The Blue Water Inn was a staple in Regina's life for many reasons, one of the main ones being it wasn't a place she even remotely associated with Danielle in any way or form, and the other was because the Blue Water Inn had kept her family's winery afloat many years ago when they had neared bankruptcy trying to compete with other wineries fighting to land a very exclusive twenty-year deal with a very popular business in the heart of Boston.

She was treated like a queen at the Blue Water Inn, something she was used to, and something she unapologetically took advantage of from time to time. From the moment of her arrival, she was waited on whether she needed to be or not. As she always did, out of habit, she retrieved the key to the room always on hold for her or anyone in her immediate family and took the elevator up to the Panorama on the eighth floor.

Regina hadn't heard from Emma at all that day, not even after she'd sent her lunch from The Perk complete with two freshly baked bear claws. She assumed since she hadn't heard from her that they were still on to meet for seven-thirty.

"Would you like a glass of the 2007? I feel obligated to tell you that we only have three bottles left," Pierre said with a slight frown. "I have to tell you something in confidence, Ms. Mills. If I may?"

"Hmm?"

"I've saved the last few bottles for you, even though I shouldn't have."

"You are too kind, Pierre," Regina chuckled and upon reflex, she reached into the outer slip of her wallet and fished out a twenty. "Water for now, the bottle of the 2007 when my date arrives."

"Anything else, Ms. Mills?"

"I'll let you know. Thank you."

After Pierre filled the water goblet with ice water, she turned to look out the window, watching the sky and the water slowly began to change color and darken at the same time. She loved the view there and the vibe that came within the Panorama Lounge. Though she wasn't too fond of the people that frequented there, it was much better than one of the many clubs in and around downtown Boston by far.

Regina turned to watch the guests enter and exit out onto the terrace. It was busy since it was open to the public and not just members of the Blue Water Inn, where the members financed and raised money to keep the inn upscale without charging guests too much to stay in the rooms in exchange for special privileges from time to time. It was almost like a country club, but not quite, and the country club scene had never been Regina's thing and the Blue Water Inn was the next best option to mingle with influential people from all walks of life.

"Regina!" Kathryn called out and Regina rolled her eyes before she turned around.

"Hello, Kathryn."

"Where on earth have you been? I've been calling!" Kathryn exclaimed and she took it upon herself to sit down across from Regina. "I heard about your father. Is he all right?"

"Yes, he's been recovering nicely," Regina replied. "Though he isn't too fond of having to drastically alter his entire lifestyle in order to prevent another mild, or even a major, heart attack from happening in the future. I was in Bangor for the last week."

"Well," Kathryn sighed in the overly dramatic way she did when she wanted to talk about herself. Regina sipped her water and smile tightly. "I found out something extremely upsetting this afternoon."

"Oh?" Regina asked. "What did you find out?"

"David is going to be a father. He knocked that plain and boring little bitch up."

"No!"

"Yes!" Kathryn groaned. "He sent the divorce papers over. Again!"

"And?" Regina asked. "Why not just sign them, Kathryn? It has been years. Let him go."

Kathryn groaned again and she snapped her fingers at the waiter. "Let him go, Regina? Are you hearing yourself right now?"

"Kathryn," Regina said and she felt like a broken record every time they had this conversation, though David and Mary Margaret being pregnant had never been a topic of discussion before. "I know that you still love him, but he has moved on. Perhaps it is time for you to move on as well."

"I don't want—"

"You don't want what, Kathryn? To divorce him? To let him go?" Regina questioned. "You're being completely selfish, Kathryn. You were the one who had the affair."

"As you always remind me."

"Why are you doing this? At this point, it seems petty and selfish, not to mention extremely unfair to David. He's a good man, Kathryn, and even I know that he doesn't deserve to go through this with you any longer. Did the terms of the divorce change?"

"No, he still doesn't want anything, just to annul the marriage."

"Then what is the problem?"

"I'm still in love with him, Regina! Don't you understand how hard it is to let go of someone you are still in love with?"

"Yes, I do know! All too well!" Regina snapped. "But don't make this about me because this is about you and your marriage that has been over for years!"

