Thank you to all that have reviewed and favorited this! Just a warning: this does include Wicked Swan, meaning Emma & Zelena. However, this is still a Swan Queen centered story and I hope this doesn't discourage you from reading. Enjoy chapter 2!

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Emma frowned as she watched Zelena pour whiskey into both shot glasses. She hated whiskey more than anything, for reasons more than just the horrible taste.

Zelena nudged her shot glass over, teeth gleaming in the dim light as she noticed Emma's reaction. "The first thing you ought to know about me, sweetheart, is I don't hold back. You said you were a challenge, prove it."

Emma swallowed hard and picked up the shot, forcing back memories as they flashed through her mind and sent mixed emotions throughout her. The smell almost made her gag, causing her stomach to roll with nausea.

Zelena grinned, apparently in tune with how Emma was feeling. She held up her shot in an act of cheers. "Tell you what—I'll go first. To reassure you it's not as terrible as you think." The redhead tilted her head back and effortlessly downed the shot, slamming the glass back down onto the table with a contented sigh. She licked her lips and stared the blonde down. "Well? Are you going to take it or am I going to?"

Emma inhaled sharply as Zelena scooted closer to her so their thighs were nearly touching. She forced herself not to jump as the woman leaned to speak softly in her ear, though she did stiffen.

"Come on, little swan. Show me a real challenge."

Emma's eyes widened at the mention of her name. How in the world did she know? She suppressed a shiver and licked her dry lips before turning her head to look directly at Zelena. The woman's eyes were so blue she could fall into them. They sparkled with a mischievous twinkle along with something else she couldn't quite describe. Almost as if she was anticipating something.

In one swift motion, Emma downed the shot. She slammed the glass down on the counter and took a ragged breath, her eyes watering and throat burning. She hadn't remembered whiskey to be quite that potent. She packed down the urge to cough and put on a smirk.

"What else you got?" She goaded.

Zelena laughed merrily, throwing her head back as she did so. It fascinated Emma, how she looked so perfect. Vampires were beautiful in folklore and recent pop culture but seeing it in person put everything into a whole new perspective. She suddenly wanted to kiss Zelena, to tug her closer and wrap her arms around her neck, to feel how badly the redhead craved her.

Zelena's laughter faded away, her blue eyes darkening a shade. She sighed and got up to grab a different bottle of alcohol, refilling their shot glasses once more. Emma stared at her intensely, trying to convey how she felt. It was clear Zelena knew as a smile tugged at her lips.

The redhead pushed the shot glass toward her again. "Drink." She nodded to the glass. "You've had far too little for that yet."

Emma blinked and grabbed the glass, pondering what her words meant. Pushing away her feelings of lust, she held the glass up and clinked it against Zelena's. Again, they downed their drinks. Emma was mildly surprised to find the alcohol was sweet and rather tart as opposed to the bitter hardness of the whiskey.

"Seems you enjoyed that one better, yeah?" Zelena tilted her head playfully.

Emma held up her glass. "Another."

Regina chuckled and ruefully shook her head as she filled her glass. Emma downed that as quickly as the first and held out her glass once more. When Zelena hesitated, Emma grabbed the bottle and poured it herself. Her head felt light and her stomach warm, her entire body tingling with the familiar buzz that alcohol brought.

Zelena poured and took another shot for herself and poured Emma another. The blonde hardly noticed the taste of whiskey again as the buzz of alcohol made it go down smoother. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of Zelena's cleavage underneath her red dress. Had it always been that low or had she pulled it down on purpose?

Zelena pushed the bottles away as Emma reached for them again. "Let's take a break for a moment, Emma. Hmm?"

Emma dumbly nodded, willing to do anything at this point. She hadn't drunk for a long time, so the alcohol was hitting her even harder than usual, not to mention she was a lightweight as it was. She shifted closer to Zelena, the room spinning as she did so.

The older woman steadied her quickly as she nearly fell off her barstool. "Easy there, tiger."

A schoolgirl giggle came from Emma's mouth before she could stop it. Her cheeks flushed and there was a moment of uncomfortable silence before Zelena started the conversation up again. Emma was sure it was far past closing time now, but with the rate things were escalating she wouldn't be surprised if she didn't get home until early in the morning.

