THE OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY: A SWANQUEEN STORY

"What's up, girls, ya' ready for tonight?"

Emma tore her eyes away from their favourite pastime lately – looking for or at a certain someone - to find Sabine plopping down opposite her, placing her tray with food from the cafeteria on the table. Her cup of coffee – filled to the brim with added milk and sugar – sloshed over the side.

Ruby shimmied her shoulders next to her and squatted over the bench, her long legs barely able to fit in the tight space there. She had a serving of fries in one hand and a root beer in the other.

Jacinda groaned as she stared at her girlfriend. "Do we really want to do this thing, babe? I'd much rather spend our night off without Lucy at home, snuggled under blankets with you."

Sabine rolled her eyes. "Jay, come on. We can snuggle tomorrow. You know my parents will care for Lucy all day if we ask them to."

With a frown, Jacinda forked a piece of chicken and continued her lunch. Emma's eyes moved of their own accord from the deliciousness of Ruby's fries to her head of department – one very beautiful Regina Mills – who was now walking across the cafeteria with Kathryn from HR, looking more beautiful than ever. Emma wondered if she was going to be there tonight. She never saw her interacting with anyone besides Kathryn at work.

Ruby tapped her knuckles impatiently at the table. "Hello? Emma?"

Emma pulled herself out of her head and snatched one of Ruby's fries. "Why are you two so excited about this Christmas Party anyways? It's not like it won't just be the four of us hanging out, drinking beers like any other Friday we go out."

Ruby eyed Emma seriously, folding her hands on the table in front of her and sighing exaggeratedly. "Emma, babe," she said, "what's not to be excited about? Presents, free alcohol. Amazing food, curtesy of Sabine and Drew in the kitchen." She motioned towards her friend and current head of department of the service team at Mills & Gold Marketing.

"Yeah? But you also can't get wasted, because all the big guns are there, and I'm not about to dance on the tables in front of them," Emma clarified as she snatched another fry from Ruby's plate before picking up her sad peanut butter and jelly sandwich from in front of her. Now, Regina was sitting down in the far corner of the cafeteria, undoubtedly tucking into her kale salad. Not that Emma was looking or anything.

Jacinda reached for her root beer. "Hear, hear."

Ruby stuck out her tongue at them. "Bores. You have better brought an outfit for tonight despite your attitude."

Emma rolled her eyes.

Sabine said, "I know you haven't worked here for long, Emma, but Mills & Gold Christmas parties? The bang." She nodded her head, dark curls bouncing as she did, "There's raffle tickets, a bartender, this year, I've heard there is a karaoke machine. Who does not want to see Robert Gold drunk off his ass singing Christmas songs?" She wriggled her eyebrows, hand tucked around her cup of coffee. "Come on, Ruby and I will come join you at four in the basement to get dressed and share a beer as planned, okay?"

"It's gonna be fun, we promise," Ruby interjected and pulled her lower lip into a pout.

Jacinda shrugged. Emma knew her co-worker wasn't going to argue with her girlfriend all day, but Emma was still not convinced. "Didn't you say there was gonna be a theme or something?" she asked while absentmindedly craning her neck to see if she could catch another glimpse of Regina.

Sabine eyed Ruby for a few seconds, the two of them sharing some kind of secret telepathy conversation, before the black woman sighed and turned to stare at Emma again. "Alright, blondie, I'll share the secret, but only because I know you won't tell, and my team's been working their asses off in the big lounge room on seventh all damn day."

With wide eyes, Emma motioned for her to spill the beans.

"It's winter wonderland," Sabine reveal with a serious sigh.

Emma laughed. "There's going to be so much fucking glitter for your team to clean up. Good luck with that," she snarled, before polishing off the rest of her sad sandwich.

Ruby stuck out her tongue at her, teasingly dangling a fry in front of Emma's face. It was dripping with ketchup and looking downright delicious. "Swan-nie," she sang, "you know you wanna par-tay."

Emma made a grab for the fry, but Ruby was quicker. She dumped it into her mouth, and Emma rolled her eyes at her childish behaviour, but then resumed to stick out her tongue at Ruby instead. She was kind of glad she couldn't see Regina right now, because that hopefully meant that Regina couldn't see her, either. Not that Regina ever gave a damn about her to begin with.

Jacinda chuckled. "Come on, guys, of course we're coming. Getting drunk on the office's dime? I'm for it." She nudged Emma in the side, "This one has her dress hanging off the back of her chair in our office, and beers tucked in her rucksack."

Emma grinned, because of course she was coming. It was just fun as fuck to piss Ruby off. "Speaking of office? We better get down there to make those damn phone calls."

Ruby did a little happy dance while Sabine leaned forward to peck Jacinda briefly on the lips. "Work well, babe."

"You too," Jacinda murmured, and she and Emma left the other two by the table and started making their way from the fifth floor to their basement office. At Mills & Gold Marketing, they were the lowest of the low, the bottom of the food chain, and Emma had only gotten a job there because Ruby – her childhood friend and roommate – had heard from her boss that they needed another phoner at her wife's department. One of the other phoners had gone on maternity leave and would not be returning. The pay was slightly better than what she had made waitressing, and it wasn't nearly as physically challenging; she sat on her butt all day long, making phone calls and sending e-mails to get new clients for the company.

They took the elevator to the first floor, but then had to walk through the entire department to the other end of the building, and so they rarely ventured from their basement office to the cafeteria, because it ultimately took out a lot of their lunch break. They walked between cubicles, pass closed and open office doors, and as they passed the big corner office, Emma walked a little slower, hoping to catch a glimpse of Regina, to see if her boss was back from lunch yet; however, the glass door was closed, the shutters drawn, and she could just about make out the faint hum of conversation coming from the Head of Clients' office. She was back from lunch, just not with an open door for Emma's benefit. The gold plate on the wall shone, illuminating the letters spelling out Regina Mills, and Emma once more wished she had a reason to actually go talk to her head of department.

But Regina barely ever needed to talk to the phoners in the basement, and if she did, the head of their team, Jasmine, was the one to meet with her.

"Is there really as many presents in that raffle as Ruby says?" Emma asked as they started descending the spiral staircase to their office. She tried not to be too disappointed by missing another view of Regina – it was usually the highlight of her day whenever it happened. Not that she'd ever admit so to anyone else.

Jacinda nodded eagerly. "Yes. It's all the gifts they receive throughout the year from pleased clients. They store them all away to hand out, it's pretty cool."

Emma stuck her key into their door, turning it over and pushing the wood open with her shoulder. "Does Robert Gold and Cora Mills really attend this event?"