Kathryn was fuming, but she just sat there with a scowl on her face and Pierre took the chance at approaching their table a few moments later. Kathryn just held up two fingers and he left with a curt nod. "Honestly, Regina, I thought he would've come to his senses by now."

"His senses?" Regina chuckled dryly. "Kathryn, how many times have we had this conversation?" Regina asked and she held up a hand before she could reply. "Too many times. I know you love him and you always will, but if you truly do love him, let him go and let him be happy. Doesn't he at least deserve that?"

Kathryn stared at her thoughtfully before Pierre returned with two double dirty martinis and placed them on the table with a polite smile. Kathryn picked up her glass, took a sip, and then meticulously placed the glass down in front of her with a slight scowl.

"He wants nothing else from you, Kathryn," Regina pointed out, just as she had pointed it out many times over the years since Kathryn and David separated soon after he found out about Kathryn's affair with Paco, the gardener. "I know you two have a prenuptial agreement, but consider yourself lucky he isn't trying to take you for everything after what you put him through."

"What about what he is putting me through? He got her pregnant, Regina!"

"Oh, get over yourself, Kathryn," Regina replied venomously. "Are you not still sleeping with Paco?"

"If I am?"

Regina scoffed as she picked up the glass and took a small sip. "You're no saint, dear. David may not be either, but it is clear that he loves that woman and while their pregnancy is certainly a surprise, I would imagine he would want to do the right thing. The only thing hindering him from doing that is you."

Kathryn was silent and her attention drifted over to the elevator as the door slid open. Regina watched her eyes light up and a moment later, a dark haired man approached their table. Kathryn was immediately on her feet, hugging and kissing the man and when they parted, Kathryn looked down at Regina with a forced smile.

"Regina, I'd like you to meet Paco."

"Pleasure," the man said as he extended a hand, one that Regina reluctantly shook.

"Likewise."

"We'll continue this conversation another time," Kathryn said as she linked her arm through Paco's with a smile that wasn't as forced as the last one. "Come on, lover, we have a table reserved out on the terrace."

Kathryn took her martini with her and the two walked away without another word. Regina just shook her head as she began to reevaluate her friendship with the woman she'd known for a very, very long time. She sipped her drink and looked over at the elevator as the door slid open and a group of people stepped out. Amongst them was Emma and as soon as Regina's eyes landed on her, her heart started racing.

It felt as if it had been far longer than a week since she'd last seen Emma Swan. Just to see her across the room, as short of a distance as it was, it felt like she was seeing Emma for the first time all over again, and it only caused her heart to race even quicker.

Emma looked around, not seeing her at first, and Regina lifted a hand and gave her a small wave. When Emma caught sight of her, she smiled shyly and headed across the room to the table Regina was sitting at. The first thing she noticed as Emma approached her was the fact she was wearing almost the exact same outfit she'd had on the night they first met at the Laundromat. Regina smiled as Emma made it to the table and then hesitantly sat down.

"Hi," Emma said quietly. "Sorry I'm late."

"You're not," Regina replied without even bothering to check the time. "How was your day?"

"Exhausting," Emma sighed and she glanced down at her hands she folded in front of her on the table at the same time that Regina did. "It's hard work," she said with a slight shrug. "It's a good thing I'm in good shape or I wouldn't have made it through the day. How was your day, Regina?"

"Much better now," she grinned and even in the dim light of the room, she could see a slight blush creep over Emma's cheeks. "Would you like a drink or would you like to order some dinner?"

"I could do with both, actually. I got home later than I thought I would and only had time to shower," Emma replied. "I see you started without me."

"Kathryn was just here a few minutes ago," Regina replied. "She's out on the terrace with her date at the moment."

"So, she's not going to try and join us?"

"I wouldn't put it past her," Regina chuckled lightly and she flagged down Pierre. "Would you like some wine? I know they just got a new shipment of local craft beer in this afternoon if you'd rather have that?"

"I think I'll stick to beer. I have to drive home later."