Zelena propped her head up on her hand. "Emma is a very beautiful name."

The blonde snorted. "It means whole, or universal. In other words, it's way too common; meaning I am just like everybody else."

"I beg to differ…" Zelena lightly skimmed up and down the younger woman's leg with her fingernails. "You, my dear, are anything but ordinary. So tell me—how did you end up here in Storybrooke?"

Emma frowned and fidgeted with her hands. Her anxiety was gone thanks to the shots of alcohol but bringing up the past was something she never intended to do again. A pang of sadness hit her hard and she blinked back tears.

A stray tear fell on her cheek before she could catch it and Zelena gently wiped it off her face with the pad of her finger. "I don't mean to make you feel bad, Emma. But it's mine and my sister's job to keep this town safe, along with everyone in it. I didn't mean to pry." The redhead's nose wrinkled in disgust. "I don't like baggage anyway. After a full 2 centuries, I have enough to last a mortal lifetime."

Emma took a deep breath and offered her a watery smile. "It's okay. I don't really know how I ended up in Storybrooke specifically, I just stumbled upon it. Or, into it. I was praying hard for an escape and once I set foot in this town it worked." Emma didn't dare think about what would happen if she were to cross the town line again. Storybrooke was her safety net.

Zelena's eyes narrowed and she nodded thoughtfully. She could sense magic coming from the depths of the blonde like it was gently tugging on her own. Mortals usually didn't have any magical properties save for a few psychics here and there and that was generally hard to detect. Emma's, however, was subtle and powerful, explaining why she and Regina had been so attracted to her. She had never sensed anything like this before.

"Can I ask you some questions now?" Emma asked.

"I have a few more for you. Then you can ask me whatever your heart desires," Zelena answered as she grabbed the bottle of liquor again. "How old are you?"

"23."

"Are you aware of how insanely intoxicating you are to me?" Zelena smiled.

Emma blinked as the room spun again. "You got the intoxication part right. I'm about ready to go crash."

Zelena put a hand on her thigh as she went to stand. "Not yet." Her fingers resumed their petting, sending mixed emotions into Emma as fear and lust began fighting hard in her groggy, slow-to-process brain. "I believe you had some questions for me?"

Emma wanted nothing more for the woman to ravish her, indulge in her senses until she couldn't remember her own name. But she found her thoughts straying to the older Mills sister, intrigued as to why the woman had invited her out to coffee and had been so reluctant to see her go. From what she experienced, Regina Mills was just the opposite of what people described her as.

Zelena shifted so her hand was stroking the inside of Emma's thigh now, her nails lightly scratching her denim jeans and causing a spike of arousal to hit her. Emma tried to maintain her breathing and focused on the questions she had.

"Why are you so attracted to me?"

Zelena chuckled lightly, the red curls framing her face bouncing as she did so. "You are far more enticing than any other human that I've been around so far. And it's been so long since I've had the pleasure of tasting a woman…"

Emma involuntarily shivered at that. This woman, this vampire, could easily pierce her fangs into her neck and drain her of all the blood in her body. She was highly dangerous, and Emma was far too drunk to make a rational decision, but so far this was turning out exactly like she had imagined in her fantasies.

The blonde blinked as Zelena's eyes turned a bright blue, feeling a sudden haze envelope her mind. She didn't have time to put a mental guard up as her mind was invaded, controlled.

"I'm going to ask you one more time, Emma. How did you get to Storybrooke? Were you really running away from something? Or were you sent here?" Zelena asked, a sharp edge to her tone.

Emma instinctively whimpered as she was forced to speak. "Nobody sent me. I found this place on my own."

The haze stayed in her mind for a few more seconds before it disappeared, leaving her with only the familiar buzz of alcohol. Her head snapped up and she glared at Zelena, ripping herself away and nearly falling off the barstool in the process.

"What the hell was that?! What did you do to me?" The blonde demanded, her voice dripping with anger though her words were a little slurred.

"Don't be mad, darling. I was simply seeing if you were lying or not." Zelena stood and started to advance toward her.

Emma stumbled blindly backwards back toward the door, never taking her eyes off of Zelena. As soon as she felt the cool metal of the door handle against her hand she spun around and went outside. The cool night air hit her like a ton of bricks, cooling her and allowing her mind to clear.

