Regina gave Emma her room number and told her to meet there at 8:00 a.m. so that she can approve of the clothes she was going to lend her. She promptly knocked on the door.

Regina answered the door in a bikini. Emma was not expecting that and it took her breath away. There were so many positive things that came to mind like her figure, her skin, her breasts; Emma fought to take her eyes off of her body and fixed on her eyes.

Regina noticed that it looked like she short circuited her for a second, and was pleased. She did it on purpose and got the reaction she was looking for.

"Morning! Come on in."

It took Emma a moment to gain her composure, smile, and act like none of what she saw affected her. Eventually, she uttered out a mumble that she hoped sounded like "good morning too" as she rushed past Regina.

On Regina's bed, Emma saw clothes laid out all over. "We are going to the beach just for the day, right?"

"Yes, and you need something to wear, so of what I have, I have put together outfits I hope are suitable, and to your liking. My wardrobe is to my style, and given what I saw you in yesterday, you seem to be a little more...conservative."

Emma snickered, "I guess that means that I am uptight?"

Regina pursed her lips together before saying, "I'm not judging, but you said you don't do the beach very often, or outdoor activities much, so..."

Emma crossed her arms and nodded her head, "Fair assessment." She looked down at what she was wearing. Another pair of Bermuda shorts and a t-shirt. "Is what I am wearing not acceptable? I don't plan on getting in the water…"

Regina tilted her head, "What you have is fine, but wouldn't you have a desire to swim? Water here isn't like LA beaches; it's very tempting.…and do you think you can sit on the sand with those shorts, or want to risk getting them dirty? And what about your shoes?"

Emma thought about it. She sat on the floor with ease. "I can sit on the ground fine." She looked at her shorts, "I suppose if these got messed up for some reason, I wouldn't care. Guess the shoes might be a problem...I'll swing by the gift shop downstairs and get something more appropriate. I didn't bring sandals or the like."

Regina put on a dress over her bikini as Emma got up. Regina said, "Ok, but I still think you should take an extra pair of clothes just in case."

Emma got up and looked at what was on the bed, and at Regina. Regina did go through this trouble of picking outfits. Maybe she would take her advice. "You have been here many times. You are the expert and I will take your advice." Emma carefully looked over the selections, all rather tasteful. "I see you laid out one dress. Is that a test? If I choose that, do I win something?" Emma chuckled as she picked a midnight blue sundress.

"I wanted to see if it was true that you liked the color midnight blue," Regina smiled.

"A reference to the blue sky at sunset? Ok, I'll wear this if I need to amuse you or something."

Regina was excited; she hoped to see Emma in that dress. Always nice when a woman can look amazing in a suit and rock a dress. "Great! So, let me carry that in my bag for you and we are ready to go!"

They stopped at the giftshop. Emma quickly picked out a pair of basic sandals. Regina said she was impressed that she could make a decision that quickly, to which Emma asked why she would say that, and Regina didn't answer her. There was no good reason; Regina was testing her buttons. It became a playful tiff as they waited for the valet to get Regina's car.

When Emma got in the car, she looked in the back seat, "Woh, where did all this stuff come from?"

"I brought it with me. Beach gear and whatnot."

"And there is a cooler too. When did you have time to pack that?"

"I stay here whenever I come, and it's the same every time. I have my gear to drive on the beach. Just before I arrive, I stop at the market, put things in the cooler, then have the hotel store in the fridge for me. They give me fresh ice for everything too."

"Wow. That is all stuff I would have never thought of."

"Of course not, you're not outdoorsy," Regina turned her radio on and Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" came on. It didn't give Emma time to protest her comment, but when Regina started to sing she couldn't help but let it all go and smile. She was glad she agreed to come; she was glad she took the invitation.

--

They arrived at the park gate. Regina paid the park fees at the gate to the ranger and asked them how the hatchlings were coming along. He said that they would probably be released in about two days, keep checking back. She thanked him, gave Emma the welcome map, and drove off.

Regina said disappointedly, "That is what they told me two days ago; turtles would be hatching in two days."

