Its be forever, I know. This is unbeta'd (sp?). Now beta'd!

Chapter 7

Emma stuffed the last of her tank tops into her duffel bag. Benjamin was supposed to be here any minute, and she wasn't sure she packed correctly. The trip was barely three days, but what if her clothes got dirty from spilling too much food on them. Also she had to have extra, extra underwear in case of a disaster. She also packed the one dress she owned in case Regina wanted to go out somewhere nice. One of these days she'd be able to afford a second dress.

She had taken longer to see Henry off to school that morning, reminding him that Ruby was going to pick him up from the bus stop and that she wouldn't be home till Sunday. He whined about her leaving, but in the end relented when she told him she'd bring him back a gift. It had been a tough few days, spending as much time as she could with her little man knowing she'd be without him for three days. She'd even splurged a bit with her bridge card funds, getting junk food for them to use while watching cartoons on his tablet, courtesy of Regina's rarely used Netflix account.

"Ready to go?" Ruby popped her head in the door, watching Emma zip up her bag that was on the made up futon.

"Think so," the blonde held up a notebook with several numbers. "Here is the list. My cell is there, and that's the number to his pediatrician. I wrote her name out how it sounds because it's just weird. Here is the hospital she works out of…"

"Emma! I got it."

"You need to be prepared in case anything happens."

"You do realize that Granny and I watch him every time you're at work right?"

"Yes but this is more than just overnight. it's going to be days!" Emma could feel herself getting worked up. What if something happened to him and she wasn't here? What if Ruby was late getting him from the bus stop and some criminal snatched him up and threw him into a human trafficking ring?

"His bus should arrive-"

"-by 3:15. I will be at the stop at 2:45 Emma. I will be standing there in the cold 30 minutes early to make sure I get Henry. This isn't the first time I've picked him up."

"I know. I know. I just feel that maybe….maybe I shouldn't go. He seemed alright this morning, but what if-"

"He'll be fine Emma."

"You'll let me know if something happens right?"

"Of course!"

"Okay, Okay." Emma looked down when her phone beeped. A message from Benjamin that he had arrived.

"Is that Mr. Warbucks. Ready to whisk you away." Emma rolled her eyes at her best friend.

"Mr Warbucks? Really?"

"Well I would have said Mr Lewis, as in Edward Lewis from Pretty Woman, but I figured you'd be offended at being compared to a prostitute."

"You figured right."

Emma jumped up and down and shrugged her shoulders to ward off some of the nervousness. It was silly really. She knew Regina. Had spent the last couple of months going to dinners with her. They'd even begun texting more often.

But they had never spent a full 24 hours together, let alone three days.

What if they annoyed each other? What if Regina got sick of her and wanted to send her back immediately? What if she embarrassed the wealthy woman while they were looking at vacation homes? What if she looked poor and stood out to people they met?

"Emma?" Ruby looked at her. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah. Fine. Just thinking." She slung her bag over her shoulder and gave a false grin. They left the apartment, Emma not wanting to leave Ben waiting. "Wish me luck."

"Have fun," Ruby said hugging Emma tightly before watching her walk off . "And don't forget to ask him about my iPhone."

Emma gave Ruby the middle finger as she made her way down the stairs and walked the short distance to where she had Ben pick her up. At least she'd have the ride to the airport to get her thoughts together. She couldn't believe how nervous she was.

"Good afternoon Ms. Swan," Benjamin said as he opened the car door for her. "Our ride shouldn't take more than 30 minutes, but Ms. Mills informed me of the food you like. There is a couple of bags of Cheetos in the console, as well as some bottled water."

"Thanks Ben!" Emma said as she gave him her duffel bag and climbed into the car. "What's all this?"

"Oh, those are some gifts from Ms. Mills. She asked me to bring them along so that you could pick out any items you want to bring on vacation with you." Emma nodded. There were various shopping bags on the other side of the backseat and along the floor. She had never known Regina to do anything half-way and it seemed she was the same way with shopping.

