a/n: Usually I wait to post until I've written one or two chapters ahead, but I'm really excited about this one. Let me know what you think!

25: Magic

The line to get into the Guggenheim was ungodly long, and the evening air was starting to raise goosebumps on their skin. But once they finally got in, Jennifer asked Regina if it was worth the wait, and she nodded. Regina had never been to an art museum before, and she found that she enjoyed the atmosphere. Throughout the white, spiral halls of the Guggenheim, she could hear murmurs and the clicking of heels and men's shoes and one collective buzz of intellectual stimulation. It reminded her somewhat of a royal ball. The people and the music and the sights and the smells fit together like the gears in a clock and everything went right for a while. Everything was perfect.

They wandered together for a while, looking at art, before Regina started lingering on paintings and Jennifer browsed more. Regina couldn't help stealing glances at her, though. The way she stared at a piece she liked with a tightly knitted brow and bare arms folded loosely under her chest. She looked like she was trying to untangle a ball of christmas lights or string together a symphony or wipe the fog from a rainy windshield. She was ungodly quiet and contemplative, and it was beautiful and simple. And Regina admired from afar.

Jennifer found her gaze once and glanced from her back to the piece, almost an afterthought. "Bored already?" she chuckled. Regina inhaled deeply.

"Quite the opposite actually," Regina admitted as she eyed Jennifer up and down and goodness she fit in here. It didn't seem like she would because this was something Regina could really sink her teeth into and she and Jennifer were very different in a lot of ways. But Jennifer did fit in in her own niche way. "It's amazing. Thank you…" she looked around. "For showing me this. I...appreciate it."

"If I'd been the one to get you the tickets I would say you're welcome," Jennifer smiled. Regina gasped out a short laugh and shook her head.

"I meant thank you for convincing me to come here. To New York."

"Speaking of being glad you came, you can't be in New York and not see the Empire State building," Jennifer smiled. Regina raised her brow, and Jennifer shrugged. "I don't make the rules." Then she eyed Regina, a vague, open mouthed smile on her lips. "What do you say we get outta here?"

It was something about the way she said it that made Regina swallow and shift and nod dumbly. Anywhere Jennifer went tonight, Regina was sure to follow.

. . .

"There's a really good bar a couple blocks down. You wanna drink?" Jennifer asked as they walked out into the chilly night air.

"Maybe just one," Regina conceded as she followed Jennifer down the street. Jennifer's dress swished out behind her, heels clacking on the sidewalk. The sun was almost down, but the streets were as crowded as ever.

The bar Jennifer was taking her to was loud and smoky. Music floated out into the street. "It's a little rowdy, but these are good people. They won't bother you." Jennifer told her. "It's kind of a hole in the wall, not many people, you know." Regina looked around and was met with a wall of vodka and beer when she walked in the open door.

"Jennifer!" The bartender shouted as soon as they stepped through the entryway. She wore a spiked leather jacket and her short, black hair was gelled up into a sort of mohawk. "And friend," she drawled, drinking Regina up and whistling, leaning heavily on the bar. Regina, surprised and embarrassed, looked to Jennifer for guidance.

"White, please, Sarah. Two," Jennifer just said as she sat on a bar stool. Regina followed suit. "Maybe I should have warned you," Jennifer leaned into her and said softly.

"Is this a…" Regina trailed off and looked around at the colorful people and rainbow flags and men with their arms draped lovingly over other men.

"Gay bar?" Jennifer guessed, and Regina relaxed, her straight edge shoulders even slumping a fraction of an inch as Sarah came back with their drinks. They had exactly one gay bar in the Enchanted Forest, though no one in high society ever talked about it. She'd frequented it a handful of times in secret. Not to flirt, just to go somewhere where no one would bother her. She rarely interacted with anyone there. She rarely did anything but sit in the corner. When she went into town, sometimes she would just slip inside and breathe because she knew no one would go looking for her there. It was somewhat of a safe haven for many residents, and it had become hers for a short while as well.

"Best in town," Sarah smiled, hands on her hips. "I run this here watering hole," she joked, looking around. "First drink's free if you kiss the owner." Regina raised her brow in mild amusement as Sarah bit her lip and smiled at her specifically.

"She's serious, too," Jennifer told her with a grin. Regina looked from Jennifer to Sarah in curious shock, surprised at the woman's audacity.

"Are you speaking from experience, Dr. Alexander?" Regina wondered absently, a chuckle on her lips as she rested her arms on the bar and fiddled with the stem of her wine glass.

She'd seen her share of the gay community in that bar in the Enchanted Forest, but no one there was ever as out as people were here. The Enchanted Forest was a very...conservative place, she'd grown up very sheltered, and Sarah was very forward.

