Girl's night.
It had started as a joke - Mary Margaret's nickname for each time they'd hole up in Regina's vault or her study for the night, poring over magical tomes for the solution to the latest problem facing Storybrooke. And then one particularly successful night, Regina had pulled out a bottle of wine.
"Celebration," She'd said by way of explanation, pouring them each a heavy glass and sliding one over her marble countertops towards Emma. "Come on, Swan, this is the nicest wine you're likely to have for awhile."
"What is it?"
"Well, it's not from a box, so I doubt you'd recognize it."
And Emma had rolled her eyes, but she'd taken the wine.
It had continued from there, until it had become a sort of tradition: Friday nights, Henry spends the night with his grandparents, and Emma heads to Regina's for wine and magic lessons, and sometimes movies, if things are particularly slow threat-wise.
Those nights are Emma's favorite: the ones where they can relax. Where Regina greets her with a glass of wine and a spread of snacks as she wanders into the kitchen - she doesn't knock anymore, not on fridays - and they can pass the time with a few magic lessons before curling up on the couch and chatting through whatever movie they'd selected.
The television hummed with some classic movie Regina had selected, volume low enough that they could hear one another clearly.
"You know, I'm glad we've made it to this point."
The other woman glances over at her. "What do you mean?"
"I just think most people in our position would have trouble getting past old feelings. You know, because of our history." Emma shrugs, taking another sip of her wine and sinking into the cushions. "I'm glad we're not like that, that's all." She ducks her head, swirling her drink and watching as the liquid sloshes against the glass. If she's feeling a bit warm and fuzzy, it's definitely the alcohol. Definitely because this is her second glass, and she doesn't usually drink, and not because of present company.
"History?" Regina blinks, before shaking her head. "You mean because of the one night stand? You never said anything about it, so I honestly assumed you either didn't want to talk about it or didn't remember it. We'd both had quite a bit of wine that night."
Emma sits straight up, and she's staring now, mouth wide open. She thinks her heart might beat out of her chest, and her cheeks are hot. "The one night what?!"
Regina stares at her a moment more, eyes wide and convincing before she finally breaks into a smile and starts to laugh and oh my god, Emma's going to throttle her.
"That is so mean, Regina!" She pulls her pillow from behind her and tosses it at the other woman, who smacks it away, all the while cackling at Emma's expense.
"You believed me for a second there."
Emma's cheeks are on fire, because yeah, she had. "Shut up," She grumbles, and Regina flashes her a grin. "I was referring to the way we used to fight, you know, when I mentioned our history."
"I knew what you meant." She gives another oaugh, softer this time, as she downs the last of her wine. "I'm sorry, Emma. I just had to take the opportunity. I'm honestly surprised that you fell for it."
"Yeah, well." She still has half a glass left, but she tips the glass to her lips and makes to polish it off.
Regina hums. 'Trust me, Emma, if we'd had sex, you'd remember it. I'd make sure of that."
Emma chokes on her wine.
The other woman raises a brow. "Are you alright over there, Miss Swan?"
The old nickname makes her heart flutter, and Emma fights to stifle the last of her coughs. "You're the worst, Regina."
"I'm well aware," The brunette responds, flashing her a wicked grin before taking the bottle from the coffee table and refilling both of their glasses without asking. "We did kiss that night, though." She adds as she settles back into the cushions, and it's so matter-of-fact that Emma almost believes her.
Almost being the key word there.
"Nice try, Regina. I'm not falling for it again." She shoots the other woman an amused glance, but the brunette just regards her evenly as she sips her wine.
"I'm serious. We did kiss." She shrugs. "It was nice enough, if a little sloppy."
Emma falters. "You're joking, right?"
"I'm not."
"You are," Emma insists.
"Emma," Regina continues, the ghost of a smile playing at her lips, "I swear, on my father's grave. I'm not joking. We did kiss, but that's all that happened."
"You're kidding," Emma echoes lamely. "You're kidding. We kissed, and I don't even remember? Bullshit. And, hey, I am not sloppy!"
"You were really quite drunk. You passed out in my guest room that night." Regina says, lounging back against the cushions with one arm draped over the side."Why? Would kissing me be that much of an event for you?"
Emma scowls, and Regina chuckles.
"Honestly, Emma, I'm sorry. I didn't realize this would be such a big deal to you. I was only joking." There's a softer edge to her voice now, and that's worse, because that comes all too close to real.
"It's fine," Emma responds, voice tight. A moment passes before she speaks again, and Regina only regards her, seemingly content just to observe her reactions. "Well, what happened? Spill," She concedes with a sigh. It's as much to satisfy her own curiosity as it is to prove to the other woman that she's unbothered. It's a front, of course, and she has a feeling the brunette isn't going to buy it, but she has to try anyway.