Emma hesitantly opened the first bag on the seat. It was from Polo by Ralph Lauren and filled to the brim. She pulled out a nice striped tee shirt, and saw there were several others in various shades beneath. Further down there were capris and khakis, all with the price tags ripped so as not to show cost. It was the first of several bags. Each were from some place Emma had only seen through a window. Nautica, Macy's, Guess and a few other places she wasn't familiar with but all were stores in which she had never shopped. Rifling through the items, she found a variety of clothing: jeans, collared shirts and a few graphic tees. What angered her was that they were all things she would have worn. Her style. Nothing was too ostentatious or girly that she would have felt uncomfortable.

Regina had known what to buy.

As she got to the smallest bag, she pulled out a small box. Opening up, her breath caught as she laid her eyes on the silver watch. It had a large round face, with silver markings on a blue background. It was nearly big enough to be masculine, but delicate enough to straddle the line.

"Michael Kors," she read off the designer of the watch. Why the hell was Regina buying her these things? She twirled the watch around in her fingers before shaking her head and placing it back in the box and back into the bag it came out of. She wasn't some young woman looking for a sugar momma. Regina wasn't going to turn her into one.

"Feel free to pick out which items you want me to place into your suitcase ma'am," the driver said. "I will have them transferred as soon as we reach the airport."
Emma didn't answer. She didn't plan on having any of these transferred into her bags. She wasn't sure what Regina's angle was, but she knew she wasn't going to like it.

[SQ]

Emma couldn't help the scoff that came out of her mouth as they pulled up to a private hangar. The plane was small, obviously private and not commercial. The door was open and she could see a man standing near the hatch, waiting.

"A private plane. Of course she has a private plane," she said to no one in particular. Benjamin drove closer to the hatch and stopped, opening the trunk. A man in a suit pulled Emma's single duffel from the trunk as Benjamin let her out of the vehicle.

Carrying as many of the shopping bags as she could, Emma made quick work of the steps leading into the posh exterior of the plane. The beautiful woodwork and leather seats would have made anyone stop and take a look, but Emma hardly noticed the interior.

"What the fuck is this?" Emma said throwing the various bags onto the beige carpet.

"What?"

"I said what the fuck is this? All of this." The brunette put down the glass of wine she was drinking and cocked her head to the side, staring bewildered at the blonde.

"Clothes, Emma. Those are clothes, which I'm sure you know."

"Don't toy with me Regina. I've seen the contents of these bags. I may not shop often, but I can tell when something cost more than 20 bucks," Emma reached into one of the strew bags and pulled out the watch case. "Like this! This is not just clothes Regina. This is a fucking $400 dollar watch. I know. I googled it on the way here!"

"Will you sit down?"

"No, I'm not going to sit down! What is this Regina? What, you think that in order for me to go out of town with you and fuck you that you need to ply me with clothes and jewelry? What are you? My sugar momma?"

"No!"

"Ok so you're too ashamed to be seen with me in my normal clothes?"

"No that is not it!" the business woman screamed. She ran her hands through her dark hair, and Emma could feel the frustration coming of her in waves. Good. She needed to be frustrated. Emma wasn't falling for this. She wasn't going to become one of those kept mistresses who were basically bought.

"Look if you don't want the things, I can return them. It's fine."

"I want to know why? What were you trying to get at? I thought we were equal. I thought we were friends! What? You are trying to make sure I owe you something? Make it where I can't say no if I wanted to?"

"What the hell?" Regina stood up from her seat, getting into the blondes face "Why the hell does there have to be some conspiracy behind the fact that I wanted to buy you clothes?"

"Because no one does that without a reason; without an angle!"

"Emma!" the brunette screamed. "I have seen you every week for months. I've watched you wear the same damn jacket over and over. I have seen you wear the same dress when we go out on dates. I watch the rotation of jeans and tank tops..."

"So it's my clot—" Emma was cut off with a hand in her face.

"I have also heard you talk about getting your son the things he needs. Making sure he has the cereal he wants for breakfast or working longer hours to make sure he has the correct uniform tie so that he doesn't get into trouble. I know how hard you work to take care of your son and….and…I just," the brunettes voice broke, "I just thought that maybe it was time someone took care of you."

"Huh?" The blonde felt her rage deflate immediately at the sincere expression on the businesswoman.

"I-I just...I see you every time and lately, the last few times we've gotten together, you seemed tired. I know you put every bit of energy you have into Henry and I...I….I just put a little energy into you." Regina sat back down and immediately turned her face to the window.

