous all the time and god I was so stupid because I thought if I let him be, if I just let him get himself on his feet and feel like a man, strong, yell at me if that's what he needed, then he'd go back to being the sweet guy I knew before."

Regina, I could see, was clenching her jaw. "Emma…" she said softly. I realised I was shaking a little. I hated this. No, not exactly. I hated that it had happened, that I needed to discuss it at all. I still can't believe that he did it.

"It wasn't good," I said quietly. "Graham lent me some money. I packed the car. He…he'd tried to hit Henry and that was the one thing I would never ever allow. I know him hitting me should've been enough to get out of there but I loved him, you know? I felt bad that I couldn't help him. I just couldn't do anything." My voice cracked but I was already shaking my head, backing away from Regina, further into the arm of the couch but never letting go of her hand. I couldn't – I needed her right now. I forced myself to keep talking. I just needed this discussion to be over. My eyes slammed shut.

"But Henry was so little," his lips turning down into a surprised frown, his hand coming up to touch his ear that was no doubt ringing from the blow, "and seeing my little man cry…" His face, distraught. His arms wrapped around my legs. "We packed up. Neal came back while we were leaving and I punched him in the face. Broke his nose." Neal, on his knees. Blood gushed from between his fingers, clutching his nose. His eyes pleaded with me. He reached out, tried to hold me. "We left."

I forced my eyes open, forced myself to look at her. Regina opened her mouth. She looked torn, uncertain what to say or do. Before either of us could speak, my phone broke whatever we'd made tonight. Shattering it with the shrill notes. I lunged for it.

"Swan," I answered. "Okay. Okay, no, no that's not a problem. Is he okay?" I listened for a moment. "Right. Yeah, I'll be there in a few. Thank you for calling." I hung up on the concerned mother and turned, a little embarrassed, a little scared, to Regina. "I…I have to go. Henry got scared."

Regina nodded.

"I…yeah. I have to go." I walked uncertainly to the front door. She didn't try to talk to me, just followed. We hesitated over the goodbye. Did she want to kiss me anymore? Was I too wrong for her – weak, stupid, shameful, disgusting, too immature? In the end I just grazed my hand down her arm and squeezed her hand a goodbye and then ran to my car.

Picking up Henry, driving home with him, soothing him that I wasn't upset with him, I didn't mind that I had to pick him up, he wasn't a loser for being scared, of course I loved him I always loved him I was his Mamma, all of this distracted me for a time about Regina. But that night, alone in my bedroom, my mind roved through the evening and I grew scared. Nervous. Had I ruined everything? Did I push her too far? Did I reveal too much of my past?

My own answer was a yes. I'd ruined everything. I was certain of it. A certainty that was only confirmed when she didn't try to contact me the next day. Or that night. I stared at my phone for the full twenty-four hours.

"Emma, it's okay," Graham soothed.

"No," I said. "It isn't. I should have told her anything. I shouldn't have asked her anything like that – what was I thinking?" Graham's face pinched a little in confusion. I hadn't told him what I'd asked Regina or what her answer had been. That would've felt too much like I was betraying her. It'd be wrong. What I had said on the other hand was free game to tell Graham seeing as he knew everything.

"Emma, trust me. It's okay. Regina likes you – everyone knows that. This, this stuff, Emma?" He sat next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. He didn't look at me. "It sucks, yeah, and Neal is a complete and utter asshole in my opinion and I'm sorry I didn't see it earlier. But the fact that he hurt you and you couldn't find a way out of it…Emma, that doesn't make me think less of you. It never has. Not for a second." He squeezed my shoulders and I leant my head against his. "And if Regina has a brain at all, she won't be bothered by it either. Angry? Yes. At you? No." His hand rubbed reassuringly up and down my arm.

My phone buzzed. I leapt on it and gaped. It was Regina.

From Her Mayorness: Are you free tomorrow evening?

It took me some time to compile a response. One, because my hands were shaking and two, because I was nervous that if I said yes she would then tell me that we were breaking up tomorrow night. And I didn't want that.