Jennifer gave Regina a shit eating grin and wiggled her brow before leaning forward on her chair, grabbing Sarah by the lapels of her jacket, and kissing her over the bar. It was over with as quick as it started, but the image of Jennifer with her neck outstretched and eyes closed and cheeks flushed and hands fisting Sarah's jacket possessively was burned into the back of her eyes. Sarah hummed as Jennifer pulled away.

"Let's get outta here," Sarah growled, her eyes drifting from Jennifer's lips to her eyes and back to her lips. Jennifer laughed as she sat back down.

"You're not my type," she smiled.

"You say that, but then you kiss me over and over."

"I like free drinks," Jennifer shrugged.

"And beautiful women, too," she said, motioning to Regina who was watching them interact in silent, open mouthed, half smiling shock. Jennifer rolled her eyes and shook her head as Sarah grinned and walked away. And she sipped her wine as she turned to Regina. After her time in the Enchanted Forest's admittedly tamer gay bar, Regina was no stranger to kissing. She'd just never been so up close and personal with someone else's...more intimate moments.

"I really do get a free drink for that. It's the only reason I keep doing it," she explained.

"Well she seems to like it," Regina couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. She'd absolutely never been in a situation like that before, and she found it all a bit dizzying. "What is your type then?" She found herself asking in the confidence of a moment. Jennifer laughed and shifted in her seat.

"For starters, less drunk. After that, I don't know. Witty, intelligent. She'll have a sort of...je ne sais quoi," she smirked, being a smart ass and avoiding the question as she leaned back and put her glass to her lips. Regina felt like the use of "she" in Jennifer's sentence should have surprised her or phased her for even a moment but it didn't. Not at all. And Regina just scoffed and shook her head, but there was a glimmer of amusement in her eyes that Jennifer didn't miss.

As queen, Regina had left the gay bar alone during her path of destruction. Some of the opposition jumped at the chance to slander her for it. So she killed anyone who spread rumors about her or the bar. That place had sheltered her from Cora's wrath a number of times, and she was grateful for it. The patrons, of course, never said a word to her. She had been a child. They knew she wasn't there for a drink or a date. But they never kicked her out. Not once.

. . .

Jennifer hailed them a cab to get to the Empire State building, Regina watching her with curious, hesitant interest after their time at the bar. She felt like she'd just seen another side of Jennifer, more adventurous, more free, and much less like the doctor she seemed to be able to slip in and out of like a second skin. They rode in relative silence, Regina glancing out the window at the city skyline. Actually, the usually talkative Jennifer had been rather unusually silent. When she turned to look at her, she was surprised to see her head resting against the window, eyes closed. Regina raised her brow, her lips quirking up. "You really were tired," she whispered. Jennifer inhaled sharply, her head shooting up.

"What?" she mumbled, slurring the word as she turned blearily to Regina.

"How long did you say your shift was?" she asked, eyeing Jennifer as she shifted her body to face Regina.

"Thirty hours?" Jennifer answered, furrowing her brow, eyes painfully open.

"You told me you worked since seven in the morning," Regina protested, shifting to watch as Jennifer drifted in and out.

"Seven yesterday morning," Jennifer corrected, yawning. Regina scoffed. Now she knew why Jennifer looked so exhausted in her apartment. She sighed sympathetically.

"Jennifer why are we~"

"Hey, I knew it'd be like this when I invited you," she told her, rubbing her eyes and sitting up straighter. Regina shook her head, but it was sort of amused and admiring.

"You're insane," she told her sincerely.

. . .

As they rode the elevator in the Empire State building, Jennifer caught Regina's eye curiously. "You seemed pretty comfortable back there in the bar."

Regina brushed her hair behind her ear and chuckled, her brow jerking up, feeling Jennifer's gaze on her. "It's a long story, actually."

"A long story or a complicated one?" Jennifer guessed, leaning back against the wall of the elevator, looking at Regina from across the little box they were trapped in like she could see right through everything Regina put up to hide herself. The mayor swallowed. "You know, Sarah was really into you," Jennifer laughed suddenly, breaking the tension as she rested her head back against the wall, her hands pressed between the wall and her back. That was an entirely new feeling for Regina, to have someone, anyone really, want her like that. It was intimidating and exhilarating. Since Daniel no one had...well, no one had looked at her like she was more than the Evil Queen, like she had anything else to offer. Except Sarah whose eyes were nothing but hungry and dark. And except Jennifer, who always saw right through the armor she wore and cared for her all the same.

"She was a bit much," Regina chuckled as the elevator doors opened.

