A/N: happy Sunday! I feel like the note at the bottom of this chapter may have some of you wishing for Wednesday to come faster than ever before – in a good way!

Emma was on a high all week after her evening spent with Regina. If Ruby had any doubt that the blonde had met someone, the blissful mood her boss had been in was enough to nullify them. Which was why, as soon as they settled down in a booth in Saviours on Friday, Mary Margaret joining the trio as usual, Ruby rounded on Emma.

"So, tell us everything."

She supposed she should have expected it, Emma mused as she took a long sip of her cocktail, buying herself some time before she answered.

"Tell you what?" she asked coyly, pretending not to know what her friend was referring to.

"Who is she?" Ruby pushed.

"Who is who?" Emma smirked.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "You're a terrible liar. You may be a great political commentator but you'd have been a terrible politician."

"I'm hurt," Emma joked. She might spend her life following politics but she had never had any desire to take on a political roll herself.

"Come on, Ems," Ruby whined. "I know you're dating someone. I just want to know who's making you so happy. I've not seen you like this for years."

"It's true," Mary Margaret piped up. She'd only been in Emma's presence for a few minutes and already she had noticed a change in her friend. The fact that the blonde was happier than she had been since Lily left was obvious. And naturally, both of her friends were curious as to who was responsible.

"Ok, fine," Emma said. "I have met someone. Are you happy?"

"Not as happy as you," Ruby replied. "Who is she?"

"I can't tell you." Emma replied.

Mary Margaret leaned in closer, sensing gossip. Unfortunately, given her love of talking about anyone and everyone, those who knew Mary Margaret also knew better than to divulge their secrets if they wanted them to stay secret. And Emma certainly didn't want the pixie haired brunette to find out about Regina. Not yet, anyway.

"Why can't you tell us?" Mary Margaret asked.

"We agreed to keep it quiet for a while," Emma said. It wasn't a lie, after all.

"Why?"

"It's a new relationship," Emma shrugged. "We want to see what's between us before we go public."

"Is she in the closet?" Ruby asked. "Is that why you can't tell us? Do we know her?"

"I'm not telling you anything about her, guys. I'm sorry. I promised I wouldn't and I'm not going to break that promise. All you need to know is that I'm happy and excited about the future with this woman."

Mary Margaret slumped back against her seat, looking disappointed. Ruby, however, beamed. Emma eyed her assistant's reaction suspiciously.

"What?"

"I've just not seen you like this before," Ruby said. "You really like her, don't you?"

Emma blushed slightly. Not in embarrassment but at the acknowledgement that Ruby was right. "Yeah, I do," she admitted. "I've not felt this way in a long time, Rubes."

Ruby grinned at her friend. "I'm happy for you, Emma. You deserve it."

Did she? Emma thought to herself. She had been single for a long time and she knew that she had a lot to offer when it came to relationships. She was a catch, she supposed. But that was when she compared herself to the normal dating pool. Regina was on a whole different playing field. Was Emma still a catch? She didn't doubt that Regina wanted her; that much had been obvious on Monday evening. But did she deserve Regina? Beyond their initial attraction to one another and the ease of their conversations and the time they spent together, was Emma actually going to be enough for the older woman? Was Emma good enough for the President of the United States? Sipping her drink, Emma tried to force her mind away from that rabbit hole and focused her attention on Mary Margaret who had begun to talk about the latest drama at her school.

Bidding goodnight to the President of China, Regina was escorted back from the dining hall where she had been entertaining the country head as well as a host of other leaders and diplomats. She was relieved to reach the quiet of her own living space and kicked off her heels at once. Wining and dining important people had been a fun element of the job at first but it was starting to become tiresome. That particular dinner had been more about buttering the man up to sign the new economic agreement which had been on the table for the past four days. She wasn't sure she succeeded although Daniel had said he had seen the man's gaze lingering on her exposed cleavage as they spoke.

Regina had always known being the first female President was going to be hard and she had been determined not to use her femininity to advance her political agenda. It seemed, however, that the mere presence of a woman was enough to distract the most powerful men in the world from what really mattered. At the end of the day, the economic agreement would be beneficial for both China and the US. Regina had added only a few restrictions onto the existing agreement, not wanting to rock the boat too early on in her Presidency. If the man appreciated the swell of her chest and signed as a result, she supposed she couldn't complain.

As she padded barefoot through to the kitchen, Regina pulled out her cell and shot off a text to Emma. She had been wondering how the blonde's evening with her friends had been going, which got her wondering what it was like to go out for an evening with friends. She made a note to ask Kathryn if she wanted to spend time together one day without talk of politics. She doubted either of them would be able to steer clear of the topic completely but they could at least try. It was lonely, Regina was realising, being at the top.

