THANK YOU. To all of you who took the time to read this fanfiction, THANK YOU. To all of you who are following this story or have decided to make it a favorite, THANK YOU. And to those of you who took the time to review this story, this chapter is for you. THANK YOU. For everything. You've made me smile. I hadn't planned a second chapter so forgive me if this ends up being a huge disappointment. I did the best I could with the time I had. Again, THANK YOU.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Regina let go of Emma's hand as soon as they were both inside, turning slightly so that she could close the door. Once her eyes met Emma's again, she found herself staring into a green pool of insecurity and self-doubt. With both her hands awkwardly hidden in the back pockets of her jeans, Emma looked like she had just awoken from what she thought was a dream. Regina could almost hear the debate going on in Emma's mind. What am I doing here? Did I really come bother a professor at 4 in the morning? At home? What was I thinking? She was not supposed to answer the door.

"Would you like something to drink?" Regina felt the need to put a stop to what would probably end up causing Emma a migraine, giving the girl a reason to run away in embarrassment and to never set a foot in one of her classes again.

Emma shrugged for the millionth time that day and Regina couldn't help but smile at the same time as she rolled her eyes playfully.

"Use your words, dear. They are a whole new palette of colors for you to use. Trust me, you will be surprised with what they might bring you."

"Is that so?" Emma asked, curiosity biting the tip of her tongue as she raised an eyebrow.

"Indeed. You have no idea of what you could get if only you asked for it." Regina answered, her eyes never leaving Emma's now challenging ones.

"I shall keep that in mind." Emma said with a courteous nod.

"Wine?" Regina then asked as she started making her way to the kitchen.

"Red, please." Emma replied as she sat on the couch, finding herself looking at Regina's work. The first few pages were all faces. They were beyond amazing and there was something about the way Regina drew and shaded the eyes. It was if she could actually see through them. She wondered how Regina had gotten so good at this.

Emma was no idiot, she knew she had some raw talent, but Regina? It was like her blood was graphite and she just bled over a canvas and it all came together. That had to be it. How else would she be able to explain all the emotion conveyed on and by those portraits? It all seemed so personal, so firsthand experience. Had Regina taken the time to study their faces in the same way she had allowed Emma to study hers? All those faces? It sounded impossible. And yet, if she didn't know better, she would say that each and every single of one of them was/had been one of Regina's lovers/loved ones.

There was love in the trace. And there was passion too. They also seemed to exude sexuality, like an invitation. The pictures seemed to be screaming for her to look at them, to look closer, to see them, to reach out and touch them. They seemed to want to be learned and spoken about. Those drawings were alive. And Emma had this crazy feeling that, no matter what happened to the people who were now staring at her from the different pieces of paper, they would end up living forever, as long as someone stayed in touch with Regina's drawings. It was if Regina had captured a breath inside of them. It was magical.

"Just in case you're wondering, I don't spend my days feeling other people's faces." Regina said as she sat by Emma's side, giving the younger woman a glass of red wine as she had requested. "Not physically, at least." She added as she took the glass to her lips, taking a small sip of wine before smiling at Emma.

"Where do you find them?" Emma asked, accepting the glass of wine and focusing her attention on her professor instead of on the drawings that stood in front of her.

"Usually at the cafeteria." Regina replied with a small shrug. "Around lunch."

"I guess what we eat really does say a lot about who we are." Emma chucked but raised an eyebrow as she noticed how Regina's eyes seemed to drift away for a moment.

"Not exactly what we eat, but the way we eat it." Regina started. "I usually find myself watching those who are by themselves. They are the ones who think nobody is watching them. Why would someone be watching them, right? No one cares. No one should care. They are not expecting company, they are not expecting anything. And what you do when you think no one is watching is truly who you are. It tells me a lot more about you than anything you could possibly decide to share about yourself. There is not mediator, you see? There is no one tampering with the message." Regina couldn't help but laugh at what she had just said. "That sounded extremely sinister, didn't it?"