Regina tried to hide her disappointment, but then again they both had jobs to go to the next morning and it wasn't as if they could stay over at the inn. It didn't mean they couldn't put the room to good use, at least for a couple of hours before it got too late. Emma ordered a draft beer and then the Panorama burger with sweet potato fries on the side and the Blue Water signature gravy. Regina just ordered a seafood salad, the starter size as she had eaten a late lunch and she didn't have much of an appetite. For food at least.

She almost forgot why they agreed to meet, but it wasn't long before the silence between them served as a reminder of what had happened the week before. Regina frowned as she ran the tip of her finger over the step of the martini glass, disappointed that Emma couldn't seem to hold her gaze without awkwardly looking away. She had rehearsed what she planned to say to Emma, but now that she was sitting in front of her, Regina had no idea where to start.

It was clear that Emma was exhausted, more so than she'd seen her in the short time they had been together. Emma was also fidgeting, which Regina knew was a sign she was nervous. She hadn't seen Emma this nervous since the night they had drinks in the VIP lounge at The Velvet Room. She missed the Emma she'd gotten to know the night they were first intimate and the morning after when Emma had taken her there in the kitchen without hesitation. She missed the way Emma was with her in the days following their night and short morning together, the way that Emma just kissed her with abandon and touched her as if she'd done it a million and one times before.

The three-piece band began to set up to play their set at eight and Regina cast her gaze over to the musicians. They were elderly men, well into their seventies she was sure, and they were laughing as they arranged their instruments and sheet music in the small space they always played in by the grand piano just a few feet from the bar.

Regina turned back to Emma as Pierre came with her local craft beer. It was dark and Emma scrunched her nose a little before thanking the waiter. She waited until he walked away before she took a sip and her distaste for the dark beer quickly dissolved with that first sip.

"Good?"

"Better than I expected," Emma replied honestly. "I've never been a fan of dark beer, but this is good, actually. Want to try it?"

Regina shook her head no as Emma offered her the glass. Emma just raised a challenging eyebrow and Regina gave in, took the frosted glass from Emma's hand, and then took a small and tentative sip. It wasn't bad but it wasn't good either. She had never liked the taste of beer, always preferring cider or wine, even a double dirty martini that she indulged in once in a while.

"Well?"

"It's not bad," Regina said as she handed the glass back to Emma. "It's not good either."

"I think it's good anyway."

"We all have our acquired tastes. Beer has never been one of mine."

"You know, that wine we had when we were here before wasn't half bad."

"Wasn't half bad?" Regina chuckled. "Admit it, Emma, it was probably the best wine you have ever tasted."

Emma grinned, trying to hide it behind the glass before she took a sip. "It was good."

"How would you like a glass after dinner? I know that you have to drive home, but the night is still young, isn't it?"

"Sure," Emma chuckled and she took another sip of her beer.

[X]

After they'd eaten, they moved out to the terrace and took a seat at one of the dozens of tall tables that were set up outside. They hadn't talked much over dinner, just small talk about their day and Emma's new job as an apprentice construction worker. Emma told her how she was being trained for the smaller jobs that included demolition, clean up, and delivery of supplies as needed. It was grunt work at best, a job given to those on the very low end of the tier, but Emma told her she was all right with that, starting at the bottom and working her way up.

Starting at the bottom was something Regina had zero experience in and she couldn't relate in any way to what Emma's experience was going to be like. She had been born into a life of privilege, and after college, she had been placed high in the ranks at Mills Publishing House in the years before her parents had both retired. She had never taken it for granted, not the way that others thought she did, and for a moment, she worried that Emma thought the same way that everyone else did, that she was just another spoiled rich bitch who had everything in life handed to her on a silver platter.

A woman dressed in a tight black dress walked around the terrace, selling daintily rolled cigarettes and cigars. Regina followed Emma's gaze on the woman before she reached out and placed her hand on top of Emma's that was clutching her glass.

"Do you want another drink or would you like to go down to the room?" Regina asked. "To talk," she added and Emma looked around the crowd on the terrace before nodding.

"Let's skip the drink and go down to the room and talk, wait—why do you have a room?"

"I always have a junior suite available whenever I come around. It's part of the perks of being a respected member here. Don't worry about your bill, I'll take care of it for you later."

"You don't have to do that."