Emma didn't know what to say. She wasn't even sure if there was an appropriate response to the situation. Luckily, she was saved by the pilot announcing that they were preparing to taxi for take off. She sat down on the other side of the aisle, across from Regina and buckled in, all the time staring at the woman who refused to look her way.

[SQ]

"Hey, we're about to land," Regina tapped the blonde on the shoulder. The flight had been just under three hours and the blonde had slept most of the way. Regina had seen the dark circles, barely covered up, when they were arguing. The woman wasn't sleeping. That much was obvious.

Emma sat up slowly, sad to have missed the scenery. She had been hoping for a glimpse of the ocean when they arrived, but so far all she saw were buildings and the approaching concrete of the landing strip.

"How far are we from the hotel?"

"Not far, but with traffic I'd say around 30 to 45 minutes. The driver should be able to give us an estimate." The private plane landed easily with its passengers in silence. It was much faster than the couple of times she had flown in her life. There was no terminal and within moments of the engine being turned off, the door was open and a car was waiting.

Emma watched as her own bag was put in the trunk along with the Regina's many suitcases and the clothing she had purchased for the blonde.

"Why do you have four bags? We're only here two nights."

"Yes and I want to be prepared for anything."

"Anything...such as the apocalypse?" The brunette shook her head and rolled her eyes as the driver opened the passenger door for them to get into the vehicle. "Seriously. I've never known anyone to need that many clothes for a weekend."

Regina didn't answer as they drove off. It was silent again, with the brunette leaning her head back against the leather seat. Even with the business woman in sunglasses, Emma could tell something was bothering her.

"I'm sorry."

"What," the brunette sat up, pulling of the glasses and arching her eyebrow at the blonde. "Whatever for dear?"

"For….for accusing you of trying to make me your…whore," she said in a whisper. "I know…I know we have an understanding, but for some reason when I saw the stuff I just lost it."

"No need to apologize Emma, I shouldn't have bought those things without asking you. I can return the items or…"

"No!" Emma said. "I do like the clothes, and I do actually need them. You were right. I haven't gotten nothing for myself in a long time."

"Okay. That's fine." Regina gave a tight smile and put her glasses back on, leaning back into the leather seat again.

"Please don't do that."

"Do what?"

"That. What you're doing right now. Acting as if you aren't upset and being fake with me."

"Emma, I'm not acting-"

"Yes you are. You're doing that thing with your face where every movement in controlled and you're treating me like you treat everyone else. Acting like everything is perfect when it's not. I've seen you make that face at Ben and other people, but not with me," the blonde pleaded. "Don't do that. Tell me….tell me what you're thinking. Please."

Regina exhaled strongly, pulling off her glasses again and straightening up in her seat.

"Okay," she wet her lips. " Well, I'm not sure as to how I feel about what you insinuated. I thought we understood each other, but obviously we don't."

"Regina, I do understand."

"No you don't. Especially when, if I buy you a gift, your first thought is that I'm trying to make you my personal whore."

"I don't think that you are trying to make me your whore. I just..my head was messed up. I was feeling overwhelmed and then Ruby said that people like you and I can't be friends…."

"Ruby? The girl who watches your son? What does she have to do with anything and why does she know about us?"

"She doesnt," Emma turned to the side putting one of her knees up onto the seat. "Not really anyway. She kind of figured out I was...hanging out with someone, but she doesn't know it's you. She just knows it's someone important. "

Regina raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything in response.

"Okay…," Emma continued, "and she and I were talking when I asked her to watch Henry over the weekend. I mean Regina, you have to understand how this sounds when I tell other people about us."

"Well that is the reason you weren't supposed to tell anyone about us Emma. That's the exact reason."

"What the hell was I supposed to do Regina, you aren't exactly subtle. I can't afford this phone, that tablet and I sure as hell can't afford the amount of times I been going out lately. What was I supposed to say? 'Oh hey Ruby, can you watch Henry for three days while I'm out of town. No no I'm not doing anything.' She isn't an idiot, Regina."

"What if she says something?"

"She isnt. Besides she thinks you're man."

"What?"