"Yeah," Jacinda confirmed as she brushed past Jasmine's abandoned desk – she left last Friday to go home for the holidays – and fell into her own chair. "It can be pretty awkward, and they usually leave early. Last year though, Gold hooked up with his very young secretary Belle French in his office, despite the fact that he has a wife and a kid at home."

Emma spun around in her office chair, kicking back and putting her feet on her desk to resume her break for just a minute or so. "Jesus, it's like a damn Christmas movie in here then."

Jacinda nodded and leaned forward to turn her computer back on. "Belle stopped working here afterwards, but rumour is she got pregnant, and now Gold has left his wife to be with her."

With a whistle, Emma reached for her phone to see if she had missed any calls during her break, but thankfully there was nothing this day. She eyed her pink dress, hanging off a spare chair in their small room, as well as her black stilettos placed on the floor beneath it. She had her make up in her bag and beers to go around. She was determined to at least look banging if she was going to do this thing tonight. She, at least, knew that the food was going to be amazing and very much like Christmas.

"You're still invited with Sabine, Lucy and I on Christmas," Jacinda said out of nowhere. She was leaning forward, eyes squinting slightly as she undoubtedly read an e-mail, while refusing to wear her glasses.

Emma shrugged. "Nah, I'm okay. I think I'll just hang with Ruby and her granny this year." She swirled around in her chair, turning on her computer and reaching for her phone. She had a long list to work through this afternoon, before she could tap open the first beer and get ready, but she was determined to make it. She'd just punched in the first digits when their door was suddenly opened, surprising both of them entirely.

No one ever came down there, unless it was Ruby or Sabine bringing them an afternoon snack and coffee if they had some extra time, so they both turned around in their chairs. Jacinda let out a small yelp and almost fell out of her seat while Emma bit her lip because – it was none other than Regina Mills standing there, hand on the doorknob and looking finer than ever. Dressed in an impeccably pantsuit and with hair perfectly coiffed, she was absolutely the picture of perfection while simultaneously looking fucking intimidating.

"Is Jasmine not in today?" Regina asked quickly, dark eyes roaming from Jacinda's desk to Emma's, cheeks puffing slightly out as she locked eyes with the blonde.

"She left to go home for the holidays," Emma said quietly. It felt like her heart was trying to beat its way out of her chest via her throat, and she tried to stay completely calm, even though it was very hard when Regina was standing there looking like that.

Jacinda added, "Last Friday."

Regina's face fell. "Oh," she rasped.

"Is there anything we can do?" Jacinda wanted to know, because at least she had the sense to appear somewhat professional in front of their head of department. Emma just appeared gay.

"I sent Jasmine an e-mail," Regina said, brushing her hair behind her ear. "I have received an inquiry about a possible client, but I will not be able to handle it right this moment, as I have somewhere to be for the afternoon-" she took a breath, breasts heaving in her white dress shirt, always unbuttoned to the point where it was all Emma could focus on, "-and I needed her to handle it."

Jacinda said, "We can handle it," at the same time as Emma blurted out, "But you're coming to the Office Party, right?"

Narrowing her eyes in on Emma, Regina breathed, "Yes, Miss Swan, I am attending the Office Party." She turned to Jacinda next, tongue darting out to wet her blood-red lips. "Jacinda, I assume you will take care of the client? I will send the e-mail to you. It is a small up-and-coming wood shop, but it has potential. A father and his son, I believe."

"I'll just let Emma handle that," Jacinda said confidently, shooting Emma a giant smile. "She's really good at handling those up-and-coming businesses, she knows how to handle distraught and confused owners."

Regina eyed Emma quizzically at that, clearly not sure if she should trust Jacinda on it. "Alright," she acquiesced as she took a small step back, fingers gliding off the doorknob.

Emma leaned back in her chair confidently, crossed her boots at the ankles. "No worries, Miss Mills. I'll handle it all," she said with bravado. She knew she could handle it, but she'd never shown much confidence in front of the older woman.

"I have to run," Regina said, looking seriously at Emma, "Make sure to have this handled by three o'clock."

"On it," Emma said and saluted. She immediately regretted the action when Jacinda snorted behind her computer, and Regina arched an eyebrow. Emma dropped the hand back into her lap, not sure if Regina found her amusing or just downright childish. "We're uh, we're getting ready down here together at four, if you…" Emma bit her lip, squeezing her eyes together and frowning, "…if you wanna join," she lamely finished. She should probably not have said that.

Regina froze in the doorway. "I'm not-" she cut herself off, which was something Emma had never experienced before. "Thank you for the offer, but I'll just meet you all there," she said, before she gave them both a faint smile and tucked the door softly closed behind her as she left.

Emma turned around in the chair and hammered her head into the table, groaning loudly while Jacinda laughed her ass off by her own desk. "Idiot, idiot, idiot," Emma pointed out with each knock of her forehead on the cold wood.

Jacinda was still chuckling as she said, "You're so fucking stupid. Handle your gay, Swan," she teased, before she reached for her phone and punched in some numbers.

With a giant sigh, Emma clicked into her e-mails to find an important new e-mail from Regina Mills. She'd show that sexy head of department just how fucking skilled she was, Emma mused to herself. If there was one thing she'd wanted ever since getting hired at Mills & Gold Marketing, it was to impress Regina Mills.

—-

By four fifteen, they were already dressed and drinking beers while listening to loud Christmas music from Ruby's phone. Ruby was curling her hair, looking into a small pocket mirror perched on Jasmine's desk, and Emma was putting on make-up while simultaneously sipping her beer at every possible moment. Jacinda was on the phone with Lucy while Sabine was sitting on the floor, against the wall, already two beers into this thing.

"I promise we will pick you up tomorrow, Lucy," Jacinda said into the phone with a sweet voice. "Yes, you can talk to Mama, and then have a good time with your grandparents, okay baby girl?" She snapped her fingers and Sabine leaned over, receiving the phone from her.

"Hi Smoochy Lucy," Sabine greeted her softly.

Ruby sighed as she put the curling iron down. "You guys are so fucking cute, it's nauseating."

Jacinda said, "Maybe if you finally got your act together and talked to Dorothy from Accounting, this could be you in a few years."

"But is she gay," Ruby mused.

Emma said, "She's gay." She put her eyeliner down, finally pleased with the way her face looked. She hummed along to Santa Baby on the radio and took another gulp of beer. "When are we leaving? Are there snacks? I'm starving."

"Just a second," Sabine replied as she handed Jacinda back her phone, finally having said goodbye to Lucy for today. "There's snacks, yeah. And drinks. We can go."

