The sound of Ruby closing their door at the Inn startled Emma out of her dream. She rolled over to face Ruby's direction with a long exhale.

"Oh–" Ruby frowned. "I wasn't expecting you to be here. Did you not sleep at Regina's?"

Emma shook her head, wishing she could forget reality and quickly slip back into her subconscious state.

"It wasn't—" She paused for a moment, toying with the words on her tongue before spitting out the bitter taste of them. "It wasn't a date, after all."

Ruby kicked off her shoes and climbed into the small bed beside Emma. She didn't need to hear another word. The sight of Emma's splotchy skin was enough to tell her the night wasn't what either of them expected it to be.

"Tell me about your night. Did you and Belle have a good time?"

Ruby began to protest, insisting she didn't need to discuss the date until Emma felt better.

"No, I want to hear it. I'm happy for you, regardless of how my night went."

Ruby pulled Emma in, wrapping her into a tight embrace in hopes of making her feel better as she began to speak.

"Dinner was delicious. The steakhouse is amazing, we should go there before we go back to Boston. Maybe after Thanksgiving, though, because we'll be pretty full."

Emma laughed, feeling a little better. "Well, go on. I know you're dying to tell me more."

Ruby beamed. "Belle looked incredible. She wore this yellow dress and looked stunning. Although, she could wear a garbage bag and she'd still look beautiful. I don't know how she does it…" Ruby got distracted for a few seconds, thinking of Belle again. "Anyway, I picked her up and we may have been a little late to our reservation because I couldn't keep my hands off of her in the car and I had to pull over."

Emma laughed. "Should've seen that one coming."

"I'm sorry! Can you blame me? Anyway, we had dinner and we talked and it was great. She spent hours just talking about her favorite stories. Her face lights up whenever she discusses books, it's really cute." Ruby blushed, something Emma never saw her do.

"Ruby, you're glowing!"

"I can't help it. I don't really believe in soulmates and all that mushiness. But with her, I feel like I belong. Does that make sense? Through her, I sort of found someone in myself that was more than I expected."

Emma smiled up at Ruby. "I hate to break it to you, Rubes. But I think you're in love."

"Love?" Ruby's brows furrowed for a moment. "I mean… it's possible." She laughed and dropped her head down onto Emma's shoulder. "Wow. Who thought I'd ever say that?"

"Not me, that's for sure," Emma teased, laughing once. "So you slept at her place?"

"Yeah, it was… incredible. Down to every last minute." She paused, the smile still settled on her lips. "But, as much as you don't want to talk about Regina…"

"I can talk about it," Emma huffed, defeated. "I– I kissed her."

"And that's a bad thing?" Ruby sat up in the bed and studied Emma's puffy eyes.

Emma nodded once. "She didn't take it well. She didn't flip out or anything, she was unnervingly calm. But she made it pretty clear I misunderstood her intentions. She just enjoyed my 'friendship.'"

Ruby bared her teeth. "Okay, that is bullshit, I'm sorry. From what Belle has told me, and the reaction from everyone at the diner, Regina Mills is not a friendship type of person. It doesn't make any sense for her to react to you in that way if she was just interested in being your friend."

Emma sighed, sitting up. She put her hands on Ruby's shoulders to calm her down. "I know… But that's what she said. Maybe she's not the same woman from my dream after all."

"I mean, I'll admit that I was actually starting to get on board with this whole dream-Regina-being-real thing."

"It doesn't help that I came back here and had this amazing dream of Regina. Because then I woke up, and I realized that's all she'll ever really be, isn't it? Just a dream?" Emma's voice cracked and she swallowed.

"Tell me about the dream. Forget about snobby pantsuit Regina. Let's enjoy dream Regina instead."

Emma smiled, her face softening as she thought back to the dream. "It was our first time having sex. Obviously I've had dreams of us sleeping together before, but I think my dreams follow some kind of timeline. I know that sounds insane, but I can tell from the little things – changes to her hair length, the way we act around each other, you know?"