Even with Emma, and the two of them texted daily, Regina still felt isolated. She had been expecting as much, had prepared for the immense pressure and responsibility of being President but it was still a shock. Coupled with the fact that Robin moved out so soon after the inauguration, Regina spent most of her evening sitting in silence, either working or thinking about work. She needed something else in her life, she realised. Or someone.

Her cell phone chimed as she finished pouring herself a glass of wine. Smiling even before she opened the text, Regina's happiness faded when she realised that the sender was not who she had expected.

Are you free for me to call you? Robin

Regina sighed. What did he want? Although a conversation with her ex was the last thing she wanted to do, she replied in the affirmative and seconds later answered the call.

"Hello Regina," came the familiar voice.

"Robin, hi. How are you doing?"

"Good thank you," her ex husband replied. "How are you?"

"Busy but good, thank you."

"Good," Robin said. "That's good."

There was a long pause. "Did you want something?"

"Yes," Robin said, reminded that it had been he who had requested the contact. "Some reporter found out who Marian and Roland are. They turned up at Roland's school and tried to get an interview."

"Well, it was going to get out sooner or later," Regina pointed out. "I mean, you are living with her and it's not like the public don't know your face. As soon as someone saw you with either one of them, the press will have found out."

"I know but it's not fair on them. Can you do something?"

"Like what?" Regina asked. "The press have the right to follow the story. I asked them to leave you, Marian and Roland alone but I can't do any more than that."

"You're the President," Robin huffed. "Surely you can stop this harassment."

"Turning up at a school hardly counts as harassment," Regina replied.

"They've been to the house too," Robin said. "Taking photos. Asking the neighbours questions."

"I can't do anything to stop that," Regina said. "If you want to be with your new family, then you're going to have to deal with the press wanting to find out about them."

There was an exasperated sigh. "Fine, thanks for nothing."

Regina bristled. "How is this my fault?"

"It's not your fault that it happened but I would have thought you would be a little more helpful when it came to doing something about it."

"Like what? You want me to get restraining orders on every journalist in the United States? You want me to put you and your family into witness protection or station a team of special agents outside your house 24/7? I can't do anything about the fact that the press are looking for a story when it comes to the infidelity of the man who was formerly married to their President. If you had wanted to protect them, maybe you shouldn't have gone to them."

"Is that what you want?" Robin asked. "For us to still be pretending to be a happily married couple?"

"No," Regina sighed. "No, I was as sick and tired of that charade as you were. But that doesn't mean that you don't deserve what we both knew was going to happen."

"I deserve it," Robin accepted. "They don't."

"Collateral damage," Regina replied. "Your collateral damage you which you got involved in this mess, Robin. You were the one who dragged Marian into this. The two of you are responsible for Roland. If I could protect them I would, but I can't. You're just going to have to ride it out and wait for the press to lose interest, which they will. And may I remind you that all of these stories they will write about your new family affect me too? Do you think I'm looking forward to reading about your cosy new life?"

"No," Robin said, suddenly deflating. "No I know this is hard on you too. I just hate that I can't protect them from my mistakes."

"So you called your ex wife to get me to do it for you?"

Robin chuckled. "If anyone could help me, I knew it would be you."

"That may be true but do you really think it's appropriate? Did you even think about how I might feel being asked to protect your mistress and your son?"

Regina had known Robin long enough to be able to picture the pained look on his face as he considered the brunette's words. It gave her a sick sense of satisfaction to know she had made him do a double take. "You're right. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called."

"Probably not, no," Regina replied.

"Ok, well, I won't disturb your Friday evening any more. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"It's ok," Regina replied. "I guess you don't have anyone else you can turn to right now."

"No, I don't. But that doesn't mean I should have turned to you. We're not together any more. I can't keep relying on you to help me out."

Regina softened slightly. The man may have hurt her, may have shattered her heart, but he had still been by her side for over fifteen years. Even after the affair, he had stood beside her, helped her get to The White House. Although the news of their divorce had only caused a minor dip in Regina's approval ratings, had the news broken prior to the election, she doubted she would have won.

"If you really do need me, Robin, I am here for you."

"Thank you," the man said quietly. "But it's not fair. Sorry again. I won't bother you in the future."

The line went dead. Regina stared at the device for a moment before casting it aside. What a way to end her week, she mused, as she sipped her still-full wine glass.

She pondered her feelings as she reclined on her couch. What she had said to Robin was true; she could do nothing. But that didn't mean she didn't want to. While she knew that Robin deserved everything he was getting, she knew the media attention was unpleasant. Marian deserved it as well, she decided. After all, the woman must have known who Robin was when they got together and it seemed she was instrumental in the man's decision to leave Regina. But Roland? Well, he really was just innocent collateral damage. Regina knew the small boy didn't deserve to be in the middle of a media frenzy.

