They are getting there guys. They are slowly getting there.

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Happy reading and good OUaT-day to you all.

Chapter 6

First Try, First Time

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Life was a crazy weird creature. First Emma had been intimidated by both Regina and Henry. Then she had felt like killing Regina in her sleep, while falling in love with the boy. After that Henry had became her responsibility, and Regina had started to change. And now, three years later, she was eating dinner with the woman who tried to murder her family on multiple occasions, and the son she had had with a man that came from the same parallel universe that her...

Or maybe life was just high and drunk. All the time.

What else could have gone through Emma's mind as the Evil Queen and Snow White's grand son were both looking at her, waiting for her to find a explanation about some magic book?

"When August arrived in Storybrook," she started, "the book went missing for a while and then reappeared with Pinocchio's story in it. Maybe he was the one to put it in there."

"Pinocchio would be the writer?" Henry asked but he didn't look convinced.

"Very unlikely," Regina commented. "The magic from that book is extremely powerful, way above whatever that puppet could ever accomplish."

"But maybe he knows something," Emma tried.

"But Pinocchio lost all his memories when he went back to being a boy," Henry pointed out.

"Pinocchio might not remember anything but..."

"Maybe Geppetto does."

As Regina finished Emma's sentence, the two women exchanged a look that turned into a smile.

"Operation Mongoose is one!" Henry threw, vocalizing everyone thoughts.

Emma openly laughed, messing up with the hair of that amazing little monster that was her son. It was Regina's giggles that made her look away from him. The woman was smiling brightly, the perfect red of her lips emphasized by the white of her teeth. She really looked amazing when she smiled, especially after the mess she had just gone through. Emma could see through that. She knew Regina was still in pain and emotionally confused, but it made her only stronger in her eyes.

As soon as she felt the twist in her stomach and the heat in her veins, Emma knew that she was back in trouble. The first time she had felt like that was back in Neverland. She couldn't really tell if it was because she had discovered so much of Regina then or simply because it was the first time she had been certain the woman wasn't a threat, but she had started having the hots for her.

Emma couldn't get herself to call it anything else. It wasn't much more than that really. The brunette pushed her buttons in all the ways that made Emma want to slam her against a wall and tear off her close. It's not like she didn't like Regina as a person, she did -as much as you can like someone that tried to kill you on multiple occasions, murder your parents, cursed an entire kingdom and ruin your chance at a normal life- but there really hadn't been much more to it that just physical heat.

Between Hook and the missing year, she had gotten over those... hormones issues. And she was starting to really get attached to the pirate.

And now her entire system was a roller coaster every time she saw Regina. She needed to get that under control. She couldn't be Regina's friend if she spent her time trying to get a smile out of her or simply looking down her cleavage.

"Going up!" Henry had finished clearing the table and rushed up-stairs like the house was on fire.

Emma was still half in her thoughts and Regina was absentmindedly cleaning the dished. After a moment, as the sound of the shower reached their ears, both women turned to each other. They simply starred at the other, then looked at the stairs, before starting to laugh.

"Well, when he wants something, he doesn't give up," Emma said, taking the clean dishes and starting to dry them.

"He must have gotten that from me."

"Definitely."

"Are you OK with him staying for the night?"

"Well it's your house so..."

Regina stopped and turned to look at her in the eyes.

"That is not what I asked."

Emma felt a wave of heat hitting her and swallowed hard. She was genuinely touched, and impressed... and feeling like a sixteen year old in front of the most popular boy at school.

"I... I'll be fine," she finally managed to articulate, both pissed at herself and pleased with Regina's kindness. "You're sure this spell will hold?"

"Yes. I'm sure."

"Then I guess I'll just have to trust you."

The two of them exchanged a smile and Emma felt the butterfly dancing in her stomach. She looked away, focusing of the dishes. She needed to keep her hormones in check. Regina was her friend, and if anything else than friendship transpired out of her, that would destroy everything they were building. She needed to think of something else. Like Hook. She needed to call Hook. She hadn't spoken to him in two days and he always managed to turn her down.

Even in her head that didn't sound right.

"Why don't you... magic all of this?" Emma suddenly asked, pointing at the dishes.

"Before you broke the curse, I didn't want Henry to see me use magic so I did things by hand. And after that I had gotten use to it. It clears my mind. And I don't want it to be an excuse for him not to clear the table."

Emma smiled. Regina was always two steps ahead, especially when it came to Henry. Almost thirteen years of being a mother must have done that to her.

"Why didn't you want Henry to know about your magic? You could have been his Mary Poppins."

"Magic was one of the things that pulled me and my mother apart. She wanted so bad for me to be excellent at it that I hated magic for a very long time. And I didn't want Henry to feel alienated, like he wasn't good enough because he couldn't use magic."

Regina sounded casual and didn't look up as she was drying her hands, but Emma could see through that. The brunette wasn't so much talking about her relationship with Henry as the one she had with her own mother. Emma could oddly relate to that. Feeling like an outcast in her own family, always having the impression that she wasn't good enough. She had even blamed herself for a very long time for being an orphan, wondering what was so wrong with her that she had been abandoned on the side of the road.

"You didn't want him to be the Ugly Duckling..."

Once again Regina smiled at her. Had she ever seen the former queen smile this much in the past three years? Emma felt like in the course of a few days, she had discovered more nuances in Regina's smiles than she even could have though possible. The sheriff felt herself bending forward, ever so lightly, like she was going to taste those red lips.

She slapped herself internally, tearing herself away from the sight of the brunette. The entire universe would crumble around her if she acted on those hormones. Henry would hate her, Regina would hate her, the town would look at her like she was a freak. She could almost feel their stares on her just by thinking of Regina's lips. She could hear their voices lowering as she pasted by. Their judgments following where ever she went. Whatever she did.

