Lying in her bed later that night, Emma tried to sleep, but again was unable to shut out the thoughts that flooded her mind. She wondered what Regina had meant when she'd said, 'That sounds good.' Alone, or with the rest of the group? She couldn't tell from the woman's response. Should she ask her to clarify? Should she just wait and let it happen? Yeah, she decided. Definitely not asking. That would sound ridiculous.

Still, she imagined the two of them – just the two of them – sitting at the bar, sipping their drinks. Emma would order a scotch, her favorite drink, and she imagined that Regina would get something girly, with fruit. Something like a strawberry daiquiri. Maybe a French martini or a Tequila sunrise. All Emma could think was, 'Tequila makes your clothes fall off.' Oh, God… Emma groaned in her head. Regina drunk on tequila…

She imagined the woman laughing… leaning against her… their shoulders brushing… In her head, they'd share a giggling kiss, then Emma – sober enough to walk in a straight line and support Regina's weight – would lead her back to her apartment. Regina would… They'd…

Emma's mind froze on the image of them tearing each other's clothes off. No matter how hard she tried to fight it, the thought took over, and as soon as Emma slipped under the covers, she began to touch herself, her fingers working her into another panting orgasm as she watched the star's face twist in pleasure in her mind. Once she'd finished, Emma fell into a deep sleep and remained enveloped in her dreams until her alarm went off the next morning.

She grinned as she fixed her coffee, staring off into space as she absently stirred in the cream, until she realized that she'd over-poured, and that the hot liquid was pouring over the sides of the mug.

"Shit!" she cursed, immediately reaching for a handful of paper towels to clean up the mess.

The smile returned quickly, though, as she thought of the date they'd had in her imagination the night before and sipped the coffee that remained in the mug.

When she arrived at the theatre early, she found Regina running lines backstage. The woman didn't notice her, so she stood a ways back and just watched as the brunette poured all of her passion into the words. Only when the leading lady had finished the scene did Emma make a sound, clapping her hands quietly. She smiled as the woman whipped around to face her, clearly startled by the noise.

"Well done," Emma said. "Flawless, as always."

"I don't feel like I'm getting the emotion of it. I feel like I'm not grasping her character, you know? Lucy is so complex, and I just-"

"You are. I promise you are. You might not feel like it, but you're nailing it."

This brought a slight smile to Regina's lips as she folded her script shut and stood up. Just then, the director walked in, with John following closely behind.

"You better watch it today, Swan," the director warned. "You're on really thin ice."

"You got it, Sarg," Emma responded, rolling her eyes and taking her place in the left wing of the stage.

John took his place in the opposite wing and gave Regina a friendly wave as she took center stage while the rest of the cast filed into the theatre.

"Why can't you all be like Miss Mills here and arrive early for rehearsal? That's real dedication."

"I was here early too," Emma muttered, not loud enough for anyone else to hear her.

The cast simply grumbled and took their places.

"Alright," Don said loudly. "From the top!"

That time, though still captivated by the star's beauty, Emma didn't miss a cue throughout the entire run-through. The director said nothing as he left the building when the rehearsal had ended. Once again, Emma and Regina were the last ones in the theatre.

"See?" Regina said to her cheerfully. "I knew you could do it. You sleep well last night?"

"I… Um…" Emma stammered, blushing brightly as she thought about the previous evening. "Yeah… I, uh… I slept great."

"That's awesome! I'm happy to hear it, and I'm glad you're back on track. I knew you'd get through it."

"Thank you, Regina. That's very kind of you to say."

"Just being honest. I have faith in you. You're excellent at your job. Don't let anyone tell you differently, okay?"

"You either, alright? Not even the critics," the blonde said, flashing the young woman a bright smile.

"I'll try," the leading lady agreed, smiling back. "But you have to promise to stop talking shit about yourself."

"Yeah, yeah," Emma laughed. "Whatever."

"No, seriously."

The stage manager sighed, "Alright, fine. I promise."

"Good. And you have to come out with me tonight."

"What? Tonight? But I'm not dressed to go out..."

"You look great, Em. Just come out with me."

You look great. The words echoed in Emma's mind. Em. The nickname, when said by this beautiful young woman, made the blonde sweat.

"Alright… If you're sure I look alright."

"You look great. I wouldn't lie to you."

"Are we meeting up with the gang, or…?"

"They're going to Rudy's, but I was thinking we could maybe hit up Catalina?"

"Oh, um…" Relax, Swan, she told herself, then finished, "Yeah, that's cool. Whatever you wanna do."