Ruby nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"Well, I could tell this was our first time because it felt more spontaneous but also very nerve-wracking at the same time; as if I were hesitant to cross a boundary. It was storming outside and the power went out… we had sex by the fireplace."

Ruby's heart warmed, and she brought one hand to her chest. "See, that's a much better memory to focus on!"

"But it's not a memory," Emma sighed. She quickly nodded, realizing Ruby couldn't fix this. After a moment, she smiled up at her. "Thank you, I do feel a little better."

"Good. Now let's get dressed. I told Granny we'd run some errands for her today since she's been so busy. Then what do you say to drinks again tonight? At the Rabbit Hole? It can be just us two, for old time's sake?"

"I know you want to invite Belle, Ruby." Emma laughed. "I want her to come, too. I like seeing you happy."

Ruby's eyes gleamed. "Well, if you insist!" She did a little happy dance while sitting in place.

"Oh!" Emma jumped. "I forgot to tell you what else Regina said."

"Regina the evil mayor who leads you on? Or dream Regina? We need a nickname for one of them. Maybe dream Regina should be Reg, or," she paused." "How about Gina?"

Emma scrunched her nose up. "None of those really fit. At all. But, sure… we'll go with Gina. Only because I have a good feeling real-world Regina would never want to be called that." They both laughed.

"So was it Regina or Gina?"

"Regina," Emma sighed. "The reason why I kissed her was because of something she had said to me."

"Well?"

"She told me I was 'like a dream.'" Ruby's eyes widened and Emma continued. "I think that once she said that, I thought it was confirming that Regina and Gina were the same person. And I just had to kiss her."

"Okay, well that is weird. But it also sounds like she was leading you on if she told you that you were like a dream to her and then gets upset when you kiss her? That's uncalled for." Ruby said, matter-of-factly. "Let's not read too much into it though. Remember, they aren't the same person."

Emma shook her head. "There's still part of me that refuses to believe they aren't the same. Did you know there were times last night where Regina was talking and I could almost predict what she might say, based on "Gina's" typical reactions?" She air quoted the nickname, still feeling like it didn't fit Regina properly – real or dream. "And sometimes when she told me something about herself or her past, it's was if I had already heard it before or knew it somehow."

"Well, that doesn't make sense. Maybe your dreams aren't as vivid as you think and your brain is just trying to piece things together?" Ruby sighed. She wasn't even sure what excuse she was trying to make. But without a logical explanation, she didn't have much else to go on.

Emma shrugged it off before finally getting up to head toward the shower.


"Hey! Belle, over here!" Ruby called from just beside the pool table.

"You guys look great," Belle said with a smile and Ruby handed her a fruity drink that she'd ordered for her.

"Well, you're still the most beautiful person in the room," Ruby said with a nod and Belle blushed.

"That's my cue. I'm going to grab another drink, I'll be right back." Emma said over the background noise of the crowd and walked in the direction of the bar.

"Welcome back, Emma. Couldn't stay away from Storybrooke, I see?" Archie laughed, placing a coaster down in front of Emma.

"We had some time off for Thanksgiving and decided to spend the week here. It's good to see you, Archie."

"What can I get for you?"

"Jack and Coke, please." She thanked him when he placed the drink on the coaster in front of her.

"Hey, Emma?" The uncertainty in his tone made Emma's head snap up at him quickly. "Remember how you were looking for the mayor last time you were in here?"

Emma nodded, gulping back her drink as she was forced to think of Regina again.

"Well, you should probably turn around."

Deja vu hit Emma like a truck on the highway. When she turned in her stool to look over her shoulder, the familiar feel of the air being sucked out of the room overwhelmed her.

"It's just a daydream, like last time…" She muttered under her breath so nobody could hear.

But this time felt different. It wasn't that her dreams felt less real – no, that wasn't the case. But the crowd didn't blur this time, she could still see everyone else's faces. In her dreams, it was as if only she and Regina existed. Or, Gina rather. But here, in the real world, she could still feel the energy of the crowd around her. She could still hear the music and the loud chatter.