Emma gulped in air gratefully, trying to figure out which way Granny's was. Though Storybrooke was small, she was hopeless when it came to directions and always found a way to get lost. The alcohol in her stomach didn't help either.

Using the brick walls of the building next to The White Rabbit, she stumbled along the sidewalk. Vampires were real. Vampires were real, and one had mentally molested her whilst flirting. And Emma may have been more attracted to it than she cared to admit.

Footsteps sounded behind her, and Emma sped up. She knew Zelena was following her, stalking her. Sure enough, a strong pair of hands grasped her around the waist, spinning her around so her back was pressed against the wall. Emma looked upon Zelena staring at her, only seeing her shadow in the dark.

"Are you afraid, Emma?" Zelena asked, her voice dripping with seduction.

Emma gulped, her eyes widening. It took a lot to scare her, judging by her past and all the shit she had gone through. But right now, she was terrified. She wanted to run, to escape this town and the woman currently pinning her against the wall, Emma completely at her mercy. But she found herself going limp, submissive to the hands that surely held her.

Then she uttered a single audible word that was hardly a whisper but sounded perfectly clear to Zelena's perfect-hearing ears. "Yes."

Zelena hummed in delight. "You should be."

And with that, the woman's lips were on her own; desperate, hungry, demanding to be felt. Emma was cold, freezing in the cold temperature of the night in only her cheap leather jacket and ripped skinny jeans, but Zelena was hot, burning like she had a fever. Her lips were soft and rough at the same time, caressing yet forcing through any resistance she was met with.

Emma found herself snaking her arms around the small of the redhead's back, apparently touching a sensitive spot as Zelena purred into her mouth. The vampire's tongue was touching hers, exploring every inch of her mouth, Emma was briefly impressed by the restraint and self-control the woman was showing.

And then, she felt it. One of Zelena's fangs pierced her bottom lip, barely pricking it so only a drop of blood appeared and was quickly licked off. Emma whimpered and then moaned as a rush of endorphins clouded her mind, sending her into a high that she had never felt before. Her whole body was alight and suddenly warm, thighs shaking and tingling with need.

Zelena growled into her mouth as she wrapped her hand in the blonde's hair, holding her in place as she roughly sucked on Emma's bottom lip, eager for more. Emma's head was suddenly pushed back against the bricks and she panted, trying to catch her breath as Zelena began attacking her neck with kisses. She pressed herself forward, urging the woman to bite her as the endorphins that had filled her mind were quickly fading.

Zelena pulled back with a sorrowful hum. Such a pity, she would have enjoyed a meal as divine as that. One little drop of blood had been enough to send her into an almost uncontrollable frenzy and judging by the blonde's glazed eyes, she was still feeling the effects that Zelena's magic had given her. Emma's blood was unlike anything she had ever tasted before—it was like a sweet yet savory nectar, the magic coating it intermingling with her own and drawing her in deeper. But she knew that if she had a full taste so soon without getting used to being around the blonde she would surely kill her.

It delighted her however, when Emma whimpered and opened her mouth to speak before thinking better of it. It was the look that most humans didn't have when she was feeding on them, as pure fear and their survival instinct had sent them into hysterics. Emma's pupils were dilated, her heart racing. She was exhilarated. She wanted more, and the smell of arousal emanating off her proved it.

"Well this has been a most delightful endeavor, hasn't it?" Zelena purred.

Emma licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry. She didn't want this night to end, but she understood that Zelena was dangerous and didn't want to kill her, judging by how she had abruptly stopped. Emma knew she couldn't not see her again, however. She needed more; more of Zelena, more of feeling alive, more of that high.

Zelena offered Emma her hand, winking at her. "Later, darling. Let's get you home."

XXXX

Regina was already up and ready for work by the time her sister arrived home, the redhead looking surprisingly refreshed. She poured herself a cup of black coffee, adding a little blood from a vial in the fridge before turning to give the woman a glare.

Zelena pretended not to notice and faked a yawn, stealing one of Regina's juice boxes from the fridge. "Morning, sis. Sleep well?"