"But my hair!" Ruby argued.

"Looks awesome," Emma said and unplugged the curling iron with a swipe of her hand. "Off we go."

Everyone gathered their things together and Jacinda locked the door behind them; Emma was going into work between Christmas and New Years as the only one from their team, so she'd be able to clean up their mess on Wednesday. They made their way slowly up the spiral staircase, Ruby clinging onto the railing to keep herself from falling over in her impossible high heels. Sabine was giggling madly; already tipsy from just the beer, as they entered the already darkened first floor. All the employees had already left to go to the seventh floor, and it was eerily silent in a way Emma had never experienced before. Except… except from the slight bustle creeping out from beneath Regina's closed office door, only accompanied by a faint light, too. Ruby and Sabine hooked arms, dancing straight past it as they loudly and off-key sang Last Christmas. Emma eyed the closed door instead, halting slightly in her steps.

Jacinda eyed her knowingly. "You uh… you coming, Em?"

Emma bit her lip. "We should probably just-" she cut herself off, frowning, "-tell her we're leaving now." And before Jacinda could convince her otherwise, she resolutely knocked on the door.

"Yes, yes, I'm coming." And then – the turn of the lock. And Regina was peeking out at them through a crack in the door. She paused, eyes bulging slightly as she saw Emma. "I'll be joining you soon, I'm not quite ready, and…" She held out her phone, indicating that she was in the middle of something.

Emma already regretted this. "We're the last ones leaving the floor. Just so you… know." It was so lame, she was so lame, and Jacinda was biting her lip with her front teeth to keep herself from laughing. Emma stared at the phone in Regina's hand, the name Henry written there, indicating that she had an on-going conversation. Probably her husband or something, Emma mused, once more hating heterosexuality, as she so often did.

Regina was about to answer, but there was a sound coming from the phone, and she pressed it to her ear quickly. "Yes, darling, I'm still here," she sweetly said, her voice taking on a softness Emma had never heard before. Regina gave her another once over, complete with dark eyes, before she closed the door with a click.

Jacinda broke out laughing as she dragged a groaning Emma with her towards the elevator that was rudely being held back by Ruby and Sabine who had moved onto singing All I Want for Christmas is You with no regards to whomever could possibly be needing the elevator on another floor.

They made their way onto the seventh floor that was already filled with people dressed prettily in dresses, suits and high heels, and they each grabbed a welcoming drink before looking for a table that had room for all four of them. They managed to squeeze in an extra chair with Dorothy and Tamara from Accounting (much to Ruby's thinly veiled delight), and Emma ate snacks and drank rosé and watched the elevator for signs of dark hair and brown eyes stepping into the wonderfully decorated lounge at Mills & Gold Marketing.

"A watched kettle never boils," Jacinda leaned over and whispered in Emma's ear. Sabine was getting handsy already, but Jacinda was taking it like a champ.

Emma bit into a pretzel. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Uh-huh," her co-worker replied.

With a sigh, Emma said, "It's just… we left her all alone down there. What if there's nowhere to sit once she comes up here?"

Jacinda rolled her eyes. "She'll sit with the other heads of departments. Chill, Em."

Emma groaned again. It wasn't that she was worried or anything, she just didn't want Regina to feel left out. The other bosses were all white, old men – except Regina's own mother, of course – and Regina was none of those things. But Emma decided to drop it, mostly because she didn't want the others to catch wind of her slight obsession – and so she grumpily munched on her snack. However, that plan only lasted for a short amount of time, because then she continued on, "It's just – does she even talk to any of us at all? She's always holed up in that office."

"Who are we talking about again?" Sabine asked her; Dorothy and Tamara curiously turning their heads to look at Emma.

"Regina," Ruby and Jacinda chorused with giant smirks.

Tamara raised an eyebrow, "What about her?"

Ruby poked Emma in the side. "Emma's got a crush on her."

Dorothy's eyes turned wide. "On Regina?!"

"Whatever," Emma groaned, and she felt a faint blush rise up her cheeks, warming them and probably colouring them bright red. Thankfully it was dark inside the lounge with only the shimmering Christmas lights to shine on them. "Just forget about it."

Dorothy continued to stare at Emma, obviously very much in chock at these news. "On Regina!?" she repeated, aghast.

Emma shot her a glare. "Yes, whatever. I've got a crush. I like middle-aged, sexy women, who can blame me?" She took another pretzel and angrily bit into it, crumbs flying everywhere as she continued her rant. "What does it matter anyway? Regina's straight and a goddess, and I'm a mere gay mortal. Who the fuck can blame me?" She repeated the last part, because that was what she often said to herself at night before she went to sleep.

"And there she is," Sabine pointed out and nudged Emma in the side with a pointy finger.

She almost gave herself whiplash as she turned on her chair, but Emma saw that Sabine was right; Regina was sneaking into the room, just as Cora Mills and Robert Gold announced the raffle tickets being sent around while they took centre of the room. Mrs. Mills continued to tell them all about the programme for the evening, and soon dinner was being served.

Everyone appeared to be in a wonderful mood this fine evening, and Emma ate with gusto, clutching onto her raffle ticket – number 66 – while shooting small glances towards the table where Regina was seated. None of the boring old white dudes were talking to her, and she was merely pushing the food around on her plate and barely eating. Emma hated herself a little bit for being so obsessed with Regina's actions, but she couldn't help herself.

Regina was so beautiful tonight, too. She was dressed in a stunning Christmassy red dress; it was tight and clung to her every curve, plunging deep between her breasts. Accompanied by high heeled boots and a red lipstick, she was pure beauty, and as Emma wondered what it would be like to feel that heel digging into her back, Regina suddenly rose her eyes from her plate – and looked straight at Emma with a smouldering gaze.

Emma clutched the stem of her wine glass between her fingers, and without covering and lowering her gaze, she raised the glass just so, greeting Regina from across the room. A small, playful smirk danced on Regina's lips, and the brunette lifted her own glass too, before slowly tilting it backwards to take a long sip. Emma's throat went slightly dry, but she mirrored the motion, not tearing her eyes away, before Regina herself did, looking to the side to appear engaged in a conversation with Albert Spencer, head of Accounting.

Ruby snapped her fingers in front of Emma's face, and just like that she was pulled back into the conversation with her friends and co-workers; she had to watch Jacinda and Sabine flirt shamelessly beneath the table, and Ruby make a fool of herself in front of Dorothy, while Tamara looked on, unamused.