She kept her eyes glued to Regina, who was unbuttoning her peacoat and finger-combing her dark hair. When Emma locked eyes with her, Regina smiled apologetically and headed in her direction.

Emma pivoted in her chair and frowned, looking at Archie. "I thought you said she didn't come here?"

"She– no, she doesn't." Archie shrugged and walked away to tend to another bar patron. Emma swallowed the rest of her drink, wishing the cold would offer her some relief.

The smell of Regina's perfume engulfed her. It wasn't like in her dream when it felt overwhelming and intoxicating. Instead, it just lingered in the air and made Emma feel calmer. She hated herself for letting something so simple stir such a reaction.

When the bar stool beside her slid out and Regina sat down, Emma turned and looked at her finally. She already could feel her heart beating rapidly against her chest, but she tried her best to remain calm, remembering that they were just friends and nothing more.

"Fancy seeing you here, Miss Swan."

Emma began to panic, the same line Gina said in her daydream when she sat down next to her. Suddenly, she felt dizzy. The line between fantasy and reality was quickly dissipating.

"Madam Mayor," Emma replied, giving a polite nod but feeling a slight tug at her lips from their polite exchange of nicknames. She wasn't sure where her head was at or where the two of them had left things. "Come here often?"

"Oh, I visit this bar frequently, actually. It's my favorite spot in town." Regina's sarcastic tone emitted a deep laugh from Emma in return.

"Well, I usually have to use my super power to tell when someone is lying, but your sarcasm seems to be doing my job for me."

Regina's throaty laugh produced a newfound-effect on Emma that she hadn't experienced before. She wanted to quickly forget everything that had happened the night before and just kiss her again, but she couldn't. She couldn't help but feel a hint of resentment. But toward Regina or herself, she wasn't sure.

"So what are you doing here, Regina?" Her voice lost its playful tone.

"I came here for you."

Emma swallowed, unable to ignore the flutter in her stomach. "You came to find me?" She blinked. "Why?"

"I wanted to apologize, for starters. I really am sorry for the way I reacted last night." Regina's dark gaze burned into Emma's. She nodded, silently accepting the apology because, deep down, she didn't know how to stay mad at Regina.

Emma smiled as Archie approached. "Hello, Mayor Mills. May I get you anything to drink?"

Regina nodded, "I'll take whatever she's drinking."

Archie poured the whiskey into her glass and Regina frowned but took a small sip before she leaned closer toward Emma, looking like she was about to say something.

Emma's breath hitched and Regina noticed, but continued to lean closer until Emma could feel her breath on her exposed neck.

"I came to apologize, but I also came because I missed you," Regina whispered. Her fingertips made contact with Emma's inner thigh, eliciting a gasp as heat built up inside her.

In her dream, she remembered wishing she were wearing a dress instead of jeans so she could feel Regina's touch against her bare skin. But this time, she was glad she was in jeans. Because the heat building up inside her wasn't just from arousal, but from anger.

She yanked her body back and looked directly at Regina, taking in her dark eyes and the look of confusion and maybe even a little disappointment. But Emma didn't care. She couldn't see past her anger.

"What is it about you?" Emma's voice was a little louder than she'd intended. "One minute you're making it very clear you just want to be my friend, despite claiming you aren't very good at being one, then you show up here out of the blue—in a bar that you've probably never come to—just to find me and lead me on a little more?"

Regina opened her mouth, but Emma didn't let her speak.

"No, you know what? Apologizing is one thing. Fine, you want to be my friend? Friends don't whisper into your ear that they miss you. Or check you out and try to deny it. Or look at you the way you looked at me when you told me I looked beautiful."

Her voice grew louder as the threat of tears stung behind her eyes. Regina sat there, silent, as she let Emma continue.