"She automatically assumed you were a man, and I didn't correct her." Regina jerked her head back in shock and opened and closed her mouth rapidly for a moment. Had the conversation not been so serious Emma would have laughed.

"I guess that's a small consolation," the executive said. "I understand that an explanation has to be given Emma, but why tell her about our...arrangement? Even if she thinks I'm a man, I'm sure she had some opinions. Why tell her anything?"

"Because it's easier to tell some of the truth instead of lying….and I needed to tell someone."

"Why?"

"Because this is new to me Regina!" Emma practically yelled. "Despite the fun we're having, you have no idea the type of thoughts that go through my mind. And Ruby understood exactly what I had been thinking. You take me out, we see each other at night, almost exclusively in hotel rooms and now you are buying me things. How does that sound to you?"

"Emma, I told you why we meet where and when we do. I thought you were fine with that."

"I am, but...Regina we are very different. You drop several hundred dollars on a bottle of wine and I have to count every penny I spend on paper-towel. That kind of dynamic between people is significant, no matter what you think!"

Regina sat back in her seat, as she noticed the car pulling up to the front of the hotel. She said nothing, but Emma could see the woman working her jaw back and forth in anger. Suddenly the angry visage vanished as the concierge opened the door for them. The smile was back in place as they both exited the vehicle and headed to check in.

It amazed Emma how Regina seemed to completely forget their argument as they were directed to their suite, which happened to be on the top floor. She said nothing to the blonde as they rode the elevator and spoke only to the bellhop as they entered the spacious penthouse.

"Please take the bags into the bedroom," the brunette said pleasantly to the young man, never connecting eyes with Emma. Her tone seemed fine, so Emma sat down on the white couch wondering how she was going to bring the subject up again since Regina seemed to have dismissed it. The suite of rooms was lovely. A wall of windows led them onto a balcony with a spectacular view of the water. She couldn't remember what body of water they were near. Pacific ocean? Some gulf? Whatever it was, it was gorgeous.

Emma walked over to the sliding door, ready to explore the balcony, when she heard the suite door close and Regina's heels clicking on the tile in the foyer.

"So...tell me what I have done to deserve this suspect treatment?" The brunette said leaning against a wall.

"What?"

"What have I done to make you think that our financial differences affect how I see you?"

"Nothing, but…"

"But nothing. Our...our...association," she could never figure out what to call them, "has never been about money. Sex, yes. Money, no."

"Oh please Regina. We fuck and you buy me expensive dinners and a new phone and now clothes. Despite how you feel, we are not equal in this. How could we ever be equal? Other than my body, there is nothing else I can give you."

"Your company! Your friendship!" Regina yelled. "Look, there are people out there who think that the more a person has the less humanity they have. And that simply isn't true, Emma. I am simply sharing what I have when we're together, not because I am buying you, but because I appreciate being with you. I bought those clothes because I admire you and everything that you are doing."

Emma scoffed and muttered 'stripping' under her breath. Unfortunately the brunette heard her. Regina stepped further into the room, and Emma could see the irritation coming off her.

"I won't apologize for being who I am, and I sure as hell am not going to let you treat me like a criminal because of some personal issues you are having with yourself." She worked her jaw back and forth. " It has no bearing on the type of woman I am. So please let these fallacies go, I don't give a damn what your friend thinks, but I care what you think, about me and about yourself."

"How can I do that? How can I just ignore what is all around me Regina. The glaring differences"

"I don't know," the brunette admitted as she walked back through the foyer and opened the door. "But I would think you've come to know me over the last couple of months and I would think that my actions and my behavior is worth more than the words of someone who doesn't know me at all."

The door closed behind the brunette and Emma sank into the couch. Regina was right, she hadn't given Emma indication that she thought less of her. But then why did she feel like a fool? Every time she spoke to the woman, there was an internal battle. One side of her wanted nothing more than to enjoy the executive's company and let everything else go. The other side of her could hear the criticism of former foster parents, social workers and teachers. They were telling her that she was exactly what they expected of her. A hoe.

Emma shook her head, stood up from the couch and walked back over to the doors that lead to the balcony. She was being foolish. This vacation was supposed to be fun, supposed to be time to relax, and here she was ruining it. Why?