"Oh, so tone it down a bit and you're golden?" Jennifer asked, half joking. Regina rolled her eyes as Jennifer wrapped her arm around Regina's and tugged her along. Immediately, Regina was hit by the freezing wind and shivered. "It's cold up here, but it's always beautiful," she told her as she led her to the ledge. "What do you think of the view?" Jennifer asked as they leaned on the railing. It seemed like they could see all of New York from here, and the lights on the buildings twinkled like stars, and Regina was awestruck.

"It's nothing like the Enchanted Forest," she admitted, turning her head to Jennifer. "It's beautiful...in its own way." Jennifer smiled softly and leaned her head up against Regina's shoulder. And Regina let her. They stood there in silence for a while. Just looking. Keeping warm in their sleeveless dresses. "About that complicated story," Regina finally drawled, and Jennifer stood up straighter, watching her. "It's really not that much of a story. When I was younger, I would go into town sometimes to get supplies with my mother. I hated being around her," she admitted. "But there was a bar in town, a gay bar, that I would duck inside to hide sometimes. My mother would never look for me there, and they never bothered me. It was always just...someplace I could go and be safe," Regina turned to look at Jennifer.

"Well, if Cora ever comes back you're always welcome to camp out in my apartment," she smiled softly. "It's pretty much the same thing." They both laughed, and Jennifer interlocked their arms and squeezed.

. . .

The wind was icy and bitter, but they didn't want to leave quite yet so they stayed close, always touching in some way, trying to keep warm. First it was Jennifer rubbing her hand up and down Regina's back. Then they would lean into each other, hesitant of how the other would react, before one of them would grab their elbow or their wrist and pull them closer as if it was ridiculous that they should be so afraid.

Jennifer's nose and cheeks were red from the wind, and it reminded Regina of her kiss with Sarah when her cheeks were a similar color from the heat in the bar. She swallowed and looked out onto the skyline instead.

They talked too. About silly things like shoes which they somehow turned into a twenty minute conversation on the ethics of high heels, arms tightly interlocked amid a heated discussion.

"Wait hold on a second," Jennifer interrupted, slipping her arm from around Regina's to around her waist to steady her.

"What?" Regina blinked, annoyed at the abrupt end to their discussion. She was about to win the argument too.

"You've got an eyelash. It's really bugging me," Jennifer breathed, mouth hanging open slightly. They were nearly face to face now, Jennifer's hand squeezing her waist in concentration. Regina inhaled deeply. Her cold hands were unusually hot pressed against her back. Maybe it was the body heat they'd been sharing. Jennifer reached up with her free hand, and Regina flinched as she approached her eye. Jennifer snorted. "Relax," she drawled, her eyes locked onto the eyelash. Regina rolled her eyes and shifted her stance, annoyed. Which, upon reflection, she thought was entirely ridiculous while Jennifer was holding her so close. "And stop moving oh my god," Jennifer breathed. Regina blinked and swallowed, pressing her lips together in mild annoyance. "Close your eyes."

"What?" Regina nearly hissed.

"I don't wanna stab you in the eye," Jennifer explained. Regina sighed but complied, her eyes fluttering closed as quickly as her heart. Jennifer's fingers grazed the skin under her eye. "Alright, you can open," she said, holding her finger out with the eyelash for Regina to make a wish on. And they were still so fucking close. Regina's lips quirked up.

"I used to do this with Henry all the time. Though I generally thought people grew out of making wishes on arbitrary things," she said, looking at Jennifer with playful aggression. Jennifer leaned back slightly and laughed.

"What's the harm in believing in a little bit of magic?" She challenged with a smirk, her eyes glinting of Storybrooke and their adventure with Jennifer's blood. Regina tilted her head down.

"Touché."

"Maintenant, faire un voeu," Jennifer encouraged, glancing at the eyelash on her finger. Regina could extrapolate what that one meant and closed her eyes, thinking. She couldn't really concentrate with Jennifer grabbing her waist like that, a sure smile on her lips behind Regina's eyelids.

She supposed she wished that Jennifer would stop leading Sarah on as well as stop being so cheap. She's a doctor. She can afford her own drinks. And Sarah didn't deserve to be kissed so easily by a woman like Jennifer. Well who does, a smaller part of her challenged. She couldn't answer that. She supposed she'd know it when she saw it.

She blew the eyelash away and opened her eyes. Jennifer's crystal blue irises were smiling back at her, her dimples barely a shadow but eye catching nonetheless. "I hope you didn't waste your wish," Jennifer told her, not letting go of her waist. In fact, her other hand came to rest on her forearm, thumb rubbing gently into her skin. Regina could barely breathe they were so close. She didn't think she'd ever initiate this kind of contact, but she certainly wasn't opposed to it.

"I don't think I did," Regina answered. And it was the truth. Jennifer smirked and eyed her suspiciously.

"I know it's bad luck to tell me your wish, but I'm really curious now. You've got this look."