"I would like to," Regina replied. "Will you let me?"

"Okay," Emma muttered and she looked around the crowd on the terrace, her eyes suddenly going wide. "Did you say Kathryn was here with a date?"

"Yes. Paco."

Emma laughed and shook her head. "I don't know what he told her his name is, but that is not Paco. His name is Peter."

Regina followed Emma's gaze to where Kathryn and her date were sitting on the other side of the terrace, laughing and leaning in close to one another. "She introduced him to me as Paco."

"It's a stupid nickname of his from when he was in high school, at least that's what Ruby told me," Emma said and she looked furious. "Do you know how long Kathryn has been seeing him?"

"A while now, I believe. She wasn't too forthcoming on the details, but I do know for a fact that he is the one she had the affair with that ended her and David's marriage."

"He disgusts me," Emma said and she shook her head. "Peter and Ruby have been on and off for a long time. She finally ended things with him for good a few weeks ago."

Regina had heard a little bit of Emma's roommate and her boyfriend before, enough to know that he liked to stray and then come crawling back to her a few weeks later. From the things she heard, even she knew that Peter wasn't good enough for Ruby and that Ruby definitely deserved someone a lot better than someone who didn't fully appreciate her.

"What are you doing?" Regina asked when Emma pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and started to type furiously. "Emma?"

"I'm texting Ruby," she replied. "She should know—"

"Know what? That her ex is here on a date with my friend?" Regina asked and Emma's fingers stilled. "Is that really something you want to start right now, Emma? I thought we were going to go down to the room and talk? That is what we came here to do, isn't it?"

Emma nodded, locking her phone before sliding it into the front pocket of her plaid button down shirt. They headed inside and Regina found Pierre and told him to send their bill to the front desk. She led the way to the stairs, not the elevator and they walked down one flight to the seventh floor. The junior suite was just around the corner at the end of the long hall on the right. The room offered an incredible view over the water and Emma immediately walked over to the window in the living room to look out while Regina put the "do not disturb" sign on the doorknob and locked the door behind her.

"This is pretty sweet," Emma said as she walked into the bedroom and into the en-suite bathroom to check it out. "A Jacuzzi tub?" She laughed and Regina just smiled as she put her purse down on the table by the door.

Regina sat on the couch and waited for Emma to join her. As rare as it was for her to be nervous, the nerves took flight in the pit of her stomach and she fidgeted with the ring on her right hand. Emma joined her a few minutes later and sat on the opposite end of the couch.

"I suppose I should start," Regina said quietly. "I am so very sorry that I didn't tell you the truth about Danielle. At the time, I don't know what I was thinking, honestly, but it was easier to tell you that she had died than to tell you the truth." Regina paused and she tried to read Emma's face, but it was hard as for once, Emma wasn't showing her emotions openly. "I want you to know that while I will always love her, it doesn't mean my heart isn't open to you. It is, Emma. It is open completely. After you were a little jealous that I was dating someone else as well, it really opened my eyes to you and only to you. It is why I ended things and committed myself to you, Emma."

"Not a little jealous," Emma said under her breath. "A lot."

Regina smiled lightly. "I know that if the situation was reversed, I would've felt the same way. To be honest with you, Emma, before we went to Maine the other weekend, I was worried about how I was going to tell you the truth about Danielle because I wasn't sure how you would react. I did know, however, that no matter what I did tell you, that you would be upset with me for not being honest with you right from the start about her."

"I think I get it now," Emma said after a few seconds. "Why you didn't tell me about her when you first mentioned her. I don't know what I'd do if someone I loved deeply ended up the way she did. I can't imagine how hard that is for you knowing that someone you love is still alive but—"

"But barely can function," Regina finished for her. "I spent the first few years feeling nothing but guilt because I believed I was the reason she ended up like that. I was driving the car, Emma. I only took my eyes off the road for a split second and that was all it took to change everything."

"Is that the reason you don't drive anymore?"

"Yes."

"Makes sense," Emma said with a small shrug. "Look," she sighed as she turned to face Regina but didn't move any closer to her. "I may have overreacted when I found that picture and I'm sorry I acted the way I did. I was just, I don't know, angry and confused and upset."