"And they sure as hell don't put their hand on your thigh. Because that means something to some of us, Regina. Maybe this is all just a game to you. Some cruel and unusual kink you're tying to satisfy because you think I'll let you. But I'm not going to sit here and continue to watch you lead me on. It's not fair to me."

Emma swallowed the remnants of her glass and fished for cash in her wallet. Slamming it down on the bar, she gave a quick wave to Archie and pushed through the crowd toward the door.

She didn't bother to turn her head and peer back over her shoulder. She knew Regina wasn't following her. Because that meant she cared enough to chase after her. And Regina made her intentions clear enough the previous evening. Emma's anger churned in her stomach, making her feel dizzy. When the cool air hit her, it was a welcomed slap in the face that helped sober her up.

All she wanted was to go home and forget this trip had ever happened. She didn't even want to dream of Regina again. She just wanted this to all be gone.

Kicking at a stubby rock, she let out a groan before collapsing down onto the curb and burying her head into her hands.

When she heard the clicking of high heels on gravel, her pulse quickened. At first, she thought it was from anger. But she quickly realized that a part of her was relieved. She jerked her head up and frowned before standing.

"Why are you following me?" Emma's voice was defensive as she widened her stance.

"Emma, please."

Emma shook her head and began to turn and continue walking. "I should never have come back here."

"Emma, no. Wait."

She turned on her heels, her sharp movements not doing any good at keeping her anger at bay. "Why should I, Regina? Why can't I just go home, be angry, and forget all about you?"

"Because–" Regina sounded like she was struggling to find the courage to speak. "I'm sorry, Emma. I'm sorry. I pulled away from you after leading you on, you're right. And I shouldn't have come to the bar and done what I did, I know. I just—" Her voice trailed off and Regina exhaled softly before softening her voice. "I don't know how to do this."

"Do what, Regina? This is getting old, very quickly. So spit it out."

"I don't want you to forget me. Because I won't be forgetting you. I overreacted to your kiss, I just wasn't expecting it. Nobody has kissed me or showed much interest in me in a long time. I say I'm fine on my own, I know. But…"

Emma could see Regina was shaking, but she wasn't sure if it was due to the cold night or the words coming out of her mouth. Suddenly, she saw Regina as the woman from her dreams. As the woman she grew to love after all these months spent dreaming of a life together.

Regina's voice cut out completely, and she stared down at her open palms with so much pain in her eyes that Emma could practically feel just by looking into them.

Emma stumbled as she took a step closer, realizing Regina looked somehow younger in that moment. Smaller.

Lifting her gaze to meet Emma's, Regina's posture instinctively shifted as if she were curling into herself in defeat.

"I think we both just misunderstood," Emma said, softly. She didn't have time to think of the right thing to say, so she just opened her mouth and let the words flow freely. "There's no easy way for me to say this. I like you, Regina. I've been drawn to you from the moment I first laid eyes on you."

For a minute, Emma wondered if she should tell Regina about her dreams, but quickly decided that was a terrible idea. Not only would that probably scare Regina away, but it would also make her sound crazy.

Instead, Emma just continued. "I guess I just thought," she stopped and exhaled. "I thought you might have felt the same way based on how I felt when we were around each other." Her knees felt weak. "But if you want to be friends, I can try to do that." The words tasted wrong on her tongue, and she didn't know if she could believe it herself, but she'd be willing to try, for Regina. "I can spend time with you without kissing you. I assure you, it won't happen again."

Regina finally drops her hands and looked up. Her relaxed posture surprised Emma, and suddenly Emma felt Regina pushing her up against the siding of the nearest building.

Regina's lips parted, leaning in slightly and Emma didn't dare to say a word. She just kept her eyes fixed on Regina, unsure what she was going to do next.

"I want it to happen again," Regina's voice was barely a rasp before she pressed her lips against Emma's. They both moaned softly, and Emma felt dizzy – unsure if this was even real. Unable to resist, she lifted her hand and brushed her fingertips over the soft curve of Regina's cheekbone. It felt too good to be true, but she knew it was real in that moment.