Regina held the cup in her hand so tightly she feared it would break. Instead, she set it down on the counter. She was furious and more tired than she usually would be. She had anxiously stayed awake later than usual the night before, distracting herself with paperwork as she waited for her sister to come home, praying that she hadn't done something stupid.

"Where were you last night?" Regina demanded.

Zelena hesitated slightly before answering. "The White Rabbit, of course. My go-to place to be during the wee hours of the night."

Regina hummed, resisting the urge to hiss as the smell of fresh blood filled her senses. It wasn't enough for a feeding, but one drop was all it took to become addicted. It was stronger than anything else, and she gasped as she realized just who her sister had seen last night.

"You saw her, didn't you?"

Zelena noisily finished off her juice box, smacking her lips as she threw the empty box into the trash can. "I see a lot of women, Regina. Refresh my memory."

"Don't play coy with me, Zelena. You fed from the new woman in town and threw all caution to the wind!" Regina snarled.

Zelena snorted and crossed her arms, a look of annoyance crossing her face. "I visited her after her shift and we had a few drinks. Things got frisky and I barely pricked her with my fang." The woman held her fingers an inch apart. "A drop of blood was all I tasted. Although… she seemed to quite enjoy it."

Regina hissed at her, feeling her whole body beginning to shake with rage. She wasn't sure if it was because she was angry at Zelena for risking their lives or her own jealousy at not being able to taste such delicious blood. "You were completely irresponsible! You could have killed her and gotten yourself exiled! Maybe you should start working days again."

"I am not a child, Regina! You can't just tell me what to do! The girl is fine and so am I, no harm done." Zelena stalked to the doorway, her blue eyes flashing with anger. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed."

Regina groaned and rubbed her temples in frustration. Zelena had always been the wild sister, harder to control and even harder to work side-by-side with. The two had been rivals growing up, their mother using Regina as the example and the representative for the council as she was older and more submissive. Zelena had started her wild streak at the age of 13 and centuries later was still in the midst of it. Regina grabbed her purse and headed out the door, intending on distracting herself in her work.

An hour later, she had hardly gotten any work done as her mind kept drifting to the new arrival. The poor woman probably was scarred for life, seeing as humans in the non-magical world believed that vampires were a myth thanks to the council, who had created the illusion that vampires were fictional in order to protect themselves and their race. She wouldn't be surprised if she found out Emma had left Storybrooke already. Damn that incorrigible sister of hers!

A knock on the door sounded and echoed in the room as Regina was working on her third form, the nervous heartbeat coming through letting her know exactly who it was. "Come in." Regina opened the door with the flick of her wrist, revealing her assistant Sidney, who was fidgeting nervously. The poor man had been in love with her for as long as she had been in Storybrooke which was equally as annoying and helpful to getting things down. He was loyal, that much she could give him credit for.

Sidney approached and set down a cup of coffee and kale salad on her desk. Salad was one of the human foods Regina found herself able to enjoy. She didn't look up from her paperwork, annoyed by the man's presence. "Yes?"

"It is well past your lunch hour, Madame Mayor. I took the liberty of ordering you lunch so as not to distract you from your work."

Regina did glance up from her paperwork then. "You doing so has distracted me, Sidney. Instead of trying to please me perhaps you should be feeding that poor intern of yours. With all the work that she does that you shouldbe doing, she deserves it."

Sidney cleared his throat nervously and began walking toward the door. "My apologies, Mayor."

Regina merely waved him off and began working again. She sipped on her now cold coffee as she worked, unable to shake the nagging feeling in the back of her mind telling her to follow her instincts. When another 30 minutes passed and she realized she had been staring at the same section for quite some time, she set her pen down and reorganized her papers back in their folder before locking up the office for the day.

As Regina passed by the front desk of City Halls, she noticed that the intern she had mentioned to Sidney was now sipping on a cup of coffee and eating a doughnut. Good to see that she held some power still, as what with the wandering humans disappearing in other towns had put her on edge.

Regina decided to go to the hospital, knowing she often became moody if she didn't go to the hospital for some fresh bagged blood. She walked in with a smile and composed stance, making light conversation with the receptionist as she signed in. She made her way to the feeding room, noticing with delight the increased number of residents that were donating blood.