"A look?" Regina questioned skeptically.

"Yeah, like...weirdly satisfied. Like you actually wished for something realistic."

"I hope it's realistic," Regina admitted. Jennifer narrowed her eyes, shuffling her feet and forcing Regina to back up until she was against the railing. Jennifer cradled her lower back. "I'm not telling you. Then it won't come true." Regina held firm despite her mind racing in a confused flurry and her chest tight and heavy. She wasn't in control right now. Usually she'd hate it, but right now it was oddly pleasant.

"Says the woman who basically called me childish for even presenting the possibility of a wish," Jennifer teased, the hand on her forearm sliding up to her upper arm. Regina knew that Jennifer wouldn't actually ask what the wish was. She had a feeling that Jennifer was far too superstitious for that.

"For a woman of science, you're rather pagan," Regina drawled, her eyes drifting across her face and to Jennifer's lips that were stretched up into a smile. Of the few things she truly knew about Jennifer, she was certain that she absolutely loved intelligent banter. And except for Regina, Storybrooke seemed to be devoid of anyone to match Jennifer's speed and wit.

"Don't I have to be? I mean I do have a witch in my arms," she breathed, her voice especially teasing. Regina exhaled through her nose as Jennifer's grip tightened on her waist. She'd almost forgotten about that arm. And she hadn't even realized that they'd gotten so close until Jennifer pointed it out. Against the railing Regina had nowhere to go, no place to duck into and escape. Jennifer watched her carefully.

"Not here. I don't have magic outside Storybrooke," Regina admitted, brushing her hair out of her eyes but not quite knowing what to do with her hands after that. She didn't want to move away and give Jennifer the impression that she was uncomfortable around her. Jennifer never even noticed her indecision.

"There's magic everywhere," she protested instead. "In the patients that cry when everything turns out okay. In a smile. In music when it makes you shiver. In a sunset. And especially in that eyelash," she smiled softly, reassuringly.

"How poetic," Regina smiled and they swayed for a moment, a chuckle stuck in the back of their throats. Jennifer's fingers dug into her back as they slowed and slowed and found themselves stuck in a quiet moment where everything stopped and glistened and got much more intimate.

Jennifer's hand slid up from Regina's arm to her temple, brushing a strand of dark hair behind her ear. Then her thumb settled gently onto her jaw, her fingers resting on her neck under her hair. Regina clenched her teeth, the muscles twitching under Jennifer's hand.

The moment blurred as Jennifer's eyes drifted to her lips. She could feel Jennifer leaning forward, but she didn't process what that meant until their lips met. She was soft and full and unexpectedly tender against Regina's lips and Regina, just for a moment, drifted away. Her hands found Jennifer's arms and gripped them gently as Jennifer kissed her. And, to Regina's surprise, she found herself kissing her back. Languid and silky and, unlike the air around them, warm. Jennifer was soft and delicate, gentle with her, almost. And they moved together and against each other like waves for a moment that felt like forever. Jennifer held her, guided her, and finally, let her breathe.

Her hand was tangled in Regina's hair and her eyes were still closed when their lips broke apart, and Regina's head whirred at a dizzying speed. She felt dizzy. She slid away from Jennifer in a daze. She barely felt Jennifer's arms detach from her. She was barely breathing and her fingers tingled.

And it all clicked. Right then and there. The looks, the touches, the smiles. It was there. She just hadn't seen it. Unlike Sarah's, that was a serious kiss. That had meant something. That was...real. And soft and warm and fuck. Fuck. She's never kissed a woman before. Subconsciously she supposed she'd always known why but now she knew that this right here was why she hadn't wanted to be alone with Jennifer in New York. She was afraid that this would happen.

She was afraid.

"Regina," Jennifer breathed, her eyes fluttering open. But when Jennifer saw the surprised look in Regina's eyes her stomach dropped and churned and for a quick moment everything spun around her. "Regina." Her voice was worried now, certainly as desperate but much less wispy.

"I think that~" Regina's voice cracked and she swallowed. "~there was a miscommunication somewhere. I don't~"

"Regina, please," Jennifer begged, cutting her off.

"Jennifer, I'm not…" she cut herself off this time at the cracks she saw forming in Jennifer's already devastated expression. "I don't feel that way about you," she stated firmly, almost coldly. Her back was as straight as a pin suddenly. She looked poised and serious and far above Jennifer whose throat felt tight and her eyes burned and who has the upper hand now?

And what the fuck is she supposed to do?

She poured her heart out and Regina was staring at the broken thing with dispassionate eyes.

Jennifer's knees felt weak.

"I think I should go," Regina said.

"Do you know~"

"I'll find my way," she assured softly, but it felt like she was talking to a stranger.