The rest of the dinner – and dessert – went on like that; Emma kept shooting small glances towards Regina's table, but she never quite managed to meet her eyes again. Soon, the DJ was setting up in the other room, tables were being moved away, and Mrs. Mills and Mr. Gold were getting ready to announce the presents. Ruby had been going on and on and on about the amount of Christmas presents handed out at this event, and Emma stared down at her number and wished for maybe a gift card to a delicious brunch or a new coffee maker, or just a trip to Starbucks, but her number was never announced. Dorothy won a gift card to a fancy restaurant they had done some publishing for, and she immediately asked Ruby if she wanted to go with her, and while Ruby stammered out a nervous yes, Emma eyed Regina who seemed absolutely unengaged - that was, until Mrs. Mills announced the last present up for grabs.

"And this is a present – mostly for those of you who have children or grandchildren," Mrs. Mills said and held up a big, red leather-bound book with golden letters on the front cover. "Once Upon a Time - I believe we arranged a book tour for this author, and he has been very kind to donate this into our raffle. There's a little note on the inside cover for the lucky winner as well!"

Emma couldn't tear her eyes away from the way Regina sat up straighter in her seat at that; back stretched, eyes alert and her focus entirely on her mother.

"And the lucky winner," Mr. Gold announced as he pulled out a number from the bowl, "number 66!"

Everyone held their breaths and it took Emma moment to realise that he had announced her number; it took her a moment, because she was so busy watching Regina's reaction to notice anything else. As the number left Gold's lips, Regina's face fell quicker than Emma had ever seen before, and she simply stared down at her own raffle ticket, completely saddened by what she saw there.

Jacinda nudged her with a sharp elbow in the side. "Dude, isn't that your number?"

Green eyes fell upon the little paper. "Oh." Emma raised her hand almost on instinct. "I've got number 66!"

Mr. Gold looked pleased that someone had finally decided to speak up, and he said, "Come and collect your present," and as Emma shuffled across the room, people started pushing back chairs and moving about.

She received her gift – the book was heavy, but beautifully decorated – and crept into the hallway outside, leaning against a windowsill as she opened the book. She wasn't much of a reader, and she doubted that she would ever actually get to read any of the stories in there, but there were beautiful pictures, and even she could appreciate that. The Christmas lights in the window illuminated the book; casting small shadows across Snow White's face, and Emma shuddered at the feeling of a warm breath ghosting across her neck, and then a-

"Congratulations, Miss Swan. You won my gift."

Emma turned her head slightly to the side, finding Regina much closer than she had thought she would be. She was standing there, arm just inches from Emma's, and a stiff smile on those blood-painted lips, and what appeared to be a gin and tonic in her hand. Emma gulped. "Your… gift?"

Regina motioned towards the book in Emma's hands. "I wanted to win this book."

"Why?" Emma questioned, mouth slightly agape. She was finding it very hard to think efficiently with Regina this close to her, and it almost felt like a certain energy was thrumming between them, and why did Regina have to have a rich, probably handsome, husband named Henry who spoiled her rotten and appreciated the heck out of her? Sure, Emma could appreciate the female body, but she wasn't rich, and she most definitely wasn't a man.

With a titter, Regina begun, "Well, for my-"

But Ruby's loud cheer cut her off. "Swan, for cryin' out loud. Where the fuck-?" She paused, eyes landing on Regina next to Emma. Regina, who had quickly covered, stepping backwards and out of Emma's space.

Emma wanted to murder Ruby this second. "What?"

"We need two more players for foosball," Ruby explained as if Emma was the dumb one for not realising this. "I wanna beat Dorothy, but you gotta play with me." '

With a bite to her lip, Emma glanced at Regina. "Do you wanna play foosball with us?" And she didn't let Regina get a word in edgewise; she grabbed her elbow lightly – lightly enough for Regina to pull away if that was what she wanted to – and Emma started tugging her down the hallway with her. She was pleasantly surprised to find that Regina did not resist at all, and Emma discarded the book on the table behind her, grabbed a beer for herself and motioned for Regina to stand in front of her. "I'm an amazing goalie, see if you can get one past me."

"If I win," Dorothy said to Ruby, before Regina had time to say anything, "you're gonna owe me ten drinks, Ruby Lucas."

"You're on!" Ruby dared her, and she threw the ball into the table before any of them had time to react.

Emma grabbed the handles, beer splashing over the sides as she discarded it, and Regina quickly followed her motions, grabbing the handles and going in for the ball. And so they ended up playing three matches of foosball, one growing louder than the other. Ruby and Emma kept losing – mostly because Ruby was severely unskilled, but also because Regina was quite distracting – and Ruby kept daring Dorothy for another round.

Regina appeared to have fun across from her. Her cheeks were shining bright pink; probably from the heat and probably from the excitement, and she laughed like Emma had never seen before, laughed like she was actually having a very good time. A small tendril of hair was falling across her forehead, sticky with sweat, and Emma wanted nothing more than to reach across the table and brush it away for her. She was so beautiful, like unbelievably so, but she was Emma's boss, and she was straight, and why was she playing foosball with them anyway?

Because I asked her to, Emma reminded herself as Regina got another ball past her and laughed at Emma, mirth shining in her eyes.

"I thought you said you were an amazing goalie?" Regina questioned as she reached for her drink and daintily took a sip of the straw. Her lipstick was almost off in one side, swept away in the excitement, but that, somehow, made her look even more beautiful.

Emma groaned. "Well, who knew you had amazing skills hidden behind that façade? Where have you been on our Friday Nights at Aesop's Tables? I'm always stuck with this one," Emma teased her as she nudged an elbow into Ruby's side.

Ruby stuck her tongue out at her, and Dorothy said, "Come on, Lucas, let's get some beer. If you're good perhaps I'll consider lowering your debt from fifty drinks to twenty-five."

The two continued to banter as they left the small room where the football table was located, and Regina laughed, still sipping her drink as she leaned against the wall, flushed and out of breath. Emma thought the room was beautifully decorated; with Christmas lights and decorations, and the door had shut behind her friends, leaving out the noises of their co-workers having the time of their lives on the dance floor. Regina wiped her forehead.

"I've never played football before," she revealed with a slight blush, as if she was disclosing some amazing secret that Emma had never once thought of before.

Emma laughed, leaning herself against the wall next to her, shoulders bumping, hands touching gingerly. "You don't say!"

Regina nudged her with her hip. "Hush now."

Reaching for her beer, Emma was still chuckling. "No kidding though, you did good for someone who has never played before."

"Or maybe I was just distracting you," Regina husked with lips that curled into a wicked grin.