"Hello, Madame Mayor." Victor Whale greeted her with a smile as he handed her a still-warm blood donation bag. "Nice to see you back here again."

Regina nodded her thanks and drifted over to a quiet corner to enjoy her meal in peace. She wasn't entirely fond of coming to the hospital as it smelled sterile and reminded her of how precious and short human life truly was. She would normally have Whale bring over a month's supply of blood to her house, but today she had felt compelled to be here.

The brunette sighed as she sank her teeth into the clear bag, her mouth watering instantly as a mouthful of blood pooled in her mouth and coated her tongue. For Regina, drinking blood was the equivalent of human alcohol, and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilty every time she found herself enjoying it too much. It smelled sweet and savory and the flavor stayed with her for hours afterwards, sating any cravings she had. If she didn't think too hard on what she was really doing and focused on her survival instinct, it didn't affect her as badly.

The woman's head snapped up as she smelled that increasingly familiar intoxicating scent and she licked her lips as she finished her meal. Emma was here—she couldn't see her, but she sensed her. Was she injured? Did the bite Zelena undoubtedly gave her caused her body to react negatively?

Regina grabbed another bag and tried to keep calm. She hadn't had two full bags of blood in a row for a very long time and a flicker of fear made her stiffen as past memories came back to haunt her. She pushed the thoughts away and greedily finished the second bag, already craving a third. She was keeping Emma safe, that was it. She was keeping this town safe and if one extra bag was what it took, then she accepted that.

On her way out of the hospital Regina saw Emma sitting with Mary Margaret, reading a magazine as blood filled the IV connected to her arm. She instinctively took a step forward, her senses screaming at her to take the bag as her fangs ached with longing.

Regina felt a brief flutter of happiness inside her chest as she eyed Emma and Mary Margaret from a far enough distance so they wouldn't know she was lurking. She found it rather sweet, how Emma had only had an encounter with Zelena, yet here she was already donating blood. It seems she underestimated Emma Swan—the woman was brave to stay in town.

As if sensing her staring, Emma looked up from her magazine and offered her a polite smile. Regina wavered, hesitating whether to initiate conversation or not as they had already acknowledged each other's presence. She wanted to apologize for whatever Zelena had done but seeing the relaxed look on Emma's face as if it were perfectly natural for her to be there made her hold back. Maybe Zelena had been telling the truth when she said that Emma had liked it?

Mary Margaret nosily looked to see where Emma was staring, waving enthusiastically as she spotted Regina. "Madame Mayor! Hi!"

Regina suppressed an eyeroll and took a breath as she made her way over. Mary Margaret was the town talker and loved to gossip about everything she could to anyone who would listen. She was entirely too chipper for Regina's taste and her personality dripped with candy-coated sweetness so much that it was unbearable. She was the only person in this town whose blood Regina could do without.

"Good afternoon, ladies,' Regina politely said, smiling at both of them.

Mary Margaret launched into a story about a lost dog and the cute animal shelter worker and was in her own world as she went into as much detail as possible. Regina had heard this story about a thousand times now—she had a photographic memory thanks to another immortal skill bestowed upon her.

Luckily, a nurse came to free Mary Margaret and have her fill out forms, leaving Regina and Emma alone for the moment. Regina tried not to look at the extremely enticing bag which held the blonde's blood and sat in Mary Margaret's vacant chair.

"I heard you ran into my sister last night," the older woman started.

Emma nodded and set her magazine to the side. "I did. She gave me a few closing drinks and we talked a bit. Nothing special."

Regina nodded, not sure why Emma was being secretive about the bite. Was she too drunk to remember what Zelena had done?

"I know this vampire thing may seem surreal and intimidating to you after growing up thinking they didn't exist. I just thought I would check to see how you're doing."

Emma smiled at her, causing Regina's heart to skip a beat. She had a beautiful smile, one that showed off her pearl white teeth and reached her soft green eyes. There was a look in her eyes though, a haunted reflection. "Don't worry, Madame Mayor. I've dealt with worse. I have my own demons."

Regina relaxed into the chair, troubled at the blonde's response. "Call me Regina."

Emma's smile brightened. "Okay, Regina."

And that was the moment that Regina made up her mind. Emma Swan would be her top priority to protect.