"So not tomorrow?"

"Doesn't sound like it. I'll call again later. This is why I stay so long; they don't hatch on an exact day."

Emma opened the map, "Do you need me to be your co-pilot? I am good at maps!"

Regina chuckled, "Good to know, but I've been here a few times. Just relax and enjoy the scenery. Isn't the ocean and sky marvelous?"

Emma had trouble refolding the map, but eventually folded it any way she could and then shoved it in the side pocket of the door. She looked beyond Regina, "It is beautiful, and relaxing. Is this a deserted island or something? We crossed a bridge and there seems to be nobody here?"

Regina nodded, "Not many people know this place exists, and the further in we drive, you'll see fewer people. It will be a paradise."

Emma smiled and looked at Regina's profile, framed by her curls whipping around in the wind. That was paradise.

The drive took some time, as they could only go 25 miles per hour, but it gave them a chance to see the dunes and watch for wildlife that could sometimes end up on the road. About ten minutes in, a coyote crossed the road. Regina slowed down and pulled over so they could watch it escape back into the dunes.

Emma said, "That looks exactly like the coyotes in my backyard. Imagine that, one just like it, on a little island in Texas."

"You're back yard? I imagined you lived in some highrise on the West Side."

Emma chuckled, "No, I have a condo in Laurel Canyon. Just because I am not outdoorsy doesn't mean I don't like nature. When I moved to Los Angeles, it was a trip to see nature and a metropolitan co-exist together."

"That is nice, isn't it? So you're not from Los Angeles, either?"

"No. A small town in Iowa. Mostly farmland, but my parents owned a small chain of supermarkets."

"I see. Sounds nice."

"It was. And boring. I mean, I had imagination enough for everyone, but it also made me the weird kid, and well, kids don't wanna be around too much weird. Guess it's why I fit in Los Angeles, haha," Emma said as she looked back at the dunes.

"Oh, Emm…" Regina almost slipped and called her by her real name. She covered it with a cough.

"Are you ok?" Emma asked as she handed her water.

Regina nodded her head. "Thank you, Leia." Regina had to be careful. She thought about breaking the ruse, but she felt that it was no coincidence that Emma was here just by accident, or that she had no clue who she was. Inviting Emma to come with her was playing this game too far. She should have just ended it with dinner, but despite the cloak and dagger, she enjoyed Emma's company. She made her not feel alone; after her breakup with Nimue, she wondered a lot about her future, and much of it was not positive. She got an ugly feeling in her stomach and took another swig of water.

"Look! What is that?" Emma exclaimed.

Regina looked in the direction that Emma was pointing. "That is a heron. They have a lot of different birds around here."

"It's so big, well, tall. Is that like a crane?"

"More like an egret."

"A what?"

"That is another kind of bird. A smaller heron. Same family, different species….I think…"

"And a crane?"

"Different families all together."

"Ok. I think I get it…"

"And cranes have shorter necks," Regina said as she started to pull back onto the road.

"No, then why do we say we 'crane' our necks? Isn't that because the neck is long?"

"If something has a long neck, why would they need to hyper-extend?"

Emma stared at her, considering what she said. "That makes sense, but I still don't believe it." She picked up her phone and opened her web browser, but nothing came up. "Will cell service be spotty out here?"

"Yeah. What makes it a great getaway," Regina smiled at her. "And, you can't fact check anything I say for a day. You HAVE to believe me." Regina snickered.

"I don't like this. Take me back, Roni." Emma said as she crossed her arms. After a moment, she started to laugh.

Regina started to laugh too. "Ok, I'll take you back when I am done lounging at the beach. Sometime later today, will that work?"

"Oh sure, why not," Emma said delightedly. "I hope we see more of this wildlife stuff."

