A/N: you may want to reread chapter 3: this will be fun before reading this one, because a minor event in that chapter is the focus of a major event here.
Regina stops by the sheriff's office to drop off some files. She strides though the office. Her shoes clack along the title floor giving Emma time to prepare for her coming arrival, but she does nothing but remain in her desk chair.
"Sheriff Swan, here are the files I told you about, now if you could please go over them and bring them back to me by lunch tomorrow and we can discuss which way we want to move forward." Regina leans toward her, over the desk to hand Emma the few file folders, their fingers brushing slightly in the exchange, which caused Regina to pull her hand back much too quickly, a reflex that went unnoticed by Emma who was rather distracted by the view down the older woman's shirt, as she hovered over the desk. Emma quickly shakes off her wandering thoughts regarding the mayor and smiles cheekily back at the woman, avoiding scowling knowing Regina would just give her more work to do.
~0~
Emma heads to Granny's to pick up some grub for her meeting with Regina. Being with Madam Mayor is always more pleasant when there is something else to busy herself with.
"Hi Rubes, I'll take the usual." Emma greets with her order as she sits down at the bar.
"No probs! Coming right up!" Ruby runs her order to the back.
"So how's my Emma today?" Ruby asks wanting to get down to the deep dish.
"I'm meeting Regina, huff. That's a load huh?" Emma half jests.
"Mhm," Ruby nods, her eye brows raising.
"I'm sensing some attitude. What's up?" Emma questions.
Ruby plays with the red steak in her hair. "You and the mayor have been spending a lot of time together, huh?"
"Okay," Emma agrees still not seeing where this is going.
"Well let's just say Regina has a type," Ruby admits coyly, almost shy, then runs off to backroom giggling.
"Ruby!" Emma calls after her, wanting a better explanation.
Ruby eventually comes back with Emma's meal in her take out bag she asked for. "I see how you two are, and you think us laypeople- we don't know, ptff," Ruby informs a bewildered Emma. "Just last week, you two stayed to have coffee and cocoa and the way you two looked at each other, I wasn't sure you weren't going to suddenly make out across the table," Ruby recalls.
"Regina does not have feelings for me," Emma protests, leaving out the lie that she has no feelings for Regina.
"Okay, captain oblivious," Ruby says before launching into a story from the past. "It's really no surprise about Madam Mayor. Lots of people kinda assumed back in the Enchanted Forrest, because she different and well- evil. It wasn't really talked about, just another black mark on her 'list of evil deeds' Ruby says in air quotes, before hastily adding, "I'm bi, by the way."
Emma attempts to react and act supportive, as Ruby just keeps rolling past her confession into more detail. "And well back there any thing deviant was frowned upon with suspicion. Hell, even her wearing pants ruffled feathers. I think maybe they were just searching for justification. Not that I was pro-Evil Queen," Ruby feels the need to justify. "She did a lot of horrible things..." her eyes glass over clearly seeing something horrific in mind. "And I was Snow's best friend. I just - I understood being different in a land where everyone was the same," Ruby sighs.
Emma sits there stunned taking in all of Ruby's words. She nods and absent mindedly munches on a French fry.
Ruby senses the mood had grown too serious so she adds flippantly "I'd totally tap that, but alas she only has eyes for you." Ruby blinks rapidly, mocking them. "Also if you ever get tired of chasing that uptight witch, you know where to find me," she winks before heading back to work.
Emma rolls her eyes before she heads out the door.
~0~
Emma brings the files over to Regina office around lunch time, well a little later. Talking to Ruby made her all nervous and she paced outside for a good while. When she finally enters, she finds the dark haired woman at her desk eating a kale salad. Emma frowns at her choice of lunch. "Well we can't all be adults," Regina smiles softly.
Emma takes the seat opposite her and reaches in the bag stuffing large handfuls of fries into her mouth, an action that causes Regina to roll her eyes, and want to seriously examine why she has any feelings about the blonde in front of her.
"Now let's get down to business, Sheriff Swan," Regina begins.
~0~
It's late at night and Emma is doing her rounds when she sees the mayor's office light still on, and decides to go check it out.
Emma knocks on the office door.
"Come in," Regina answers plainly.
Emma walks in to the see the mayor in reading glasses intensely looking over some papers. "Yes?" Regina prompts as Emma just lingers in the doorway, staring at Regina and her glasses, trying to keep all her drool in her mouth.
"Oh uh- yeah. I just uh saw your light on and came to check it out, but - uh it looks like you're good, so I'm just gunna be going," Emma fumbles trying to form a coherent sentence.
"Oh, well, thank you for rescuing me. I could have been ravished by wolves had you not come by to check, Sheriff," Regina snarks, overly animated then rolling her eyes before fixing her gaze back upon her paperwork.
Emma turns to leave. Regina acknowledges her no more.
As Emma's hand reaches the door knob, she remembers what she had been wondering about Madam Mayor and figured no better time then when it's dark, they're alone, and she seems in a playful mood.
"Why do you still wear that?" Emma snorts signaling the tiny plastic heart around Regina's neck.
"It was from Henry," Regina defends mock confusion in her voice.
"It was from me," Emma counters encroaching on Regina's personal space.