To Her Mayorness: Yes.

And only a moment later, From Her Mayorness: Would you care to go to dinner with me? If yes, I would make reservations at The Tower. Very exclusive. Slim to none chance of being interrupted should we succumb to mild PDA.

To Her Mayorness: You want to go to dinner with me? Even after last night?

She didn't reply to that and I felt my nerves start to jump all over again. But then the phone started to ring in my hand and, when I checked, it was her. "Hey," I answered quietly.

"Emma, what do you mean?"

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing happened last night, dear, that would not make me wish to spend a wonderful dinner with you. Nor would I shy away from a lunch or breakfast or an afternoon in the date. And I would very much enjoy spending more time with you and your son. Do you understand?"

"So…I didn't ruin everything?"

"You didn't ruin anything," she said firmly. "What made you think you had?"

"Well…" I flashed through the night before and this whole awful day. "We were super awkward last night. And you, we, didn't message today or talk or anything."

"Oh Emma." Regina sighed. "I'm sorry. I assumed you would want some space. It was emotional, what we discussed. I just assumed-"

"Please don't. Like," I pushed my free hand through my hair roughly. "Like, I just thought I'd ruined everything and I didn't want to bother you by messaging you first because, well, I'd be bothering you and"

"You wouldn't have. I was agonising over it. I thought you wanted space," she said again.

"No," I breathed. "I actually kind of hate it. I like…I like knowing that people are still with me. 'Cause, you know, lots of people have left or sent me away or oh my god I'm doing it again I'm sorry. I'll stop saying stuff like this."

"Like?"

"You know. Needy crap. I'm not like that – I'm strong."

"Emma." My name in her voice was a caress, soothing, a reprimand, a reassurance. "You can be as needy and strong as you like. I'm not…I'm not going away."

My breath caught and I blinked. "Um." I cleared my throat and tried again. "So, dinner? Tomorrow night?"

"Shall I pick you up at seven?"

"Yeah," I whispered. "Okay."

"Excellent. I shall see you then." She paused. "Goodnight, Emma," she murmured. "And I'm sorry for not messaging you. I will do better next time."

"I'll message you too," I half-laughed, half-stuttered. "Tomorrow night. Okay. I'll see you then."

I hung up the phone and started to laugh, only mildly hysteric. I ran out to find Graham and jumped on him, hugging him around the neck. He spun me around out of reflex and smiled.

"Did it go well? I left when you started to talk."

"It went well," I said, a smile almost painfully stretching across my face. "We're going on a fancy proper date. A date. Tomorrow." I bit my lip. "Could you…would you look after Henry again?"

"Pfft. Of course," he agreed. "We'll get some beers and watch some sports," he joked. At my frown, he grinned. "We'll watch Harry Potter again and I'll give him some sugary food and deal with any stomach aches that occur. You have fun. But you have to tell me everything afterwards, okay?"

"Deal." I snuggled into him, hugging him tight. "Thank you, Graham. I love you."

"I love you too, Em."

---

I've never worn a dress around Regina and just thinking of her confident flirting made me think it was exactly the thing to do – I look amazing in dresses, I'm not going to lie about that, and I really want her jaw to drop. I mean, I love my jeans and jacket and yeah, dresses aren't really practical for me, but when I do wear a dress? I do it right.

I'd enlisted Ruby's help for my hair and makeup earlier in the evening and then just slipped my dress on as carefully as I could, trying not to mess up my friends work too badly. Finished, I came down the stairs to wait for Regina…and to show off to Graham.

"Wow. Oh wow, Emma. You look…" He nodded and gestured for me to turn around. Then he ran a hand through his hair. "I feel like I should be locking you in your room and beating away your suitors with a stick or something, some other big brother kind of thing. Do I get to give Regina a too firm handshake and glare at her from the window?"

I laughed. "Depends on whether you want to keep your job or not, I guess."

Graham pouted at that but then, commanding me to stay right there and not move an inch, raced upstairs. I spent a few moments fixing my hair – goddamn these princess curls I refuse to let them relax from the perfect coils before Regina even saw them – and when I looked up again, there he was. My little man was sitting on Graham's hip and he was gaping at me, eyes wide.