Emma turned back up the radio and they drove in silence for a while. Emma was transfixed by the scenery; what a surprise to find herself on the beach today–with Regina Mills. Then it occurred to her, just how long was she going to play this game? The longer she played, the worse it could become for her goal. Regina may not like that she lied to her, and for so long, and she had flirted shamelessly with her. She glanced over at Regina then looked away. Fuck. When she looked at her, she felt her stomach do little flips. She was developing an attraction for her. The more time she spent with her today was not going to help these feelings. She could try to resist, but that would mean changing her demeanor, then that would make things odd, and ruin the day with...Roni...she was hanging out with Roni, not Regina. There was her loophole! And she needed to make sure to be careful and call her Roni and not slip up. This could still work out in the end, just take it slowly, she thought.

"There is the last visitor center. Just up the way, the road will curve and end on the beach, and then we can drive on it," Regina said.

"Wow, seriously? We are going to drive on the sand?"

"Yeah. Can never do that in LA, right? Well, unless you were in a crazy police pursuit, haha! I need to adjust the tires before we go on the sand, so we will pull into the visitor center to do that."

Emma nodded like she knew what she was talking about when she didn't. When they parked, she got out of the car with her and watched as Regina let the air out of her tires, and with a pressure gage checked the pressure over and over. She got three right, but then the fourth she let out too much air.

"Shit. The gauge got stuck! Let out too much air."

She got up from the floor and opened the back of the Jeep. She pulled out a small air compressor and took it over to the tire.

Emma watched, transfixed. She eventually asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, but thanks for asking. Tires are a one-woman job unless I was changing it...even then I can manage."

"You know how to change these monsters?"

"Of course. Wouldn't take this baby out if I didn't."

Emma nodded, "Who are you?" But Regina didn't hear her over the air compressor.

Regina had it all complete in no time. She put the compressor back, grabbed a wipe to clean her hands from the back, then closed the trunk. "Ok, we are ready!"

The two of them hopped back into the Jeep. Regina drove even slower down the road on account of the tires. In a short time, they were on the sand.

Emma started to laugh, "Oh my god, we are driving on the beach! This is so cool!!!"

"We aren't driving fast, in fact, we won't be at all. If you wanted to sit out the window and look, go for it."

Emma looked at her astonished, "You mean, like in the movies?"

Regina laughed, "Yes, just like that."

Emma undid her seat belt and stuck herself out the window. Regina slowed down even more and watched even more sharply at the sand for wildlife.

Emma hooped and hollered and laughed. Emma yelled at one point, "I'm king of the world!"

Eventually, Emma came back in, her once neat braids frazzled and frayed everywhere. But the glow on Emma's face was delightful. Regina looked at her and wondered if this is what the weird-kid looked like back in Iowa. "Did you have fun, Leia?" Regina asked.

Emma pushed back her hair as she tried to catch her breath, her face pink and flush. "That was thrilling!" She reached for her water. "It's so warm out already."

"It will get pretty warm today. I have a canopy for us to sit under."

Emma nodded. "So where do you know where to stop?"

"I'm checking out the water for a clear spot."

"What does that mean?"

"Clear of a lot of seaweed and jellyfish carcasas."

"Carcass? Jellyfish? As in they can sting you jellyfish? How infested are the waters?" Emma said with some concern.

"Well, you got to be careful. They have a few, plus one that looks like a jellyfish but isn't. A man o' war."

"How the hell do you know all this?!"

Regina glanced at her, "I am a city girl, honest. Grew up in Cleveland. But I had an uncle who lived in a coastal town in Veracruz, and I would spend summers there. Coast is very similar to this."

"Fascinating. The thought never crossed your mind to work with animals? Or do you?" Emma played stupid. And then she felt stupid. She had avoided the "what do you do for work" question all dinner last night, and come to think of it, so had she. If Regina was going to ask her to reciprocate, she better think of something quick.

But Regina answered simply, "No." She gave no follow-up and she changed the subject. "If you get stung by a jellyfish, I'm not peeing on you. I've got a first aid kit for that in the Jeep."

Emma stammered, "Wha...woah, yeah, no. I wouldn't let you, that is, um, we just met, HA!"

"Ummm, so if I knew you longer?"

"NO! That isn't what I am saying...good god...how about I just stay out of the water."