As they walked into the bar, Emma warned herself, Let's not have a repeat performance of that night with John. Sober as a judge. Let her do the drinking.

So she ordered a scotch and watched as Regina took her turn to make a drink request.

"I'll have the same," she said with a smile.

The bartender nodded and hurried off to pour their drinks, leaving Emma staring at the young woman on the stool beside her.

"What?" Regina laughed, seeing her unbreakable gaze.

"Scotch?" she replied.

"It's a personal favorite."

"I would've pinned you for a girly drink kind of gal."

"Well, you would've been wrong," the brunette retorted, still smiling. "Hard liquor is my thing, on the rare occasions that I do drink."

"I don't often indulge either. Not a big fan of how it makes me act. Inhibitions go out the window and I make… um… poor choices."

"Oh, yeah? Like what?"

"Like John," Emma admitted, staring down at her drink as the bartender placed it in front of her.

Regina, however, didn't take her eyes off the blonde.

"You were drunk?"

"Yeah. I was pretty sloshed. Not my best decision-making. I was stressed and sort of figured it'd get me to relax, but I overdid it."

"Some people don't do so well when they drink. Not everyone holds their liquor well."

"Oh, I can hold it. It just turns me into a complete idiot, apparently."

"It sort of just makes me giddy. Everything's hilarious when I'm drunk."

"I sort of figured you'd be that kind of drunk," Emma laughed. "I bet it's cute."

"Nah."

"Let's find out. Bottom's up, Princess."

With a shrug, Regina lifted the glass to her lips and downed the liquid in its entirety in one big gulp, leaving Emma staring once more.

"Wow," she breathed. "That was…"

"I might not drink often, but I can hold my own."

"Apparently, you can. You didn't even flinch."

"Your turn."

"I'm not here to get drunk. Besides, someone's gotta be sober enough to walk you home, yeah?"

"You don't have to walk me home. I'll catch a cab."

"No way, Regina. I'm not letting you try to get home drunk all on your own. I'm walking you."

"You want another, darlin'?" the bartender cut in, seeing that the brunette's glass was empty.

As his eyes lifted from the glass – he was clearly checking her out – Emma felt her hands tighten into fists as jealousy reared its ugly head inside her. This was only made worse when Regina flashed him a charismatic smile and nodded her head.

"Please."

While they waited for the bartender to return, Emma took a sip from her glass, then found herself looking deeply into the woman's eyes. Regina didn't break the gaze. Instead, she propped her arm up on the counter with her elbow and rested her chin on her hand, offering Emma a softer smile than the one she'd given the young man who'd brought their drinks. He returned quickly, breaking them both out of their trance.

"Alright," Emma said with a smirk. "Let's see it, hot shot. Show me what you got."

"Oh, you just wait. An hour from now, I'm going to be the funniest person in the room."

"I don't doubt it."

So Regina tipped the glass back, once again downing its contents in one go. She repeated this action a few minutes later when the bartender returned with her third drink as Emma continued to nurse her first glass.

It wasn't long before the brunette's face began to grow red with the heat of the alcohol.

"I have a theory," she slurred, licking her lips.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. I think I know why John was mediocre in bed."

"Is that so?" the blonde laughed.

"He's a guy," Regina cackled, clearly loving her own joke.

Emma laughed harder at this, until tears started to fill her eyes. She only stopped when she realized that now was her opportunity to share her sexual orientation with the woman and drop a small hint of her interest. However, she quickly chickened out and decided against making a comment.

"Guys are always mediocre in bed," the brunette continued, finishing off her fifth drink, after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah," the stage manager finally agreed. "I guess you're right about that. I've never really had a good sexual experience with them."

"Maybe," the star continued drunkenly, leaning in until their faces were close together, "what you need is a woman."

Oh, God, Emma silently groaned. What the fuck am I getting myself into?

"I think we should get you home," she said suddenly. "You're pretty drunk."

"I'm not that drunk," Regina slurred. "I-"

"You really are," the blonde laughed. "C'mon. Let's go."

Emma settled the tab, paying for Regina's drinks after a dramatic fit of protest. As soon as the woman stood up, she nearly stumbled back onto the bar stool, but Emma caught her quickly and kept her arm around Regina as she helped her stumble outside. Of course, Regina was laughing the whole way. Even drunk, her smile lit up the room. When they got outside, Emma realized that it was also brighter than the brightest New York City lights that surrounded them.

Luckily, the leading lady's apartment was just a few blocks from the bar, and it only took them a few minutes to reach it. Regina struggled to get her key in the lock for quite some time, laughing the entire time, until Emma finally took it from her and unlocked it herself. The apartment was surprisingly upscale, and impeccably clean.