"Mamma?" he whispered. I nodded. "You look really really really pretty," he said and the awe in his voice made me want to cry. God, how did I deserve this perfect kid?

"Thank you," I murmured to him instead of bawling my eyes out at his sweetness, and I tucked a curl behind my ear. "And you!" I gasped. "You're so handsome. Did you do something with your hair?"

"No, Mamma, I always look like this," he giggled.

"Well, wow, you always look this handsome? Aren't I a lucky mamma," I said, bending down to pepper his face with kisses. He scrunched up his face and muttered 'gross' but didn't stop me. Instead, he laughed after a second and clutched at my shoulders.

"Whoops," Graham said, stepping back a little and pulling Henry away from me. "Don't mess up her clothes, kid. She'll have to spend another whole hour getting ready otherwise." I glared at him but he just stuck his tongue out at me.

Knock. Knock knock.

That was her. Regina. Right. I glanced at the clock. Right on time, as per usual.

I pushed that errant curl back behind my ear again and sucked in a shaky breath as I stared at the door.

"You look amazing, Emma," Graham said, trying to reassure me. I just nodded. "Ready?" I nodded again but I wasn't. I really, really wasn't. This was it. I mean, this was the real deal. A date – an honest to god, real life date. With wine and music and eye shadow and, and fancy food and painful high heels. And I'd never done it before. Well, twice I'd dressed up when I went to fancy places to catch some runners but never for real. Neal and I were never able to afford anything more than takeout and no one else had ever asked me out.

Henry patted my shoulder. "Mamma," he whispered loudly. "The door. You gotta open the door." He turned to Graham. "Can she open the door? Does she need help?"

"I think she's got it, kid," Graham whispered back.

I took their utterly unhelpful dialogue as a mental push and forced myself forward to open the door. This was it. I pulled it open and stopped.

Wow.

Wow.

Every part of me froze and exploded at once, a strange dichotomy that meant the only thing I could do was blink at Regina. I didn't even know if I was smiling.

She looked amazing. Beautiful. She was everything. She was smoky makeup and a dark, dark blue dress and legs that went on forever and killer heels and she was a scarred lip that I wanted to run my tongue over and red lips that begged all attention and eyes that smouldered and burned their way over every inch of my skin and set my knees to 'weak'.

Wow.

"Hi 'Gina," Henry said happily.

"Good evening, dear. How are you?" I noticed vaguely that she spoke without taking her eyes off me.

"Good. Mamma looks really pretty."

"Yes." Regina stepped close, two steps close, two inches close, and smoothed her hand over a wrinkle in my shoulder where Henry had been gripping the fabric. Her hand stayed there and I gulped. The touch of her skin, right there, on my collarbone, her thumb smoothing over the skin so so so slowly and so hot burning tattooing itself right there sent shockwaves through me. "She does, doesn't she?"

"You look really pretty too, 'Gina. Doesn't she, Mamma?" My son turned a frown on me and I managed to regain enough thought to rearrange my face into a smile and nod.

"Yeah. You look…" I shook my head. What word could I use? Stunning perfect beautiful wonderful the most amazing masterpiece eight wonder of the world – too cliché, too cheesy. "Ten out of ten, Madame Mills."

"It's Regina tonight," she corrected me, still brushing her thumb over my collar, still making it hard for me to breath let alone think, and she smiled. "Thank you."

"Mamma," Henry whispered. "Do you want me to get it now?" I blinked and forced myself to look away from Regina for the first time since I'd opened the door. I glanced at my son. "The thing," he said. "You want me to get it?" I nodded and he grinned, kicking at Graham to lower him to the ground. I happily returned to staring at Regina until Henry pressed my gift into my hand.