She had enough problems with magic. And the Snow Queen. And her parents. And Elsa's missing sister. And Henry. She didn't need that on top of all of it. Maybe she just needed to tame those hormones. Maybe she really needed to call Hook.

"I'm in bed!" Henry shouted from his room.

"Good job kid! Want a picture?" Emma teased back.

Then Regina did something strange. She climbed up the stairs and went straight for Henry's room. Emma fought her curiosity for about half a second -best she could do- and followed the brunette. Without entering her son's bed room, she looked in discretely. Regina was sitting on the side of the bed, whispering to Henry. After a while, she kissed him good night, switched of the light and walked out on her tiptoes.

Without a word, Emma followed her down into the living room. Regina opened a bottle of wine, and the sheriff almost refused. She didn't feel like drinking, but she really didn't feel like putting Regina through some rejection. Of any kind.

Taking a full glass she asked : "Do you do that every night?"

"No I do not. I keep the drinking for special occasions. Like breaking up with a married man and seeing my son for the first time in days."

A bitchy Regina was an emotional Regina, that much Emma knew for sure, so she didn't react at the sharp tone. She understood it. Sometimes she even wondered how Hook could put up with her mood swings. Then again, most of the time, he just made up with it. Literally. And she rarely complained.

"No, I meant... you know... going up and kissing him good night."

"Every chance I get, yes. Don't you?"

"No..."

There was a moment of silence and Emma felt very uncomfortable.

"I just never really thought of it," she explained, feeling like she had something to prove. "No one ever kissed me good night, or read me bed time stories. It just... never came to mind."

That didn't feel any better. Now she just had the impression that she was asking for someone's pity and not someone's understanding. Emma took a long sip of wine, trying to cover her uneasiness.

"This wine is a Bordeaux, Miss Swan. Maybe you should taste in before hovering it in all at once."

Regina was teasing her. She didn't look sympathetic, or even particularly touched, she had just taken the information and done nothing with it. No judgment whatsoever. Then again, Emma couldn't picture Cora reading fairy-tales to Regina. Or Scifi-tales. Or whatever the story people told their kids before putting them to bed.

"Well if you wanted someone to enjoy wine you should get another roommate. I'm more the drink-it-'til-you-can't-stand type."

"Peasants..." Regina commented, rolling her eyes.

Emma just smiled and took another sip. The brunette didn't even sound bitchy anymore. She wasn't putting any efforts in the pretends.

Emma walked to the chimney and hesitated for a second. She didn't want to screw up. She pulled on her anger, focused, thought of the candles and the wood light up. Regina turned to face the fire. For a second she looked impressed, sincerely so. Emma smiled wickedly.

"Come on say it."

"Say what?" Regina answered, not quite managing to hide her smile.

"That I'm doing good. Just say it. I promise it won't hurt."

"Do you need me to record myself so you can listen to it when you go to bed ?"

"Actually, I'd rather have it in writing."

Regina smiled sarcastically but didn't answer. Dodgy, Emma thought. If Regina Mills had been born a dwarf, she would have been called Dodgy.

Half an hour later... Or was it an hour...?

A full bottle of wine later, the two women where standing with their backs to the fire place, getting their legs and hands warm. There had been quite a bit of talking, about Henry, his school, the Enchanted Forest, Snow's childhood... Emma had never though that she mother could have started so... empty and vain. And there had been a lot of comfortable silences during which Emma could either allowed her mind to wonder of, or let her eyes run along Regina's body. She wasn't even picturing anything, or really thinking anything, she was just enjoying the moment, and the woman next to her, every way possible.

Actually, she was doing it right now.

And maybe it wasn't the greatest idea as Regina followed her gaze, looked down at herself, and up again. She probably would not have concluded to anything if Emma hadn't blushed enough to make her cheeks burn. Her heart started racing, a million awful scenarios playing in her head. It was all going to burst. And she would not go down without dignity. Pulling all her walls up, Emma straitened she spine and held Regina's puzzled gaze.

She wasn't defiant, or angry. Just unapologetic.

And Regina didn't do anything. Or at least nothing Emma though she would do. She just starred back, the ghost of a smile floating on her lips, maybe even some red cumming up her cheeks. No judgment. The Queen of Bitchiness was just taking it in, not pulling away or pushing her back.

Emma cracked into a smile. A strange one, almost painful. She broke eye contact, not wanting to see anything more in the brunette's gaze.

Then she felt Regina move away from the fire. Walking in front of her. Kissing her.

Emma stood there, frozen. Regina's lips where warm and her breath ticked her face. A few lost hairs where caressing her cheek but apart from that there was no touch. Just the kiss. The blonde closed her eyes, wondering what Regina's hair would feel like in her hands, if she would taste of wine or lipstick, but she didn't dare move more that the tip of her lips.

"You're going to burn the all house," Regina whispered and Emma felt the heat of the dancing fire on the back of her legs.

The brunette made a small gesture with her hand, taming the inferno to a few amber.

"Good night Emma."

'Night... Emma though very loud but she wasn't sure the words had passed her lips. She stood there a moment before bringing her hand to her mouth, as if to check this hadn't been a trick of the wine. The sheriff turned around, putting her arm on the top of the fire place, burying her forehead in her elbow. That was not going to make things easier. But Regina hadn't been scared, or disgusted, or just freaked. But there was so much more to take into account. But maybe it didn't mean much.

Emma swallowed the rest of her wine, half wishing for another bottle. She pulled away from the warm fire place and immediately a chill took her. She rushed to her room, thinking that maybe the spell could both keep her magic in, and her problems out.