"Miss Swan, this is entirely inappropriate." Regina says quietly, leaning back slightly flustered by the quick chain of events. Emma stands her ground. Regina continues warning darkly "Miss Swan."
"No, what's entirely inappropriate is way you," Emma responds sensually leaning forward "look up and down my body." The words causing a shiver down Regina's spine as she tries to look anywhere besides Emma's chest on full display over her desk.
"I think you should leave," Regina advises darkly rising from her desk, tension flooding the room from their proximity. Regina's teeth graze across her top lip. She knows she doesn't really want Emma to leave, but she wants Emma to be sure this is what she wants too, because Regina couldn't stand the thought of Emma hating her or avoiding her. It would be better to pine in anguish.
"And what if I don't? You gunna punish me?" Emma suggests her voice laced with silk as she circles round Regina nearly whispering in her ear. Errant strands of Emma's hair grazing the side of her cheek. Regina's finger nails digging deeply into her palms, holding herself back.
"I hear the words people speak behind your back, Madam Mayor. I'm not oblivious. I know-" Emma pauses to choose her next words very carefully, "- about you."
"And what do these words say?" Regina challenges, not giving anything away with her flippant tone.
"Oh you know, nothing shocking considering your history, just that our illustrious Mayor has a soft spot for a certain— type," Emma quips popping the letter 'p' in Regina's face, circling around Regina. Regina leans gently back from Emma's encroachment.
"Is that so?" Regina comments her tone level with dark warning.
"I don't know, why don't you show me?" Emma suggests turning the tables, standing so that her legs surrounded Regina's.
"Emma," Regina cautions "you don't know what you're toying with, you should run along home to your Mommy and forget this ever happened," Regina breaths into the blondes face a mere few centimeters from her own. Regina's chest rose and fell rapidly, her breathing quiet and labored, her resistance for the blonde growing thin.
"Do you really want that, Madam Mayor?" Emma questions, taking a stand of Regina's dark hair and twisting it within her fingers as she stares into the dark eyes before her that now find themselves shrouded with hues of emotion.
Regina bites her lip to keep herself from coming undone. "Now run along home, little duckling, before you get hurt," Regina breathily pleads, her hot breath on Emma's neck, her objections becoming more a formality at this point, but laced with darkness nevertheless. She wanted this with Emma, more than anything, but something in the back of her mind was holding back.
Emma forcefully shoves Regina back down into her chair, straddling the brunette with her knees on either side of the older woman's thighs. "Why are you doing this now?" Regina poses the question with a slight throaty chuckle, and raised eyebrow, almost amused at the chain of events that seemed to materialize out of her own dreams, founded on only a semblance of reality.
"Damn it, Regina!" Emma slams her fist down on the arm of the chair. "Stop playing games! Stop being coy! And be a fucking human for once!" Emma's chest heaving with anger that replaced the previous arousal. "You have been brushing up against me, stoking my hand, rubbing my legs under the table, letting every touch linger far too long and flirting with me incessantly. What did you honestly want to happen?" Emma provokes.
Regina leads back surprised by the younger woman's sudden change, the sultry trance of the blonde's previous tone now splintering along with her hold over Regina's willpower.
Emma untangles herself from Regina's legs and pulls herself standing. "You know what? You're right, maybe I don't know what I'm playing with. You- you're fire. Hot and burning and unpredictable leaving only wreckage in your wake. God- I can't believe I felt sorry for you. That I felt anything for you. Am I just a game to you? Please tell me? I honestly don't know anymore!" Emma finds herself pacing around Regina's office, as the other woman just stares on in rapt attention, leaning back in her chair. "Sometimes you're so vulnerable and others times so guarded and I never know what Regina to expect when I walk in a room with you!" Emma yells, and after a breath she pleads calmer "You don't have to be this way me."
Regina opens her mouth to speak and Emma spits "Save it for someone who cares, I'm out," and with those parting words she slams the door leaving Regina dumbfounded and hurt in her wake. Maybe she wasn't the only one who was like fire.
~0~
Regina heads back into the kitchen of Granny's after closing time and all the other customers have made their leave. "Hi Madam Mayor," Ruby says startled by the sudden interruption to her cleaning up for the night. The dim yellow glow of the old florescent lighting reflected off the metal appliances casting shadows throughout the kitchen.
"Can I see you for a moment? Outside?" Regina asks as if this is a perfectly normal request of the waitress at this time of night.
Ruby leads her through the back and out the door to the alley. Once outside Regina pushes Ruby against the brick of the building. Staring into her eyes waiting, watching with anticipation, until the brown eyes before reflect the lust found in her own.
"Madam Mayor, what big eyes you have," she notes unsure if she herself is frightened or excited by the turn of events. "Madam Mayor, what red lips you have," her voice sounding breathier betraying her own need.
Regina places her lips hard against the young waitress. Ruby's long nails tangling in her short hair.
"Madam Mayor, I'm pleasantly surprised," Ruby mumbles against her cheek before kissing her back with equal force.
Ruby takes her hand and invites her, "Let's go upstairs."
A/N: I'm sorry folks. Regina just can't help screwing everything up (bad pun that I only realised after I posted). SwanQueen is endgame. There really won't be anymore RedQueen. Things will make more sense after next chapter. Please review, I have two conflicting ways I could take this and want input.