At first, the blonde helped her to the leather couch in the living room, but as soon as she was sitting, the intoxicated woman muttered, "Bedroom."

The sober woman swallowed hard and stared down at the beautiful brunette for a while, then finally helped her back up and walked her into the bedroom at the end of the hallway. Without hesitation, Regina started to strip, all the way down to her undergarments. Emma instantly looked away when she saw the bare skin of the woman's toned stomach appear from beneath her shirt and averted her eyes just before her bra was revealed.

"You can look," Regina laughed drunkenly. "It's not like you've never seen a woman's body before."

"N-No… Th-That's okay."

Regina shrugged, pulling on her pajama pants and shirt slowly as Emma remained turned away. Given how heavily intoxicated she was, it took her a while to struggle into the garments, and Emma's lungs constricted as the minutes ticked by.

"Done," the brunette finally announced. "You can look now."

"Alright… So… Do you need anything? Glass of water?"

"That would be great." So Emma left the room and returned with a cold glass of water, earning a, "Thank you, sweetheart."

"Not a problem. You okay?"

"I'm good," Regina giggled. "Next time we get you drunk."

"I think not."

"Oh, come on. We could-"

"I'm a horny drunk. You don't wanna see that mess."

"Maybe I do," Regina said slowly, putting her hand on top of Emma's.

"I should go," Emma said quickly, pulling away. "It's late. Get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow."

As soon as she left, though, after a reluctant nod of understanding from Regina, she regretted her decision. I should have stayed to make sure she was okay, she was thinking. But she knew that the young star was too drunk to make any good decisions, and it seemed like a better idea to let her get sober before allowing her say anything she'd regret the next morning.

She was flirting with me, Emma told herself. She was actually flirting with me! But eventually, the thoughts morphed into, She was just drunk. When she reached her own apartment, her night ended much the same way the previous ones had – in an orgasm – but this time, she imagined, quite vividly, their lovemaking in Regina's bed instead of her own.

Again, she arrived early to rehearsal the next morning, anxious to make sure that the leading lady was alright. When she didn't show up in the next fifteen minutes, Emma decided to send a text message to her phone.

'Hey. Just checking in. You alright?'

'On my way. Getting out of bed sucked ass. Total hangover, but that's our little secret, yeah?'

'Of course, sweetheart. Secret's safe with me.'

Oh, shit, Emma silently cursed, once she'd sent the message. Fucking 'sweetheart?'

As soon as the young beauty walked in, Emma felt her heart jump into her throat. Despite the reported hangover, Regina lookedamazing (as always). Even more so, really. Emma assumed she'd put in extra effort to compensate for feeling like shit.

"Hey, champ," Emma greeted her with a smile. "I've got some ibuprofen if you want it."

"Oh, my God," the woman groaned. "Thank you so much. I raided my medicine cabinet this morning and had nothing."

Emma laughed lightly and pulled the bottle of pills out of her purse, then handed it to Regina, who quickly popped two of them and handed it back.

"Thanks," she said again. "Hey, listen… I'm really sorry about last night… I was going for funny and kind of ended up a wreck…"

"You weren't a wreck, hun. You just had a little too much. Hence the hangover," the blonde told her. "You eat anything this morning?"

"Yeah. I made myself eggs and some super greasy bacon. I'm gonna regret it when it goes right to my thighs."

"Oh, my God," Emma laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. You are not going to gain weight from one breakfast of bacon and eggs. You'll be fine. I eat that shit all the time, so I'm a little pudgy, but ya know… Tastes good. Life's too short not to eat what I want."

"Are you fucking serious? Dude, you're ripped. There's not an ounce of fat on you! I've seen you lifting all the heavy equipment. You're as strong as any of the guys in the crew."

"There's pudge. It's just under my shirt so you can't see it."

"You don't wear shirts. You wear tight-fitting tank tops that hug your abs and-"

"What?"

"What?! Your fucking washboard is impossible to miss. If you wore a shirt that was actually your size, your biceps muscles would rip through the sleeves. Besides, your abs were staring at me first!"

Emma gaped at this comment, completely caught off guard by the woman's words. What was she supposed to say to that? It was a ridiculous statement that she saw absolutely no truth in. Even if it was true, she felt it was a huge exaggeration. (In reality, it wasn't.) Fuck, man, Emma thought in a panic. Maybe she is flirting with me… No. No way. She's just being nice. She's always nice. To everyone.

Luckily, they were quickly interrupted by a few members of the cast filing into the theatre, and she didn't have to respond.

