This chapter is for realJane91 with the prompt: "Emma dances like a gentleman with Regina at a masquerade party. But Regina doesn't know it was Emma all the time in disguise."

Love this! Enjoy!

"Mom, you have to go," Henry said. "It'll be like the balls in the Enchanted Forest."

Snow and David had decided to throw a masquerade ball in honor of everyone making it home safely from the Enchanted Forest and the Underworld. Everyone but Robin of course.

"I was forced to go to those," Regina said. "Besides, I would like to save myself the embarrassment of not being asked to dance."

"It's a masquerade ball," Henry argued. "No one is going to see that it's you anyway."

Regina sighed. "Henry, I just don't want to go."

She didn't mention that she mainly didn't want to go because Emma wouldn't be there. The sheriff had already told Regina that she definitely was not going, especially to a ball. It reminded her too much of the days that she would have missed out on as a princess.

Regina and Emma weren't in a relationship by any means, but the death of Robin and Emma's relationship struggles with Hook bonded them in a way that neither woman had been expecting. Neither of them wanted to admit it, but they had started to develop feelings for the other.

"Please?" Henry asked. "I can guarantee that something good will happen. And that you'll be asked to dance."

"By who?" Regina asked. "You?" Even though his mothers didn't want to go, Henry certainly did. He had been dreaming of this night all week.

Henry shrugged. "Maybe. Just, please come with me and go. Even if you don't get asked to dance, I bet that you'll have a good time."

Regina sighed as Henry turned his puppy dog eyes on full force. He could get anything with that look. "Fine. I'll go. But you need to help me figure out what I'm going to wear."

Meanwhile, unknown to anyone but Henry, Emma was going to Gold's shop for a little assistance. Normally, she wouldn't do this. But she wanted to go to the ball. Just not as herself.

The bell on Gold's door jingled as Emma entered the shop. She closed the door behind her and locked it, not wanting anyone to witness the deal that was about to be made.

"Locking the door?" Gold asked. "Something going to happen that you don't want others to see, dearie?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "I don't need anyone knowing that I'm making a deal with the Dark One."

"We're making a deal?" Gold asked, a smile growing on his lips. "How very delightful. And what do I have that would interest you?"

"I need to go to this ball, but as a man," Emma said. "I know that may sound strange, but-"

"I don't need to know why you're doing it," Gold interrupted. "I have a spell that will disguise you as a man, so no one will know who you are."

"What do you want in return?" Emma asked.

"Your blood," Gold said, picking up a vial and handing it to Emma. "A couple drops should be enough for me."

"My blood," Emma said slowly.

"Product of True Love, dearie," Gold said. Emma rolled her eyes before pricking herself with a needle and putting several drops of blood in the vial offered to her.

Gold put the vial in his jacket pocket. "Very good. Now then, shall we?"

Emma nodded and closed her eyes. She felt the slight feel of magic flowing over her. When the feeling went away, she looked down at herself. "What? I'm still me. We had a deal."

"Before you get upset, look over there," Gold said, pointing to a mirror.

Emma glared at him before walking over to the mirror. She gasped at her reflection. The spell had worked perfectly, transforming her into a man with blonde hair and Emma's same green eyes.

"Thank you," Emma said.

Gold cleared his throat awkwardly. He wasn't used to people thanking him for his help. "You're welcome. Now go change into something more appropriate. You have a ball to attend."

Regina walked towards the ballroom and was immediately hit with the sense of being back in the Enchanted Forest. Everyone wanted to relive those days, and was more than happy to fully participate.

Regina glanced at herself in the mirror and couldn't help the smile that came across her face. She and Henry had chosen a light pink gown, with gold glitter on the skirt. The top came gracefully off of her shoulders, and was highlighted with gold beads. It was elegant, and no one would know it was really the Evil Queen behind the mask.

Regina's mask was the same light pink as her dress, with gold glitter twisted into elegant patterns and around the rims of her eyes. Regina had magically done her hair in a curly up do, bringing the attention more to her face and mask.

"You really do have a thing for mirrors," Henry teased from behind her.

Regina chuckled before turning to face him. His outfit matched Violet's perfectly, and Regina found that entirely adorable.

"Yes, well," Regina said. "Old habits die hard."

Henry smiled. "So are you actually going to go down to the ball, or just stand up here and hide?"

"I'll come," Regina said. "But not with you. That would be too obvious."

"Okay," Henry said, taking Violet's hand. "I'll see you down there then. Save a dance for me."

Regina chuckled and nodded. After Henry and Violet had been gone for a while, she followed them into the ballroom. She couldn't help but smile at the feeling of being home. She didn't want to admit it, but part of her missed the Enchanted Forest.

As Regina walked down the stairs, she noticed a man waiting at the bottom, staring right at her. He had on an elegant white shirt with a golden sash across his chest. His pants were white as well, with a line of gold on the side of both legs. His mask was almost identical to Regina's, except his was white instead of light pink.

Regina looked in surprise at the man. Was he waiting for her? And why was he dressed like they had come together to this outing?

She reached the bottom of the stairs, and the man was quick to approach her. Regina didn't recognize him, but as she looked in his eyes, she couldn't help but have a feeling that she knew this man somehow.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, bowing to her and holding out his hand.

Regina smiled and took his hand. "You may."

And so their night together began.

Regina couldn't stop smiling the next morning. She had no idea who her mystery dancer was, but she was determined to find out. Perhaps he would be the cure for her love for Emma.

"So, you seemed to have had fun last night," Henry said coyly, walking into the room.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Yes, I did have a nice time. We'll have to give Emma a hard time for missing out on the opportunity."

Henry bit his lip and smiled. He wanted badly to spill the beans that Emma hadn't missed the ball last night, and Regina's mystery dancer really wasn't a mystery. But that was Emma's story to tell, if she ever chose to tell it.

Regina jumped as her phone went off. She looked at it and chuckled. "It seems like my presence is required at the station. Our lovely sheriff seems to have lost the ability to correctly do paperwork."

Henry laughed. Emma was good at her job, but paperwork seemed to always evade her talents. That was where Regina came in.

"Have a good day at school," Regina said, kissing the top of Henry's head. "I'll be back after I help your mother figure out what lines she needs to sign on."

"Having some troubles?" Regina teased, walking into the station.

"Just a bit," Emma said, sounding defeated. "I know how to write the report, I just don't understand how to submit it to you. You should have just kept paperwork on paper instead of online."

Regina shrugged. "Now you won't lose it. And it saves trees."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Since when do you care about the environment?"

"Since right about now," Regina said. She took a blank piece of paper on Emma's desk and began searching for a pen. "Don't you have any pens? I'll write down the instructions for you so we don't have to do this every time you have paperwork."

"Top drawer," Emma said.

Regina opened the drawer, moving things around to find a pen. As she was digging, she saw a piece of a white object, rimmed with gold. Eyes widening, Regina grabbed the piece and pulled out the mask that had been on the face of her mystery dancer. "Where did you get this?"

Emma smiled. "Knew you'd find that."

Regina looked at Emma, and then into Emma's eyes. She gasped. "How? You're who I danced with last night."

Emma nodded. "Yes ma'am. You're a good dancer by the way."

"How?" Regina asked again. "You were a man."

"Gold disguised me so no one would recognize me," Emma said. "At the typical ball, men and women dance together, not two women. I wanted to dance with you if I was going to go to the ball."

"You did this to dance with me?" Regina asked, amazed. "You would do something like that, for me?"

"I'd do a lot for you," Emma said honestly.

"Well in that case, there's something else that I want you to do for me," Regina said.

"Anything," Emma replied quickly.

Regina smiled. "Go on a date with me."