Because she honestly cared what Regina thought of her.

[SQ]

Regina swirled the vodka around in the glass. It was always something, and this time she wasn't even in a relationship. She took another sip of her drink, wanting to pace herself as this was her second. She turned around, watching the hotel bar pianist playing a soft Jazzy tune.

Jazz, it was one of her favorites. The instrumental music changed meaning with her moods, and this evening was no different. Right now, she could feel the melody take on a heartbreaking tone. She had told herself that she didn't care what the blonde thought, but over the last two months the woman had come to mean more to her than the occasional warm body in a bed. She hadn't been able to talk to anyone about her life since Mal, and it had been nice, while it lasted.

Friendship was a foreign concept to her over the years and she was now remembering why. People were too easily influenced by others. How could Emma try to tell her what she was thinking? All because of a woman who didn't know her. She had believed the blonde was above that; that she, like Regina, formed her own opinion. That obviously wasn't the case.

Regina stepped up to the piano and began flipping through the request book as she took a small drink from her glass. She wasn't interested in complicating their...association, and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness and regret beginning to develop. The executive quickly stomped out that emotion. It had run it course, just like every other interpersonal relationship in her life; intimate or not.

"Hey," Regina turned around quickly as saw the subject of her thoughts standing behind her with a half smile on her face.

"Yes," she said coldly.

"We never...I….we didn't," Emma stuttered. "Can we go upstairs and talk?"

"I don't know, can we? Should I be offended by you hiding me from all these people?"

"Okay,I deserved that, but Regina..it's not that simple. Please," she whispered keeping her eye on the musician who was staring straight at his sheet music.

Sighing, the brunette walked away from the piano and over to an empty table in the corner of the bar.
"Emma, this doesn't have to be difficult," she sat and gestured for the blonde to the the same. "I will go look at homes with my realtor tomorrow and you can stay here. Or, if you wish, I can arrange for a flight back for you early tomorrow…."

"No!" Emma nearly yelled and caught herself bring attention to them. "No. I don't want to stop being...friends, Regina. I just...I know I should not have accused you of that or made such a big deal about your income, and I am sorry."

"But why did you?"

"Regina, if you asked me how many times I have had people treat me like I didn't matter for no other reason than who i was, I couldn't tell you."

"But…"

"No. I know you haven't, but if you spent your entire life knowing that every person you met just wanted to use you and saw you as trash….and then some rich ass woman claims to want nothing more than your friendship….what are you going to believe?" The brunette didn't say anything but she knew exactly what Emma was saying.

"Emma, you aren't trash."

"I know that, but I dont...I dont want you to think that I'm... that I'm like that."

"Like what? I just said you aren't trash."

"No. Like ya know, some girl who is hanging around you waiting for a handout. Regina, I am not with you for the stuff you buy."

"I know that."

"Do you? Because when Ruby said those things..I worried that maybe that was how you saw me too. And then I told myself that you didn't, but then I saw that watch and those clothes and ...I just...I freaked. I thought that you assumed that I was expecting you to give me money to "floss" or something."

"Floss?" Emma just shook her head. It was easier to not explain.

"Nevermind," she sighed. "I just want you to know that I am not like that. I'm not expecting anything. I'm grateful for the things you've done, but it's not expected."

"Emma," Regina started. "I did not think you expected anything from me. I was merely wanting to do something nice. I promise. I am not trying to buy you. I told you, we're friends." Emma smiled and put her hand over the brunettes.

"In fact, I don't even care about being seen. How about we have dinner in the hotel room and just...talk?"

"I have the perfect idea for dinner," Regina grinned.

[SQ]

"How did I not know we had a hot tub on our roof?" Emma said, picking another onion ring from one of the platters on the side table next to the jacuzzi. Regina had surprised the hell out of her by taking her up a spiral staircase in their suite and onto a small terrace that had a wet bar, dining table, lounge area and private hot tub.

The view was spectacular, and she had taken the time to gaze out into the ocean while they waited for their dinner which consisted of salads and Emma's favorite snack foods. They had eaten most of the light meal on the lounge and now were both sitting in the hot tub, watching the sunset and eating. Well Emma was still eating; Regina was just having a drink of sparkling water.