"You don't need to apologize, Emma."

"I want to. I thought for sure that I lost my chance with you because I didn't stay and listen to what you had to say. I ran, just like I always do when I can't handle something that hurts me. I'm sorry, Regina."

"I'm sorry," Regina said, her voice wavering with emotion as she tried to fight back her tears. "I know you feel that you cannot trust me, but I would like the chance to prove to you that you can trust me again. I don't know how to do that though I am willing to do anything."

"Anything?"

"Whatever it takes," Regina whispered and she moved to sit closer to Emma and reached for her hands. "I want you to know, Emma, that I'm falling in love with you. I am in love with you."

"You are?"

Regina smiled. "Yes."

Emma looked like she couldn't believe it and surprised at the same time. The way she blinked and scrunched her face was completely adorable and it made Regina's heart flutter. Emma shook her head as she stared into Regina's eyes. She looked as if she wasn't sure what to say and Regina didn't expect her to say anything or to say those three little words back to her either.

"We barely know each other."

"I know," Regina said softly. "But that won't always be the case, will it?"

"God, I hope not," Emma replied. "I want to know everything there is to know about you."

"And I you."

"Tell me something, something nobody else knows about you," Emma said with a hint of a challenging smile. "It could be anything. Maybe even a secret."

Regina laughed lightly and she leaned in a little closer. "A truth for a kiss?"

"Sure."

Regina wasn't necessarily an open book when it came to the private details of her life, but those closest to her knew just about everything about her. She wracked her brain for something; anything, and she frowned slightly when she thought of one thing she never told anyone before, not her parents, not Kathryn, and not even Danielle knew about it.

"I cannot have children," Regina whispered. "I found out when I was nineteen. I have never told anyone and the only one who knows is my doctor."

"Really? You can't have children?"

"No," she frowned. "She said I have a hostile uterus and that it would be next to impossible for me to carry a child past the first trimester."

"How about a truth instead of a kiss?" Emma asked and Regina nodded. "I was pregnant when I was seventeen. I—I lost the baby. I've never told anyone, not the father, not even Ruby or Mary Margaret. The only one that knows is some doctor at a clinic out in Oregon."

"Did you find out why you miscarried the baby?"

"No, I didn't stick around long enough for the tests that doctor wanted to run. Those tests would've cost me money that I just didn't have."

"Do you ever think of what you would've done if you had the baby?"

Emma nodded as a few tears fell from her eyes and rolled down her flushed cheeks. "I wouldn't have been able to keep him, you know? I would've put him up for adoption to give him his best chance because his best chance wasn't with me."

"It was a boy?"

"I don't know. I like to think that it was," she replied. "I don't think about that point in my life very often for a lot of reasons. There are a lot of what-ifs involved and it just, I don't know, it hurts. I have—my whole life I've never had anyone, you know? I don't want to get into it again, but—"

"I understand, Emma. I will never, ever lie to you or keep anything from you. I can promise you that right here and now. I will do anything to gain your trust. Whatever it takes."

"Will you tell me about her?" Emma asked. "Not right now, but one day?"

"Yes. I'll tell you everything if you wish."

"Okay."

"Can I kiss you?" Regina asked quietly, almost shyly and not at all sounding like herself.

"Sure. You don't need to ask."

"I wasn't positive where we stand now after the other weekend."

Emma frowned slightly. "Are we not still together?" She asked and Regina lifted Emma's hand to her lips and kissed over her knuckles lightly. "We are, right?"

"Yes, we are still together, darling."

Regina's eyes fell to Emma's lips and she watched Emma lick over them slowly before she found it impossible to hold back for a second longer. She pulled Emma in for a deep, passionate kiss, one she had been waiting a week to have again. It was slow at first, almost as if they were hanging on to the moment together, but then Emma pulled Regina onto her lap and the kiss quickly accelerated. It was hungry and raw and it had Regina craving for more.

Emma did seem a little hesitant and Regina eased out of the kiss slowly. She ran her fingers through Emma's soft hair and coaxed her back in for another kiss. Regina couldn't hold back the moan when Emma smoothed her hands up along her back and down again, not stopping until she reached Regina's rear and gave it a playful squeeze.