That said, Regina couldn't help but feel resentful of Roland. She knew the six-year-old boy had done nothing wrong personally but, unfortunately for him, he was a representation of the one thing Regina and Robin had not been able to create together. They had tried for a baby for years and then some other woman had come along and given Robin what he desired most. It wasn't Roland's fault he had been conceived and she didn't blame the child personally. But she couldn't help see him as the baby she never had. And that hurt.

Her cell chimed again. Regina was almost hesitant to answer it this time but she also knew Robin wouldn't be in touch again. He genuinely seemed to realise what his phone call had been asking of her. Even after the emotional turmoil of the last ten minutes, seeing the blonde's name on her screen made her smile.

My night has been good. But I'm drunk. And I miss you x

Regina's heart melted at the words. She missed the blonde too. If she had been anyone else, holding any other job in the world, she would have headed out to find Emma in whatever bar she was drinking with her friends. But she knew that wasn't a possibility.

Get home safely please. And don't be too hung-over for tomorrow. X

The response was almost immediate.

What have you got planned for me tomorrow? X

You'll just have to get into the car which will be at your place at 6pm and find out… x

Regina smiled at the cell phone. She had been planning their second date since Monday night and was very much looking forward to hosting Emma again. More to the point, it was the first time the two of them had been in the White House since they had confessed their feelings. They would be alone and uninterrupted at last.

It may be quick. Only a week had passed since that night in Emma's apartment when the President had at last told the blonde how she felt. But it didn't seem rushed. After weeks of spending time together as friends, the change in their relationship status merely added an additional element to the time they spent together. Sex.

The fact that it had been a long time since Regina went to bed with someone played on her mind at times but she also knew that she was not nervous of being intimate with Emma. Regardless of how inexperienced or out of practice she may be, she was also sure that she wanted it. Wanted Emma. The feeling, it seemed, was mutual, as Emma's reply came through less than a minute after her own text.

I can't wait to see you again. And be alone with you. I've been dreaming about what I'll do to you all week xx

Regina's core tightened involuntarily when she read the reply. She was undeniably aroused both when thinking about Emma and discovering that the blonde was also fantasising about the two of them together. She would be lying if she said she hadn't thought about their first time. She had conjured images in her mind most evenings as she drifted off to sleep.

Across town, Emma grinned at her phone as Regina's text came through.

I've got a few fantasies of my own I'm looking forward to experiencing xx

She was about to reply when her phone was whipped out of her hand. Startled and mildly petrified, Emma's head snapped up to see a triumphant Ruby sat on the far side of the booth.

"What's got your attention?" she asked, peering at the screen of the cell she now held.

Emma sent a private thank you that she hadn't saved Regina's number under the President's name, even if the encryption of the cell phone made that impossible. Ruby had already read the text but was none the wiser as to who Emma's mystery woman was.

"This girlfriend of yours is pretty flirty," Ruby remarked.

"She's not my girlfriend," Emma said, snatching the phone back before Ruby could scroll back up through the conversation. She deleted their texts on a daily basis but she didn't want her friend prying any more than she already had.

"She sounds like your girlfriend," Ruby said. "How's the sex?"

Emma scowled. "We've not slept together yet," she admitted.

Eyebrows rose. "I get the feeling that's about to change. She's gagging for you."

The scowl deepened. "Don't talk about her like that."

"Don't talk about who?"

"I'm not telling you who she is," Emma reiterated. "But I think whoever she is she deserves your respect. As do I, come to that."

Ruby had the good grace to look guilty as she realised she had pushed her friend too far. Emma rarely snapped at her but when she did, Ruby knew she had crossed a line.

"Sorry, Ems," Ruby said. "I was only teasing. I just want to know who this woman is."

"And I've told you, I can't and won't tell you. Please respect that and don't go digging around. If not for her, then do it for me, ok?"

"Ok, I'm sorry," Ruby said. "Come on, let's dance and we can go and keep an eye on MM."

"Where is she?" Emma asked, realising their friend had gone to the bathroom ten minutes earlier and not returned.

"Having her face eaten by some bloke over there," Ruby said, pointing to the dance floor where, indeed, Mary Margaret was locked in a passionate embrace with a man.

Emma chuckled and slid her phone back into her pocket. "Come on. Let's go and see if she's ok."

The duo made their way towards the short brunette, Emma all the while wondering the extent of the scandal which would erupt if she and Regina were caught making out in the middle of a crowded club. She doubted it would be worth the sensation even if, right in that very moment, she wanted nothing more than for the President to appear in front of her.

But she didn't, so Emma, Ruby and Mary Margaret continued their night, stumbling home in the early hours and falling into their respective beds. Emma passed out almost at once, her mind already filled with possibilities for the following evening.

A/N: this is the last T rated chapter …