"I don't know dear," the brunette said leaning back further and letting her hair dip in the water. "I thought you had walked around while I was downstairs."

"No, I was too busy trying to figure out how to apologize for being an ass."

"Emma, it's fine." Regina shook her head and relaxed into the water.

"I know," she said. "I'm just sorry. You worked to get where you are and I'm sorry if I made you feel like I was judging you for that."

"Emma, say sorry one more time and I'll throw those french fries off the balcony." Emma widened her eyes in mock fear and raised her hands in surrender after she stuffed a handful of the food in her mouth.

"Done apologizing." She said around food, causing the brunette to laugh a bit and shield her eyes.

"Emma, that's disgusting," Regina laughed. The blonde shrugged and swallowed before smiling again.

"Ok so back to what I was saying, that asshole keeps cutting my hours and I am afraid to say anything because he might just take me off the schedule all together. I am not interested in becoming full time at the lounge, but at this point I might not have any choice."

"And you can't find anything else?"

"I've tried. I mean I have very little skills besides waitressing and making drinks," Emma said sighing. "Everywhere I look they want a high school diploma and I don't have that."

"I might be able to make a few calls when we-"

"No Regina. I don't want you doing that. I am gonna handle this on my own."

"Emma, what's the point of having contacts if you don't make use of them. I know plenty of people who may be hiring."

"Yeah?" the blond said turning to Regina. "And what happens when they ask how you know me? Or what if I screw up and mess up a good contact for you."

"I'll cross that bridge if I come to it."

"Nope. It's not that bad yet. I mean I am taking extra hours at the club, but as long as Henry has what he needs I'm ok. Maybe I'll just quit the coffee shop all together."

"What? Why?"

"Because it's less money for the hours. I can make twice what I make at the coffee shop in less hours at the lounge. And if I have extra time I can go ahead and get my GED, and be home when Henry gets out of school everyday."

"Emma you just told me less than 2 minutes ago that you didn't want to take more hours at the strip club."

"I know," the blonde muttered. "But I have to find a way to improve myself ya know.I can't be working minimum wage forever and expect to live." Regina nodded. She didn't like the idea of Emma working several times a week as a stripper to provide for her son. She also didn't like knowing that she could do something but wasn't being allowed.

"Come on dear, let's get out." The mood had changed and the sun had already set as the two made their way inside to dry off. They were both silent as they prepared for bed. As they slipped in between the soft sheets, Regina turned to her side to stare at the blonde who was obviously not in the mood for something more. She realized that this was the first time they were going to share a bed without sex.

"I think you should do what you think is best for your family," Regina said, stroking the blondes arm. "Don't feel like you have to do one or the other based on what other's think."

"You know, I never thought I'd end up a full time stripper."

"No?" Regina asked with levity. "I never thought I'd end up sharing a bed with a stripper."

"No I wanted to be a G.A.L."

"A what?"

"A G.A.L. Guardian Ad Litem," Emma said turning to face the brunette. "They are like, personal lawyers or representatives for kids in foster care. I had bad and good ones, so I decided that when I got older, that was what I was going to be."

"Oh!" Regina said.

"Yeah. For older kids they talk to them and take their opinions into court, for younger ones they just like...make decisions based on what they know. Like, when I was 14, my GAL didn't even ask me what I wanted. She just went ahead and told the court. I hated that. She acted like I was an infant and she would come for 5 minutes before a court date just to say she had been to see me. But eventually I was switched to this guy, Mason. He was awesome. He made sure he visited me regularly and talked to me about the home I was in, see if I needed anything and presented me with possible families. I never picked one, but he was great."

"Sounds like he made an impact."

"He did. I said that when I got older I would...I would be a GAL like him. I'd make sure I listened to my kids before just saying anything to a judge or caseworker."

"I imagine that your experience in foster care would make you ideal for the position," Regina said. "I think it's perfect actually."

"Except the part where I don't qualify." Emma said. "I can't even support myself. And the rules change so much. I hear in some states they only allow lawyers and other places you can volunteer."

"You should look it up."

"Maybe," the blonde said turning over. "Maybe one day."

Review/Let me know what you think.
One more chapter of fluff and then on to some plot