"Just slightly." Emma said softly, waiting for the teacher to continue.

"That was actually why I didn't think twice before reaching out for your hands." Regina confessed. "From the moment you walked through the door I knew there was something about you." She smiled at the memory as if had happened months ago and not just a few hours before. "The way you walked to your drafting table. You walked towards it as if you were alone in the room. Truth to be told, no one seemed to care about whatever you were doing. That was what caught my eye in the first place. And then you chose my table and..." She sighed. "And the way you held your pencil and caressed the blank page..." She smiled yet again. "So much respect and honor in your actions." She continued. "And then I looked at your portfolio and that was it." She shrugged.

"What am I missing...?"

"Who said you were missing anything...?"

Emma rolled her eyes and went back to studying Regina's drawings.

"These do."

Regina moved closer to Emma, their knees brushing together as the older woman leaned over for a moment so that she could see the ones Emma was talking about.

"And don't go all I-have-more-life-experience than you because you're only like 7 years older than me or..." She stopped mid-sentence as she reached the last three drawings that had been covered by the other faces. Hands. And not just random hands. "Are these... mine?"

Regina nodded.

"How did you..."

"I am far from knowing your hands by heart." Regina started. "Sadly, I must add. You have beautiful hands." That could mean so many things but Regina decided to leave it at that. "This, darling, is what happens when you try to learn someone else." Regina's voice tone went playful for a moment before reaching seriousness again. "Once you allowed your hands to feel my face, to learn every single line and texture, you had to open up. You know how they say that we see in others reflections of ourselves?" Regina's eyes were shining brightly, as if she was about to share the greatest secret of all times. "This is it. This is the secret. To learn others you have to meet and deal with yourself first. And it's not the self you pretend to be when with others, it's about the one who's facing the ceiling at night while trying to fall asleep. That's you, in the dark, all by yourself. The fact that you carry on breathing means that you are willing to give yourself a shot. But then you must go all in... you must deal with yourself before letting yourself try to deal with others. You must fall in love with who you are. Not get obsessed. You have to fall in love. And that means that you need to learn to love every single imperfection you are made of. And instead of covering it up, you must wear it with pride. And once you do, you will be so open to everything and everyone that you will feel the textures with just your eyes. And you will be able to smell the skin of someone far away by only closing your eyes and imagining resting your nose against that person's neck."

"I feel like kissing you just for the sake of it." Emma said after a few minutes of silence, her eyes still resting on the drawings of her hands.

Regina reached out, a hand carefully and softly lifting Emma's chin and turning her face slightly so that Regina could look into Emma's eyes. "Never do anything just for the sake of it." Regina said as she brought the younger woman's face close to hers. "Don't fear the intensity of a moment." She nuzzled Emma's neck before bringing her lips closer to her ear. "You will never get a chance at it again." She whispered, placing a gentle kiss there before pulling back slightly, finding the younger woman staring at her, her mouth agape. "So make the best of it." She murmured. "Don't waste it thinking whether it is right or wrong."

Regina then pressed her lips against Emma's. Once. And twice. And thrice. Until the younger woman turned fully to her and brought a hand to the back of Regina's neck, pulling her closer.

Mouths open and tongues meet. At first it's slow, like two strangers approaching each other to start dancing. A hand is put out and a bow is the reassuring yes. The first steps are measured to avoid stepping in each other's toes. But then the rhythm of the music starts following the pace of their hearts. And that's when magic happens. The world outside is nothing but a secret being kissed to the ear of someone who has long ago lost the ability to hear. And so the others senses are amplified and you just cannot stop wanting to reach further, to feel further.

"Please, tell me that not every single teacher is like you." Emma whispers against Regina's lips as she tries to catch her breath.

Regina chuckles. "Wait and see?"

"I want to see you. All of you."

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Hope you enjoyed it! Again, THANK YOU.