Regina parted her lips, deepening their kiss. Neither dared to pull away as they got lost in the moment.

When they broke apart, Regina was the first to speak again.

"I want it to happen many more times, in fact."

Emma was confused for a moment, forgetting that only minutes ago she promised she'd never kiss Regina again.

All she could do was smile softly as reality set in. Her cheeks warmed and she licked her lips, admiring the way they still tasted of Regina. Leaning in, she pressed her lips to Regina's forehead.

"Let me walk you home," Emma offered, realizing Regina was shivering under her coat. "You must be freezing."

"No, I'm okay, actually."

"Regina, you're shaking."

"You do that to me quite often, I can't seem to help it," Regina whispered.

Emma's stomach flipped, but not out of nervousness. Hearing Regina say something out loud that she'd only ever expected Gina to say helped her feel like the two women were, in fact, the same.

They walked down Main Street together in the quiet of the night. As Mifflin Street came into their line of sight, Regina reached for Emma's hand. A silent gesture that spoke volumes.

"Would you like to come inside?" Regina asked, her tone hopeful. But something rattled in the back of Emma's mind, perhaps just her own defense mechanisms trying to protect her. They screamed at her that she needed to take this one step at a time. Rushing into something or expecting more from Regina would only result in her being hurt.

"I should probably get back to the Inn. I have a bunch of missed calls from Ruby. I'm assuming she saw me run out of the bar earlier and wants to make sure I'm okay. But I'm here all week. Just don't run off on me."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Regina laughed softly.

Every time Regina said the word 'dream' aloud, it made Emma shiver. But this time, she knew Regina was just using it as an expression. Still, it echoed in her head.

"How about a movie night? Tomorrow night?" Emma suggested.

"A movie night, hm? I can handle that. But something tells me you'd hog the popcorn."

There was that deep, throaty laughter again. The one that made Emma's stomach do backflips. She leaned in closer to Regina until her warm breath was teasing the skin on her neck.

"What if I promise to be on my best behavior?"

Regina tilted her head up at her and smirked. "You better be. I'm a stickler for the rules, you know? Would be a shame if I had to find ways to keep you in line."

The words—and the smirk on Regina's face—succeeded at sending a rush of heat to Emma's core, but she hid it well.

"I'd love to see you try."

Before Emma could get in another word, Regina's lips were on hers. But not in a hard kiss. It was delicate, gentle. In fact, her lips with barely touching Emma's. If she was trying to tease her, Regina was doing an impeccable job.

Shifting her weight, Emma leaned in to deepen the kiss. But Regina grabbed ahold of her jawline, making it clear that she had no intention of easing up on the reins. Gently, she guided Emma's head to the side as her lips trailed warm kisses along the curve of her jawline.

Emma groaned, not hating the way that she was at Regina's mercy. "Don't make me pin you up against your own front door, Regina."

"I don't believe you're capable of that, dear."

The dismissiveness in her tone only made Emma need her more.

"Don't underestimate me." The soft moan that slipped past Emma's lips made her words sound far less intimidating than she had hoped.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Regina whispered just before her lips found Emma's again. She released the hold she had on her jaw, allowing them to both relish in the kiss freely.

'Wouldn't dream of it' echoed into Emma's ears, each syllable dancing along before finally falling silent. She wouldn't let her noisy head distract her from the way Regina was making her feel.

With two steps backward, Regina pulled them further toward the direction of the entryway, but Emma broke the kiss.

"Tomorrow," she whispered against Regina's mouth. As much as Emma wanted to give in right then and there, she needed to remain strong in her stance that she should take it slow.

But for how long? She wasn't sure. With the pull that Regina already had on her, she knew it wouldn't last long.

"Mm," Regina hummed, not bothering to mask her own arousal as she bit at her bottom lip. "Tomorrow then. Goodnight, Emma."

Emma nodded once, saying one last goodbye before heading down the walkway toward the road. It was going to be a long walk back to the Inn.