"No way!" Emma shook her head, blonde locks flush against the wall. "Alright… maybe a little bit," she revealed next, not quite daring to meet Regina's eyes. "You can't blame me though; the view was very good."

Regina hummed, finished off the last of her drink in one big gulp. She breathed out, heaving chest settling down as they fell down from their many matches. "And is that something you think about a lot, Miss Swan?" she questioned, and this time it was her who didn't dare meet Emma's eyes, "The view, I mean?"

Emma bit her lip. They did say that honesty always was the best solution, but somehow, she was afraid of saying the wrong thing here. She glanced at Regina. "...maybe?"

With an arched eyebrow, Regina tittered. "Hm."

"What?" Emma said. Took another sip of her beer.

"I didn't take you for someone to omit the truth," was Regina's simple comment, before she pushed herself off the wall and walked straight towards the closed doorway.

Emma made a dash for her wrist. "Hey," she said, because how could she not be offended by this. Her mind was a little foggy from alcohol and the rush of foosball, but she was pretty sure that Regina was maybe, perhaps, possibly flirting a little bit with her right now. Or was she making up crazy things in her head? She was very confused.

Regina turned around, not pulling her wrist from Emma's grasp, and taking just a step closer. "What, Miss Swan?"

Pausing, Emma stared at her. They had somehow ended up standing very closely together as Regina turned, and the breath-taking view of Regina's shimmering brown eyes caught her temporarily off guard. She was so close. Emma could clearly see the scar on her upper lip, faint freckles dusting her skin. She could make out every eyelash, and the way Regina's breath seemed to hitch as she also realised just exactly how close they had ended up. Toe to toe. Nose to nose. Emma absentmindedly licked her lip, not sure what to say. It was like her mind had blown a fuse or something. She glanced up. "...mistletoe," was what came over her lips at that, and they both glanced up at once. Mistletoe.

Amusement flickered across Regina's face. "It appears so."

"Tradition says," Emma begun, eyes darting back to Regina's face, just south of her brown eyes, more directly on those red, kissable lips that Emma had had many vivid day dreams about. Her breath hitched, and once more, a tongue darted out to wet her own lips. Her mouth had suddenly gone very dry.

Regina's eyes narrowed. "Well, if tradition says," she replied in a low breath, words husked between them. She grabbed the front of Emma's dress firmly, and pulled the blonde woman even closer than before.

As their lips touched, Emma heard herself let out a soft groan of appreciation; finally tasting those lips that had haunted her ever since she laid eyes on Regina for the very first time when she had first been hired. Regina's fingers danced across her stomach to her side, casually touching her hip as the older woman pried her mouth open and tentatively dipped her tongue into Emma's mouth. If she thought that she wasn't able to think properly before, now Emma was sure she'd never make another coherent thought again, and she didn't even mind that mere hours ago, Regina had been on the phone with Henry – some stupid husband that didn't even matter, because all Emma wanted was more. More of Regina's tongue in her mouth, her hand on her hip. More of Regina's soft hums as she kissed Emma underneath the mistletoe.

She did not get more.

Regina pulled back suddenly, stepping backwards, and dropping her hands quickly. Her lipstick was slightly smudged, but otherwise she appeared unaffected, and as Emma mentally tried to gather herself – to say something – Regina placed a hand on the door and pulled it open. "I need a drink," she said, and before Emma could form a whole sentence, the brunette woman was out of sight.

Emma spent the next part of the evening trying to find Regina again. She had her beer in one hand and her book tucked under the other arm, and she couldn't for the life of her find Regina anywhere. She did walk in on Ruby and Dorothy making out in a closed-off office, and Tamara was drunkenly singing a karaoke version of Driving Home for Christmaswhile making horrible dance moves. Sabine and Jacinda were nowhere to be found, and Emma had a sneaky suspicion that they'd gone home to have sex.

She was coerced into a dance with Kathryn from HR – Kathryn who she knew was good friends with Regina, which was why she approached her to ask where the fuck the other woman was -but quickly sneaked her way out of that one by using the bathroom as an excuse, and as she went into the hallway once more, now quite certain that Regina must have left the party altogether, and why would she just leave the party after that? But then she found her leaning tiredly against the windowsill where Emma had been earlier, and who cared about husbands and everything else – Emma needed to find out what exactly had gone through Regina's mind with a kiss like that.

So entirely sensual. Ground-shaking. Beautiful. Familiar and warm.

Emma resolutely discarded her beer on a table and stamped across the floor, heels clicking as she went. The hallway was empty, and Regina looked up as Emma stopped in front of her. The blonde had worked up quite the frustration, and what was Regina even thinking, leaving her to her own devices when she'd just kissed her so thoroughly? Emma found that very annoying.

"What was that," she demanded to know, one hand on her hip, and green eyes ablaze.

Regina looked surprised to see her there; pulled out of her quiet space to a furious blonde who demanded answers. She pulled herself quickly together though; straightened her back, squared her shoulders and with a regal look on her face. "To what are you referring, Miss Swan?"

"That kiss." Emma didn't care who heard her, she just wanted answers.

"Lower you voice," Regina hissed, and she reached forward, clutching her hand to Emma's arm.

Her touch felt like fireworks on Emma's hot and sensitive skin; tingles shot up her spine, and she just wanted more. "You can't just kiss me like that," Emma replied. She relaxed slightly as the words left her mouth, back falling and lips moving into a soft smile.

Regina arched an eyebrow. "I thought tradition says..."

"I don't care about fucking tradition. That kiss was not just tradition." Emma met her gaze fiercely, not backing down.

With a deep sigh, Regina's fingers tucked even firmer on Emma's arm, and she said, "Come here," as she dragged Emma with her down the hallway towards the closed elevator.

The entire party was on the seventh floor and Emma saw no reason as to why they should leave, but she followed Regina like an obedient little puppy, waiting for the elevator in silence. Only as they stepped inside and Regina pressed the button for the first floor, did Emma open her mouth.

"What are we-?"

"Hush, Miss Swan," Regina firmly said, and Emma closed her mouth. The rest of the elevator ride was silent, and they stepped onto their own office floor; everything was dark and deserted for the upcoming holiday vacation, and Regina strode down the hallway in total darkness.

Emma hurried, following the click of her heels and the sway of her hips. Her eyes could hardly move from the wonderful view of her round bottom in that tight dress, even when Regina unlocked the door to her office, Emma standing impatiently beside her. "Hey, Regina, could we maybe-?" Emma tried once more, but Regina got the door open swiftly; pushing it open and dragging Emma inside with her in one swift motion.