"Oh, but it is nice to take a little swim."

"You are not selling it as 'nice.'"

"A jellyfish won't kill you. It will hurt. Are you ok with bee stings? Those kill people."

Emma gave her a look, "I've been stung. I do ok."

"Oh good, you don't go anaphylactic. I have an EpiPen just in case."

"Seriously? Are you anaphylactic?"

"No, never know the kind of emergency that can happen when outdoors though."

"Boy, sure glad we didn't have this convo before, or I would have stayed behind."

This made Regina cackle as she pulled over and turned the car around. "We had a good, clear stretch back there. I'm going to u-turn and that is where we will set up."

Regina parked as close to the dune as possible and they got out of the car.

"What should we do first?" Asked Emma.

"We can set up the canopy and pull out the chairs. The cooler and other items are easily accessible in the car and I like to leave them there. Sometimes the weather changes quickly and we need to leave fast. Ditching some chairs and a canopy if need be is easy to do."

"Again, you are not selling a relaxing time. Why do you like it here again?"

"Peaceful and feels like home. Remember, it's an environment I am comfortable with. Trust me, there is nothing to fear."

"I'm gonna stop bitching, sorry. You invited me here, and I'm starting to get obnoxious," Emma said as she helped Regina pull out the canopy.

Regina said nothing to what Emma said, but she was glad she stopped the running joke.

They set up close to the car. The sun was getting high in the sky and hot, but the ocean breeze was cool. They sat in their respective chairs for a long while, weaving a web of conversation. Talking between them was so easy. Regina pulled out sandwiches and other snacks as they spoke about nothing in particular, which ensured that they would keep talking.

Emma shifted in her seat. "You know, I think I want to wear that dress. My shorts are feeling a little rigid. And after, you wanna come for a walk with me along the water?"

Regina couldn't help but smile in approval. "The bag is in the back. You can change behind the car. That should be private enough. There is nobody out here but us."

Emma nodded, made haste, and retrieved the dress from the car. In five minutes Regina heard the car door open and closed. She looked up as Emma returned. The dress waved in the breeze as she walked towards Regina, looking like some virginal goddess emerging from out of nowhere. Her strands of hair had become even messier as they tried to escape her braids.

"Ready!" Emma said.

Regina got up, looking Emma over. Regina's suspicions were right; she could rock a dress as well as a suit. Smugly she smiled, closed the book of poetry she had just been reading to Emma, and got up. "Let's go. What direction did you want to head towards?"

"Let's go opposite from where we came."

Regina nodded in agreement. As they started to walk, the gentle waves licking at their ankles, Regina thought about how nice it would be to take her hand as they walked.

The same thought crossed Emma's mind. She looked down at Regina's hand and wondered what it would feel like.

Their walk was slow. They both started to avoid the water or avoid stepping on something weird, lending a reason to "accidentally" brush up against one another. More often it was Emma who was being slightly jumpy, and also child-like, asking Regina every few seconds "what is that?" and running to her. She would also grab Regina's arm to stop her if she wanted to pick up shells and sand dollars. Her hands became full quickly.

"You have so many things in your hands. You are going to have to make choices of what to give up," Regina said.

"I know! I have never been to a beach with so much to collect! Each item is so beautiful. The waves are so small and calm. They don't get big or crash like LA beaches. And so many birds."

"Yes, nature is abundant where few humans dwell."

Regina stopped Emma and faced her. She bent forward, "Don't be alarmed. Let me show you. If you lift your dress up like this, you can create an apron for your stuff and at least free up one hand." Regina held the makeshift apron and Emma dropped her treasures gently in. Regina then helped her to bunch up the dress and hold it to the side so she had a free hand. She couldn't help noticing her boy-short style underwear. It made her smile at how cute they were. "If you need help picking up things, let me know."

"This is really nice of you. Thank you."

Regina smiled at her, grabbed her wrist and pulled her, "Come on, let's keep hunting."