"There's not much to tell," Regina begins. "It was, I don't know, maybe a month ago? We finished at least two bottles between us. I don't remember much of the night myself, but I do remember dragging you up to the guest bedroom, and making you get in bed. You made me get in with you, you told me I was pretty, and then you kissed me." She shrugs, eyes dropping to her wine as she takes another sip. She traces her fingers over the rim of the glass. "You fell asleep pretty quickly after that, and I went to bed. You were still out when I went to work the next morning."
Emma's gaping at her, and she can feel the flush in her cheeks growing by the moment. "Oh."
Regina offers her a small smile, meeting her gaze once more. "Oh?"
"You never said anything."
"You were drunk. And you never said anything, so I just let it go. I figured you didn't want to talk about it."
Emma shakes her head, feeling a bit dizzy. "I remember that morning. You left me a cinnamon roll on the counter."
"Yes."
"I don't remember the rest of it." She swallows, studying the other woman for a moment. Regina's still lounging across the couch, regarding Emma with an unreadable expression as she sips at her drink.
"Are you upset?" Regina asks, and her voice has dropped in volume, and Emma's eyes flicker to her lips.
She pauses.
Is she upset?
Yes. No. Maybe, but not because -
In the end she shakes her head. "No. Not at...not at you," She finishes lamely, and the brunette raises a brow.
"Then at what?"
"Nothing." She smiles at the brunette, but it's tight, forced, and the other woman's expression darkens, ever so slightly. "I just can't believe I don't remember, that's all." A frightening thought crosses her mind, and she asks - "Are you upset? Did I...upset you, by kissing you?"
Regina laughs at that, not at all the reaction Emma had been expecting. "Emma, you've crossed so many lines with me in the past. Kissing me isn't one of them." She smiles, regarding the blonde with a glint in her eyes. "Now, if you were to, say, punch me in the face again? That would upset me. Kissing me? No, you're safe there."
Relief floods her chest at that, because god, she doesn't know what she'd have done if Regina had been upset. Even still, she didn't know how to respond - she was so cavalier about the whole thing. So casual, while Emma felt as if her heart was in her throat each time the other woman spoke her name. She wants to say something, to voice her thoughts, but - "I regret doing that, you know." Instead she chooses to comment on the last part. The way they used to fight - that was safe.
"I know, Emma. And I regret many things, too. Like you said, we've moved past our history."
Not safe.
"You're the worst," She repeats, and Regina only chuckles.
Silence stretches between them. Regina, for her part, seems unbothered, eyes focused back on the television. Emma, on the other hand, is struggling to control her racing thoughts. She'd kissed Regina. She'd kissed Regina, and she couldn't remember a moment of it.
Bullshit.
"So...the kiss," Emma begins lamely, "Was it just like, a peck? Or…" She trails off, eyes trained on her glass.
She looks up when she hears the other woman stand up.
She watches as Regina settles next to her, sideways so that she faces Emma. She's got a smirk playing at the corners of her lips, and she tilts her head, setting her glass of wine aside on the coffee table.
"You seem rather fixated on that kiss, Emma," She says, and she reaches to take Emma's own glass out of her hands. Emma releases it without protest, eyes wide as Regina places it next to her own and then rests a hand on her knee. Her skin burns at the contact. "Would you like a reenactment?"
"What?" She blurts out, and then she kicks herself for it, because, fuck. Her heart races in her chest, heat flooding her cheeks.
Regina only looks amused. "Would you like me to show you, Emma?"
She trails the hand on Emma's knee upwards.
Emma thinks she might pass out.
"I…" She can't get the words out, and Regina tilts her head to the side.
"If the answer is no, I'll accept that." Regina whispers. "But if it's yes…"
Emma nods, forcing the motion before she can freeze under the other woman's gaze.
"Good," Regina says, and she leans forward. Her hand lifts off Emma's knee and finds her cheek instead, drawing the blonde closer. "You pulled me into bed," She begins, letting her fingertips trail along Emma's jaw. "And you wrapped your arms around me. And then…" She presses their lips together, gently, and Emma sighs at the contact. Regina lets her fingers slide into Emma's hair, deepening the kiss. She nips gently at the blonde's lower lip, and then she pulls away.
Emma opens her eyes to meet Regina's. The brunette is regarding her once more, with hooded eyes, lips parted. "That was all?" She asks, barely a whisper.
Regina nods. "And then you fell asleep."
"I'm not tired yet," Emma says, heart stuttering even as she voices the words.
But Regina only smiles, shifting closer to kiss her once more. Deeper this time, and when she pulls away, it's with laughter on her lips. "We could stay up for awhile," The brunette murmurs at her ear. "Do you think you'll remember this time?"
"Shut up, would you?' Emma grumbles, and Regina laughs, allowing Emma to wrap her arms around her and pull her closer.