The door smacked closed behind them, and Emma fell against the wall with a deep thump, and then Regina was pressing her nose to Emma's. "I'm going to kiss you again now," she informed Emma with determination, and then her lips were on Emma's once more. One hand in Emma's hair, the other clutching at her hip, and Emma groaned into the kiss. The feeling of Regina's body flush against hers like that was more wonderful than she could have ever imagined in her mind. Everything around her was hot and electric, and she wove her own hand to the back of Regina's head, fingers tangling in dark locks, messing up that coiffed hair as she had dreamed of so many times.

Regina moaned lowly as Emma ran a hand down her back, and everything was going hazy in the blonde's mind. Regina was intoxicating, and kissing her was like needing another breath of fresh air. Kisses trailed from Emma's lips, across her cheek, her jaw and down her neck, and Emma pushed Regina closer to her, urging her to continue her path. Her breathing was ragged, undeniably so, and Regina's name slipped across her lips on its own accord.

"Regina..."

"Shit," Regina murmured, not pulling further away than for the words to slip from dangerous red lips that were currently sending shivers down Emma's spine. "You can't just... you're infuriating, Miss Swan."

Emma wasn't sure she'd heard correctly. "What?"

"How can I just kiss you like that," Regina murmured, and now her lips were definitely leaving the neck area and moving over a clavicle towards the top of Emma's breast. "How can you kiss me and just..."

With a moan, Emma shifted slightly. She was feeling Regina's ministrations between her legs, and at the same time, Regina was not making any sense at all, because she was the one who- she was the one that- Emma moaned again.

"There you always are," Regina continued with a murmur, fingers dancing up Emma's thigh and hitching up her dress slightly, and wasn't there something about a husband somewhere? "...parading around in your tight jeans and those see-through tank tops..." Regina sighed once more, and yes, there was definitely something about someone named Henry, and Emma was pretty sure that- oh God, those lips.

"Regina," Emma moaned, and she tried desperately to push at the other woman, to get her to take a breather and pause, because this – as fucking hot as it was, and it was hotter than anything Emma had ever experienced, because look at the Goddess currently attached to her neck – she couldn't do this with a married woman. "Regina."

With a deep guttural groan, Regina tore her lips away from Emma's body and pulled back, stepping backwards just so. Her hair was mussed, her lipstick smudged, and she looked so sexy, Emma felt it as an extra pang between her legs. "What," she breathed. Her chest heaved up and down, but she didn't bother fixing herself; she merely stared at Emma with eyes so unreadable.

Emma brushed a hand down her face, not caring about ruining her make-up or anything, but just about cooling off. "Who's Henry," was what came over her lips at that. She wasn't sure what else to say, because damn, that kiss had truly been everything she had dreamt of ever since she laid eyes on Regina for the very first time, but it was important who Henry was, it was.

Regina furrowed her brow, stepping even further backwards. She ran her fingertips over her lips as she regarded Emma silently. "Henry?"

"Who's Henry," Emma repeated with determination, because if she was going to make out with Regina, she damn-well deserved to know.

Another step backwards, and Regina was turning around to take a seat on her office chair. She dragged it backwards and sat down, still breathing rapidly, and Emma pulled herself away from the wall, not quite sure exactly what was happening between them at the moment. It was pretty clear – after the way Regina had just acted – that this wasn't just a spur of the moment thing for her either; that she had wanted to taste Emma's lips like Emma had wanted to taste hers. That she had seen Emma at work and wanted to do things to her. Which could only mean that – Regina wasn't happily married, was she? Because if she was, this didn't make sense.

Emma fidgeted slightly, not used to not having pockets and thus nowhere to put her hands. "It's just… the name on your phone earlier," she lamely tried to explain, at once using all her earlier gusto, "Henry?"

With a sigh, Regina reached forward and turned a small picture frame around for Emma to see; it had stood with the picture facing towards her work-station, easy for Regina to see during the day, and now that she turned it over, Emma could see what was on it. Or rather – who. There was a young boy, with green eyes and a mop of brown hair, smiling toothily towards Regina with stars in his eyes and looking so absolutely happy that Emma's heart just melted. "This," Regina said, as she had given Emma a moment to register what she was being shown, "is Henry."

"…Henry?" Emma gaped, because for some reason this was not what she'd pictured Henry to look like.

"My son," Regina added with firmness. She topped it off with an arched eyebrow and a slightly hidden smirk, and it was pretty clear that she was enjoying this.

Emma continued to gape back at her; her brain was having a minor meltdown, mostly because she was an idiot who thought that Regina was cheating when she just had the cutest son with an old-timely name, and – was that why Regina wanted the book of fairytales? Somehow, Henry looked like a kid who liked fairytales. "You have a son."

"Yes, Miss Swan," Regina replied with an exasperated sigh, but it was somehow evident that she was not finding Emma too annoying at the moment. "I do have a son. A lovely, soon-to-be eleven-year-old son." An amused smile played across her lips at that, quirky and fond, and she added, "I, however, do not have a husband. Or a wife. Or any partner for that matter."

It suddenly felt like her throat had gone very dry, and Emma continued to stare at Regina in confusion. "Oh," she replied, "that's… nice for you."

A small chuckle escaped Regina's lips at that, and she reached forward, gently tucking the picture frame back to its previous position; neat and orderly, just like Regina appeared to want it. "I guess it would be rather problematic of me to desire you the way I do if I had a partner at home," she said. She looked up at Emma as the words escaped her lips, challenging the blonde woman.

Her lipstick was still smudged, her skin still flushed, and she looked downright fuckable, and Emma felt the throb between her legs. "You… desire me?" She wasn't sure why she kept replying in these half-sentences, but something in her brain was not working properly at the moment. She blamed Regina's insanely desirable kisses and the way she kept looking at her.

"Oh, Miss Swan," Regina replied as she moved away from her chair. She went around the desk slowly, one hand trailing up her side to graze the zipper of her dress, which was nudged beneath her armpit, and she sat against the desk, legs crossed gingerly and with a look that Emma could only describe as devouring. "I desire you very much."

Emma swallowed loudly and took a step closer. She slipped out of her heels as she crossed the floor, tip-toeing to the other woman with nothing but lust clouding her brain. She'd dreamt of this moment; of Regina right there, on her desk, and it was fucking happening. Her brain had better get with the program. "And I desire you," she replied with determination, and she crossed her arms over her body, fingers gripping the light fabric of her dress, and pulled upwards. Her dress slipped off her body in one smooth motion and ended somewhere behind her.

She had no shame as Regina drank her in, eyes growing darker and filled with desire; she stood there in her bra and miss-matched panties, but the look in Regina's eyes? It was one of pure lust.