It took Regina a second or two to realize it wasn't just a playful squeeze, but that Emma was lifting her up as she rose up from the couch. Regina moved to put her feet on the floor, grasping at the back of Emma's neck as she deepened the kiss thoroughly and kicked off her heels one by one. She grasped on to Emma's button down shirt, nearly tearing it as she pushed it down over Emma's shoulders and then her arms with a little bit of a struggle as Emma's hands were roaming over her back and sides insistently.

Regina gasped when Emma backed her up against the wall right by the double doors that led into the bedroom. It was almost as if a switch had been flipped with Emma as she pulled at Regina's blouse, pulling out the hem that was neatly tucked into her black slacks. Her fingers were quick to undo the buttons as they kissed feverishly. When Emma popped the third button, she moved to kiss and suck along Regina's neck and Regina gasped as Emma nipped at her skin and continued to unbutton the last few before parting her blouse and smoothing her hands up along Regina's abdomen.

"Emma," Regina murmured as Emma's fingers teased along the underside of her lace bra.

She could feel Emma smirk against her neck before she continued her descent, her fingers teasing over her skin just below her breasts as she licked and nipped her way over the top of her breasts. When Emma's fingers finally grazed over the front clasp, Regina arched into her, silently begging for her to release her from the confines of her bra.

Emma grasped at her hips and pulled her away from the wall before she unclasped her bra. She tore it off with the blouse in one swift motion and captured Regina's lips in another hungry kiss as she pulled Regina with her in the slow approach to the bed just a few feet away.

They parted only for a few seconds as Regina removed Emma's tank top, pulling her bra with it and tossed it to the floor. Emma's skin was warm and Regina needed to feel her fully against her. Her hands went to the belt on Emma's tight jeans, but Emma immediately pulled her hands away and Regina stumbled back towards the bedside table. The lamp clattered and fell over onto the bed and the phone fell to the floor as Emma pushed Regina up onto the end table while nearly tearing open her slacks.

Emma had an almost feral look in her eyes as she parted from Regina's lips with a gasp. She yanked on Regina's slacks, pulling them down swiftly. She knelt on the floor in front of her and spread Regina's legs as she smoothed her hands up Regina's inner thighs. Emma teased her, licking over her panty covered cunt and rose back up on her feet, her fingers sliding beneath the lace panties and then slicked them through Regina's folds without hesitation.

"Emma!" Regina cried out when Emma thrust two fingers deep inside of her. She threw her head back against the wall hard enough that the picture over the bed rattled.

Wave after wave of unadulterated pleasure washed through her and she couldn't help but think of Emma taking her just like this with a strap-on instead of her fingers. Just the thought of it nearly had her tumbling over the edge in seconds, but she held back and let her orgasm build deep inside.

Emma was relentless, fucking her hard and deep with her strong fingers. She moved in closer, stealing a kiss from Regina's lips and then quickly ducked her head down to wrap her lips around Regina's achingly stiff nipple. Regina grasped on to Emma's shoulders and then moved one to the headboard in an attempt to find some leverage. With a few final hard thrusts of Emma's fingers, Regina's orgasm fluttered and then crashed through her entire body. She held Emma's fingers inside of her in a vice-like grip as Emma kissed her deeply and wantonly.

Her heart was racing at full tilt even when her climax faded and when Emma withdrew her fingers and pulled back from her lips, that feral look was still in her eyes. Regina pushed her back and slid off the bedside table with as much grace as she could muster despite the fact her legs felt weak.

Casually, Regina turned to right the lamp back up on the table and picked up the phone. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Emma toe off her shoes and strip out of her jeans before moving up behind her. Emma kissed over her shoulder as she placed the handset on the receiver and she turned in Emma's arms, her heart still racing, and her legs still weak. Emma just grinned and moved back, grabbing the duvet on the bed and threw it off before laying down and spreading out on the bed, offering herself completely to Regina. And Regina was going to take her. Over and over again.

A/N: Thanks to those who continue to support the story! I appreciate each of you taking the time to leave your thoughts even if it is just one or two words :)