"Thanks, kid." I brushed a hand over his hair and let him hug my leg. "Umm, this is for you, Regina," I said, pushing my gift out to Regina. It was a small and very simple flower brooch I'd seen in Gold's store today. It was dark and elegant and I couldn't not think of Regina when I saw it. "I thought, you know, because I couldn't give you real flowers you might like something else. I mean, you deserve something so yeah I thought this might be nice and I thought it was beautiful like you are and," I could feel myself slowly growing red and stuttering and Regina removed her hand from my shoulder to take the brooch from me, cradling it as she examined it.

"Thank you," she said again. "It's…it's beautiful." She looked up at me, though really there wasn't much of a height difference given that she could wear six inch heels apparently without batting an eye and here I was struggling in my two inches, and I swear I saw a tear and I panicked.

"Oh no, are you crying? I'm so sorry I just thought-"

"Emma," she laughed, "stop. Breathe. It's beautiful and very thoughtful and potentially the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me, though you are very adept at doing sweet things so I may need to reconsider that. That is why I am crying."

"Oh. Okay well, okay. Do you need a tissue?" I dug into the small purse I had with me and pulled out a tissue. Regina looked down at the bag with crinkled laughter eyes. "What? I like to be prepared. I also have band aids, hand sanitizer, ibuprofen, super glue, string, and-" Regina held up a hand to stop me, smirking.

"I understand. You like to be prepared." She took the tissue I offered and dabbed carefully under her eyes. "How do I look?"

"Like a sad raccoon," I said, and suffered a moment of incredibly filthy glare. I snorted and shook my head no. "You look wonderful. Nothing ran, nothing is splotchy, I promise. You look perfect."

"Very well. In that case," she nodded to Graham and smiled fondly at Henry, "shall we?"

I nodded. "Yeah. See you later," I said to Graham, who just saluted me and then, waiting until Regina wasn't watching, winked salaciously. I bent as far as I could in the dress to hug Henry and smooth his hair down. "Be good for Uncle Grey, okay?" He nodded. "And Uncle Grey," I said sternly, "be good, okay?" Graham nodded, sighing, and I narrowed my eyes. "No icecream after nine o'clock otherwise you will be the one dealing with the stomach aches. Understood?"

"Understood." He waved his hands, ushering me away. "Go," he said. "Go and have fun." He even smiled and waved at Regina, who nodded once more to him courteously.

Regina drove us to the restaurant that was tasteful and quiet and very discrete, as she had promised. It was beautiful. Not modern. It was actually a house that had been refurbished into a restaurant, the rooms stripped and bare and clean, crisp white linens for tablecloths and classy settings. The food was delicious – not as delicious as Regina's but then, I am biased – and the atmosphere was formal and just slightly romantic.

Honestly, there wasn't much talking. We held hands and did all the cliché stuff like sharing food and staring into each others' eyes…not really. I mean, sharing food yes and the occasional looking into eyes but really I just blushed my whole way through it and felt slightly uncomfortable with this incredibly new kind of date and she, well, she coaxed my hand into hers and rubbed her thumb over my knuckles every time I changed spoons to eat, knowing that the difference between soup and dessert spoon had me baffled. Don't even get me started on the forks.

It was really, really lovely.

---

She came to me the very next morning, pale and with sweat beaded on her temples.

"Regina?" I yawned and stepped out to stand with her in the hall, letting the door close behind me. I touched her shoulder. "What's wrong?" Regina's arms folded around herself as she tried to stop her shaking. "Oh my god, Regina. Hey." I released the grip I had on my robe, not caring that I was just wearing a tank and boxers. I had to hold her close, worried. "Tell me. What's wrong?"

"My mother is coming to town. She's seen this, Emma." She held up a photo of us at the restaurant.

It was impossible to see it as anything other than what it was: a romantic date. You could see our hands joined and my painfully love-struck smile and her…I caught my breath. Her eyes were looking at me and they were filled with something that made my heart skip a beat or two.

"Well," I said. "At least it's a nice photo."

Well everyone I'm quite happy with this chapter and I hope you liked it. A little longer, just a little, than my usual stuff as a treat for your patience. Be excited for Mama Mills' arrival – I've got some great stuff planned out (what I think is great) with assistance from pirateofpenzance. As usual, happy reading, readers :)