"Get over here now, Miss Swan," Regina commented, and it wasn't even only Emma who rushed forward, but Regina, too, reached a hand forward to tuck her closer by the hip. Their lips met again, feverish and filled with want, and Emma moaned at the connection, falling over Regina's lithe body on the desk.

Hands touched her everywhere, warm fingers spilling over her sides, her back, her uncovered butt cheeks in only a thong. Regina was relentless, sending shivers of want all over her, and teeth nippled at her shoulder blades, the strap of her bra, and while Emma wanted desperately to get Regina as undressed as her, it was hard to function properly, when her bra was unclasped, and her breasts spilled out, meeting eager lips.

She groaned loudly as Regina's mouth enveloped her nipple, and the throb between her legs was growing unbearable. "Fuck, Regina." She hissed at just the hint of teeth, and Regina chuckled against her body, slick with sweat, while she tugged at her flimsy underwear.

"Patience, Miss Swan," she hummed, and before Emma knew what was happening, Regina had flipped them over, Emma now perched on the side of the desk, and Regina on her knees in front of her, pulling the thong entirely off her legs.

Emma moaned again as Regina traced kisses up her leg. The room smelled like sex, and there was just something so fucking hot about Regina on her knees in front of Emma; someone so poised and regal was kneeling before her, and it truly turned Emma on even more. In all her fantasies, she'd always been the one between Regina's legs like that.

Regina's lips neared the place where Emma wanted her the most, and she paused, taking in the sight before her, eyes focused completely on Emma's bared pussy in away that should have made the blonde feel self-conscious, but just made her feel desired. "You smell absolutely divine," Regina informed her, before she bent forward, tongue darting out to lick Emma's throbbing clit for the very first time.

It was involuntary. Emma's hips buckled, and Regina's fingers clenched around her legs to keep her still. While Emma fell backwards, elbows on the table to keep some semblance of control, Regina hummed against her slit and dragged her tongue through the wet folds. Emma's pussy clenched around nothing, and she longed to have Regina's fingers buried deep inside of her to ease this aching throb she had felt since the first time she laid eyes on her boss.

"Oh, fuck, that's good," Emma groaned, and she reached a hand forward to gently press on the back of Regina's head; she wanted her even closer, as close as absolutely possible, and she could feel the older woman smile against her, nose bumping into her clit as she gently probed her tongue into Emma's opening. "Shit."

Regina pulled back, tutting slightly. "Language, Miss Swan," she ordered. Her lipstick was entirely gone by now, and her chin was coated in Emma's juices – truly a sight to behold. She looked smug like no time before, and there was a mischievous glint in her eye; something that told Emma that she didn't much mind the language at all.

"Just fucking…" Emma groaned, fingers clenching in Regina's hair, "make me come or I'm gonna burst."

"Fingers?" Regina nonchalantly asked.

Emma nodded. "Fuck yes," and fell backwards onto the desk, affectively wiping office supplies to the floor with a clatter. She was spread open, naked, in her boss' office, but she didn't care one bit. All she cared about was said boss' tongue on her, and fingers inside of her.

Regina rose slightly, leaning forward to suck a nipple into her mouth, while her fingers probed at Emma's entrance. They slid inside easily, two fingers from the go, and Emma moaned in satisfaction as Regina curled them and searched for the right spot inside of her.

"You're really good at that," Emma husked, and she could finally feel her climax approaching; her toes tingled wonderfully, and Regina's ministrations grew quicker and dirtier. The sounds of her fingers slipping in and out of Emma could be heard along with both of their pantings, and Emma grabbed at the table, clawing for something to hold onto, but there was nothing. Her orgasm was just within reach, and as Regina swirled a tongue around her nipple, her thumb pressed down on Emma's clit, and the actions sent the blonde flying off.

Her thighs trembled, and her pussy clenched so roughly around Regina's fingers. She moaned loudly, the sound swallowed by Regina's mouth as she leaned over to kiss her. Emma came, wonderfully, amazingly so, and when she finally relaxed enough for Regina to pull her fingers out of her, the other woman chuckled; clearly pleased with herself. She pulled back slightly as Emma stared up at her, truly worn out by the most amazing sex she'd ever had.

Regina swirled her tongue around her fingers, licking Emma's juices off of them as she smirked. "That was rather quick, Miss Swan," she tutted, but there was a teasing glint in her eye.

Emma groaned, slapping her hand onto her forehead. Her cheeks were slightly red as she realised just exactly where she was, and how it would look if someone were to enter Regina's office at this moment. "You can't blame me for that," she whined, squinting up at the brunette woman, who was now smiling more brightly than Emma had ever seen her do. "Hey, get that dress off, yeah?"

Pausing, Regina motioned towards the zipper of her dress once more. "This dress?" She had the audacity to look surprised.

Wit a bite to her lip, Emma managed to pull herself into a sitting position, and she tucked the other woman to her, ensuring her captivity with two hooked legs behind her. "Most definitely that dress," Emma determinedly said, and she tucked the zipper down, watching as the garment came undone, mesmerised. More tan skin became visible, and Emma felt her throat grow drier, if that was even possible. "You're seriously the most fucking beautiful woman I have ever seen," she told Regina as she raised her eyes to meet brown ones.

Regina appeared to flush slightly. "You're not so bad yourself," she replied in a murmur, and she rolled her shoulders, effectively letting the dress fall to the floor; pooling around her feet.

Emma's breath grew ragged. "Fuck," she whispered, forehead landing on Regina's chest, as she drank in the sight in front of her. Apparently, she had been a very good girl this year to receive such present in the shape of one Regina Mills undressed in front of her.

Dressed in red lace, Regina was quite a vision, still in her heels and with a garter belt holding up her stockings. Emma fell backward with a groan. "Are you trying to kill me," she commented.

With a chuckle, Regina crawled onto the table, breasts almost spilling out of her bra as she leaned forward, trailing slow kisses from Emma's stomach, to the valley between her breasts, before finally claiming her lips. "Perhaps," she murmured with a smirk.

"But what a way to go," Emma breathed. She reached her hands out, not able to stop herself, and thumbed a nipple through the flimsy material of the bra. It was standing to attention already, and Regina's breath hitched wonderfully as Emma toyed with it. Another hand ran down the toned planes of Regina's stomach; white lines from a pregnancy barely visible on her beautiful skin, and as Emma ran her fingers over Regina's panty-covered pussy, she felt exactly how wet the other woman was. "Damn."

Regina moaned slightly, clearly trying to restrain herself, but also giving in to the touch. "Are you going to attempt to fix this, Miss Swan," she said, and she somehow still managed to appear bossy and regal – even in a situation like this.