After a while they hit a 15 mile marker. Emma inquired what it was, and Regina explained that every five miles there are these markers so everyone can know where they are exactly. Emma couldn't believe that they had walked that much, but Regina told her that they were probably parked more than half way beyond the 10 mile marker, if she recalled. Nevertheless, it kinda made her a little nervous so they headed back.

When they saw the Jeep, Emma wanted to secure her treasures in the car. Regina provided a bag for her. Emma looked so happy with her treasures.

"So, now that you have become familiar with the water, and didn't see anything scary, you want to go in for a little?" Regina asked.

Emma looked at her hesitantly. With speed she debated in her head to say yes or no. She honestly wanted to say no, but yes was winning. Regina didn't wait for her reply; she walked away from Emma and took off her dress. She was in her bikini and heading for the water. "YES! Wait for me!"

When Emma reached Regina she said, "I don't have a swim suit, and I don't want to ruin your dress."

Regina stopped and turned back to Emma. "It's ok, you won't ruin it. Let's tie it up to your side like so." Regina grabbed for her dress once again like making an apron, but bunched it to the side and tied it leaving Emma's boy-shorts exposed. "You don't mind getting your undies wet, right?"

Emma looked around the beach and they were still alone. "I guess I can be in my underwear." She blushed a bit.

Regina held out her hand, "Come on. We can go slow. If you want me to stop, we can stop, ok?"

Emma took her hand, nodded, and gulped.

The sand under Emma's feed was soft and silky. This was nothing like a beach in Los Angeles, where it was gritty and rough. And she would have felt little strands of seaweed wrapped around her ankles by now. When she looked down, the water was clear, and she could see her feet. She wiggled her toes and squished them in the sand. It all felt pleasant. She squeezed Regina's hand and looked up. Regina was watching her exploration. She smiled. "I'm ok. I like this. It's not bad at all."

Regina said nothing and smiled back. She started to walk forward again, Emma following her more confidently now. The waves were getting stronger, and the breeze picked up. They got as deep as mid-thigh when Emma turned to look back at their camp. "How far does the water go?"

"It stays shallow for quite a while."

"How far are we going?"

"Are you getting nervous? We can stop, I don't mind."

"How far have you gone?"

"Up to my chest a few times."

"Woh, that's brave."

"Me? Brave…"

"I don't think I ever could."

"This may not be the right beach for you. They are all different. You just have to find where you are comfortable. Me, I have always come to the ocean. She's familiar."

"I like that you describe it like a relationship."

"It is like a relationship. The ocean is powerful, amazing, dark, and holds so many secrets. She can also turn on you quickly…" Regina pointed to a cluster of clouds. "See those. It's possible that those could turn into storm clouds, and with the way the wind is picking up and the waves getting stronger, we might have a little shower coming."

"I thought the water was getting strong because we are out farther."

"Perhaps, but I think we should head back. We can try again later."

The two of them turn around to make their way back. Emma turned back around to look at the clouds, but then something in the water caught her eye. It was large, looked like seaweed, but it also looked alive and struggling. "Hey, Roni…"

Emma had to yell for her a couple of times before she heard her, but at the same time Emma was making her way over to the object. When she got closer, her heart raced at the sight. She stopped so Regina could reach her. "Look! What is that? Is that…"

"A turtle! Oh my! I can't believe we've spotted one!"

"But what is that around it? It's not seaweed."

They both got a little closer, slowly. "Oh fuck. It has a net around it. It's caught in the net."

Emma started to lunge for the turtle. "We have to free it! This is awful!"

"No, wait. We are not supposed to touch the wild life. We will have to go and get the ranger."

"Drive back? But we can't leave her like this? How are we supposed to know if she got on shore ok, or find her? What if she goes back?"

"Ok, ok, you're right. Then I'll drive back...is that ok? You stay here and guide her to shore. But don't touch her. Can you do that?"

Emma nodded, "Yes, go, go!"

Regina ran through the water back to shore. Emma saw her throw her dress back on and jump in the Jeep and speed away. She hoped she made it there safely and quickly. Meanwhile, she positioned herself behind the turtle to make sure she made her way to shore.