Please Note that the rating on this fic has changed as of this chapter.

They weren't about to go out. There weren't that many places to eat in town, even fewer that had a passing familiarity with a romantic atmosphere, and none that the mayor and the sheriff could be seen at together without causing a gossip storm the that could be seen from space. So they were at the mansion again and Regina cooked.

"The frilly apron tops off the whole ensemble," Emma had teased leaning against the wall openly admiring the other woman.

Regina gave her a glare but there was humor in it. "Henry got it for me for is ninth birthday. I think Mrs. Lucas helped him pick it out."

There was something endearing, maybe even charming, about the fact that this put together woman would wear anything if her son gave it to her. Neal was watching Henry for the evening and Emma had even managed to avoid an awkward conversation about why she needed a babysitter or who she'd be with. Neal was just so excited to play dad.

Emma wondered if he'd ever be able to stop thinking of himself playing the part. Or if she did. It was hard to imagine it now that she'd gotten to see Regina pull off that dance without suspecting some evil plot.

It was actually kind of sexy.

Dinner was steak with mushrooms and looked to Emma like it came out of some kind of professional kitchen. "How did you learn to cook like this? It's not from back..."

Regina always teased her for the fact that she could never get the words Enchanted Forest out of her mouth.

"The curse gave me some basic knowledge, but I had a lot of time before Henry came along. I watched a lot of Julia Child on the Boston PBS station."

"I'm beginning to think, Madam Mayor, that you watched a lot more TV than you've been letting on."

"You have lived in Maine during the winter, Emma. There isn't that much else to do."

"You picked it."

"A horrible place where no one would have happiness," Regina agreed with something that might have been a self deprecating laugh. Emma loved the hints of humor that she saw behind those eyes, the ones that weren't part of her armor.

In fact, if Emma had been asked, she would have said the evening with Regina Mills might have been the most perfect date she'd ever been on. Quiet, full of humor and moments of getting to know each other without defenses. Human.

Right up until they'd made it up stairs.

The kissing had been glorious. Not like their usual passionate crashing hunger from the first time they'd been with each other a year before. Regina had initiated it, soft, but with a hesitant sexuality as her tongue flitted into Emma's mouth. Their hands had started to explore, and perhaps the hesitant stopping and starting should have been a warning. Each time one of them wondered if they were getting too aggressive they would pull back.

But still they found themselves in Regina's bed. Regina had unbuttoned the shirt Emma was wearing and they had both fumbled with bras. Somehow that always seemed more sexy in her imagination, though she wanted to ask Regina how she managed to do it with one hand.

Regina looked down at Emma for a moment like she had a dozen times before. Like the sheriff was a possession, or a conquest, and then there was something like guilt in her eyes that made the subsequent sucking on Emma's nipple perhaps one of the least sexy experiences of her life. It wasn't hard for her to figure out that Regina was afraid of hurting her. There hadn't been much concern about that when they were having angry sex against the wall of the mayor's office.

Or in a bed at the B&B.

Emma thought if she took control it would be less awkward. Which only made everything a thousand times worse. As her hand went down to part her legs and find the nub of her clit Emma could actually see Regina's eyes go dead. As if she wasn't even there.

"Stay with me..." She'd whispered, out of frustration but that only made her fingers slip and Regina groaned. And not in a sexy way. After enough of this they both just stopped and lay side by side in Regina's bed looking at the ceiling. Anywhere but at each other, though Emma thought she saw the corners of Regina's eyes heavy with tears that were not yet flowing.

"I ... ah... we can figure something out another time."

She found all her clothes as quickly as possible. Everything but one sock and she wasn't about to chase it down given she was sure that Regina was only holding it together because she was still in the room.

The walk of shame home was even more embarrassing for having not actually managed to do anything that would make it better. And a lot that had made it worse.

She thought about going to the Rabbit Hole to get a drink before heading home, but really she was never that much of a social drinker preferring to find her demons at the bottom of a bottle of whiskey at her own home. Except she couldn't do that either with Henry there.

She thought he might actually have been excited when she went off on the date earlier and there was no way in the world she was going to let him know it went that badly. Or what went badly. She slipped her key in the lock and prayed that Neal had managed to fall asleep watching I Love Lucy reruns. Of course her night wasn't that good.

"Hey Em, how'd your mystery evening go?" Ever since the fireball Neal had been trying to offer blatantly obvious false excitement over Emma's dating prospects that didn't involve him. Except he did know her, perhaps better than just about anyone else in town, and he knew that look. "What happened?"

His demeanor shifted from unwilling ex to protective in an instant.

"It's fine."

"Emma that does not look fine. Am I going to have to find some big burly fairy tale asshole to beat up."

"Neal, you don't get to beat up anyone on my behalf anymore." Not that he ever did. "Besides it wasn't a date."

"Come on, you can't seriously think you can hide that. Your Mom was down here after Henry went to bed to grill me on who it was."

"Which is none of your business. Or hers." She desperately tried to change the subject, "Respecting bed times I see? I figured you'd have him up watching something completely inappropriate."

"Her majesty's rules were obeyed to the letter. The last thing I want to do is end up like the servants that upset my dad."

"What did he do?" Emma took down a bottle of whiskey from a hiding place, and tried not to think about the fact that Mary Margaret was playing sleuth with who she was dating.

"He killed them." Neal said simply, rather killing that line of inquiry into getting to know the real Neal. Emma wondered if she could say or do anything right tonight. "Yeah, well, evil does that to people." He glanced down the hall and Emma sighed and handed him a glass of whiskey.

As much as she wanted to drink alone. He nodded thanks and took a big gulp. "Henry doesn't seem to be quite as afraid, which I don't quite get. I mean I was constantly afraid that dad would hurt someone because of me."

"Regina's trying not to hurt people for him."

"Evil always wins, Em."

"She's trying."

"She'll fail."

"I don't think she will," Emma felt this sudden need to defend Regina, after having failed her so miserably earlier in the evening.

Except this was Neal and he knew her. "Oh Emma..." He shook his head. "I know I'm not much of a step up... but really... I was never an Evil Queen." And suddenly she felt like he was reading her like a book. "What did that witch do to you tonight?"

"Don't call her that."

"It's a descriptor Emma. She practices magic, that makes her a witch."

"I think... she prefers sorceress..."

Mercifully he put his glass down. "You've made it abundantly clear I don't get to judge your life."

"You don't." Emma looked him in the eyes, and suddenly she realized that this night could really get worse. "You aren't going over there tonight, Neal. Or any night."

He just shook his head, "Night Em."

The door shut and she found her own bed and wondered if Regina was still crying into her pillow as the tears began to flow down Emma's face.