Emma smirked at her. "I'm not sure I can move yet," she said, and there was a wink to the other woman.

Regina huffed, indignant.

"But uh," Emma tapped her lips with a finger, "hop on."

A flush coloured Regina's cheeks darker, but she played it cool, crawling up the table until she hovered above Emma's head. Her smell reached Emma's nostrils, and it was musky and mouthwatering, and Emma couldn't wait to get a taste of it. Especially in this position. Like she had dreamt of so many times. She licked her lips in anticipation. "I have to do all the work of course," Regina continued with a teasing glare, even though it was clear that she was quite pleased with exactly this position; she liked being on top, and Emma quite didn't mind being her bottom. "I sure hope you put more than this minimal effort into your work days, Miss Swan," she tutted.

Emma slowly reached a hand out and brushed Regina's thong to the side, coming face to face with a dripping, throbbing pussy. "Shut up, Miss Mills," she ordered, before she tucked the other woman onto her face and attacked her pussy with a lot more than minimal effort.

—

They were on the floor of the office; tucked into blankets that Regina kept there for when Henry was sick, she said, and they were both naked; finally rid of bras and panties and stockings and every obscuring garment, and Emma was cradling her boss to her chest, not quite ready to let this moment go. She wasn't sure what was going to happen now that they had done this; not now when it was soon morning, and Christmas and New Years, and then they'd be back at work, and where would these actions lead them? She didn't want for this to be just this, but she also wasn't sure what was the company policy on relationships, and if Regina even wanted that at all.

Fingers brushed through dark locks, and Emma wanted to say something, she just wasn't sure what. "You can have the book and give to your son," was what came upon her lips instead of literally anything else. "I'm not going to read it, and I'm sure he'd love it."

Craning her neck, Regina stared up at her, brown eyes warm and filled with wonder. "Really?"

Emma shrugged, as much as possible in this position. "Yeah, I mean… I don't read… much. And uh, he's a kid, he'll like fairytales and stuff?"

Regina hummed, settling back onto Emma's chest. "It's his favourite author, and it's a special version with a dedication and everything," she murmured. A finger came up to toy slightly with Emma's nipple; circling it, brushing it gently. "I was quite displeased with my mother that she wouldn't make an exception for her grandchild and give it to me. It was all he wanted for Christmas."

Emma's breath hitched. "Well," she said, determined, "he can have it."

"Thank you," Regina murmured, and she pressed two small kisses to Emma's chest.

They were silent for a moment at that. Emma wasn't sure what to say next or how to approach the conversation that she wanted to have. Regina had been so in charge this entire night – both before and during the sex – but for some reason she was not taking charge this moment. The party was dead; there was no music to be heard, and they'd listened to people leave for the last three hours. The sky outside was lighter, and Emma still didn't want to leave to go home and sleep. Ruby was going to have questions, and Emma wanted desperately to have answers for her.

"Where's your son tonight?" Emma asked instead.

Regina hummed. "He's been with my father. I was tempted to not attend this thing, but…" She trailed off, eyes staring into nothing. "Mother wanted me to come, to show a good face, and I – I wanted to win that book for him."

Emma nodded. "Yeah, I – I get that."

"I should probably get back home soon, though," Regina said as she still didn't meet Emma's eyes, "I need to pick him up by nine."

"Oh," Emma breathed. "Yeah, I guess – I guess I should grab my shit or something." She moved to sit up then, wanting to brush Regina off her chest so she could get dressed and do the walk of shame (although to her it was definitely a walk of fucking finally), and Regina leaned back on her hand, eyeing her curiously. "Ruby will be wondering where I've been."

Regina paused. "Ruby? That skank from the kitchens?"

Emma paused, in the middle of trying to find her panties. "Uhm… yeah?" She furrowed her brow, quite stomped by the word 'skank' slipping off Regina's lips like that.

"You live with her?" Regina questioned, and she pulled the blanket up to cover her chest.

"Yeah?" Emma replied.

Regina looked unamused. "So you're worried that I have a parter, all the while you're cheating on your girlfriend?" She huffed, reaching over to grab her bra from where it had landed on a pile of books.

Emma laughed. For a moment, she was certain that Regina had to be kidding, because her and Ruby? Together? That was the joke of the year! But Regina didn't laugh; she appeared dead serious, and Emma scrambled to grab her hands. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she rambled, pulling at the other woman, "I'm not dating Ruby. We just live together. She's… like my sister."

Pausing, Regina dropped her bra back to the floor. "Your sister?"

"Yeah," Emma seriously confirmed. "Like – how can you not see that this is what I've been dreaming of for fucking ever?" Emma rubbed her thumb across the back of Regina's hand, calming down now that she could tell that Regina was relaxing too. "Ever since I saw you, Regina, I've just…" She didn't know how to explain it, so she just stopped talking.

A small smile tucked at the corners of Regina's bruised lips. "You've just what, Em-ma?"

The way she said her name did strange and wonderful things to Emma's body. The blonde shivered. "Just… been fucking gone on you, okay?" she finished. She dropped her panties to the floor again, letting clothes be clothes.

Regina let go of the blanket, too, and it puddled around her midsection. "I should probably inform you that there are certain rules and regulations for employees dating each other in this company."

Emma felt her heartbeat speed up; out of happiness because it appeared that perhaps Regina liked her, too, but also out of worry because what if they couldn't date at all. That would just be so typical her life. "Oh," she whispered, tongue darting out to wet her dry and thoroughly kissed lips, "so I guess we can't go on a date or whatever?" She fidgeted with a loose hem in the blanket, not daring to meet Regina's eyes.

A finger came out to tilt her chin upwards, and brown eyes met green. "I think I'll just need to fill out a form with HR," she husked, and there was an amused glint in her eye. "My friend Kathryn will be thrilled when I hand it in. She's been wanting for me to do something about this forever."

Not able to hide her grin, Emma smiled up at her. "This? What this," she teased.

"Do shut up, Miss Swan," Regina replied, but her eyes shone with mirth. Happiness looked good on her, and the blonde was pretty sure that that happiness was reflected in her own eyes as well. She could definitely feel it thumping in her chest.

"Make me," Emma challenged.

And Regina did.

A/N. Happy holidays to everybody! Here in Copenhagen, we woke up to snow this morning, and I am going back to my family later for Christmas Eve. I couldn't help this Swanqueen Christmas story; it wanted out, and it got totally out of hand, but I hope you all enjoyed it! My Safest Place will be updated on Friday as usual.