"Hey, guys!" Regina greeted them cheerfully, giving an enthusiastic wave. "Ready to knock this out of the park?"

"Too early for this," her female co-star (playing the role of Dr. Jekyll's other love interest, who was also named Emma) grumbled. "You're way too chipper in the morning, Regina."

"Just my personality, I guess," the brunette said with a shrug and a smile. "Happy to be here and ready to start the day."

Her smile was infectious, and Emma smiled too, even though she agreed with the other young woman that it was far too early to be that exuberant. She couldn't help herself. It was almost impossible not to smile around Regina. The woman simply lit up the room, no matter where she was or what time of day it happened to be. Even with a hangover and a pounding headache. Not to mention, she always looked impeccable. Taking notice of this once more, the blonde began to stare again.

"You alright, Em?" Regina finally asked, tilting her head as she looked at the woman with concern in her eyes.

"Huh? Yeah. I'm good," Emma said, a light blush rising to her cheeks as she quickly looked away.

Hopefully she didn't notice, Emma was thinking, but knew that she probably had. Feeling embarrassed and wanting to escape the moment, Emma hurried off to the left wing of the stage where she sat down on her usual stool and opened her script. Anything to keep her eyes off of the leading lady. She buried herself in her notes until the director called for everyone to take their places, then finally looked up and watched as the cast gathered in the wings and waited for their entrances.

When it was finally time for Regina to step on stage, Emma knew she didn't even need to nod in her direction to cue her. The star knew the entrances (and the lines) like she knew her own life's story. The young stage manager smiled as the brunette hurried on stage (her character was late for work) and watched from the sidelines as her face expressed the character's emotions.

That rehearsal went off without a hitch. Even the sparsely talented Robin was on point for almost the entire day and evening. He barely missed a note (which was wonderful, since the last thing Emma wanted to see was for his fuck-up to mess Regina up). When they finally called it a wrap for the night, almost everyone left immediately (per usual), and, as seemed to be a trend recently, the blonde was left alone with the star of the show as they gathered their things backstage.

"Hey," Regina said softly, after looking around to make sure they were alone. "I just want to say thank you again for last night. For taking care of me. No one's ever done that for me before."

"Oh… um…" Emma started. "It's no problem."

"I really am sorry," the brunette sighed. "I acted like such an idiot."

"Regina. Seriously, it's fine. It wasn't an issue. It was actually kind of nice. You were funny. It cheered me up and helped me relax. I do feel kind of bad for leaving you like that though…"

"What do you mean?"

"I feel like I should have stayed with you a little while longer to make sure you were alright."

"Emma," Regina laughed. "I was fine. You got me home safe, and that's what matters."

"Yeah, but… but what if you'd gotten sick? I mean… You had a lot to drink, and I…" Emma sighed, then continued, "I shouldn't have left you like that, and I'm sorry."

"I was fine," the woman repeated. "Really."

"You said you'd be fine getting home by yourself too, but I didn't believe that either. Did you get sick after I left?"

"Emma…"

"Did you?"

"It's not a big deal. I had too much to drink, but I was fine. A little puke never hurt anybody."

"Fuck! Regina, alcohol poison could kill you! I knew shouldn't have left you alone! God dammit…" Emma dropped her head into her hands and added, "I'm so sorry. I should have stayed with you."

"Emma, I don't need a babysitter. I'm a grown-ass woman, and I can take care of myself."

"Hey… I wasn't trying to say that you couldn't, but everyone needs somebody to look out for them sometimes. There's nothing wrong with that."

"I…"

"I'm happy to be the one to help."

"That's… That's really nice of you, Emma…"

"Nah," the woman said, brushing the comment off with a slight smile. "Just doing my civic duty."

"Your civic duty is to take a lady out, pay for her drinks, then walk her home to make sure she's safe? Sounds a little more like chivalry to me…"

Of course, the blonde had absolutely no idea what to say to this, so she stared dumbly at her shoes and simply mumbled, "I, uh… Yeah? I mean, I really didn't do such a great job… I should have stayed."

"It's no one's duty to take care of anyone. I think you know that, and I'm pretty sure you did it out of the goodness of your heart. It was very kind of you, and I appreciate it."

"Look, it's not a big deal. Let's just drop it, alright? Like, seriously… Don't mention it."

"Alright, tough guy," Regina laughed. "We don't have to talk about feelings."

Oh, God, Emma was thinking. If only you knew.

But the blonde certainly wasn't going to tell her any of her feelings. Nope. That wasn't happening. No chance. No way. No how.

Instead, Emma just forced a quite laugh and gathered the rest of her things, mumbling, "I'm gonna head out. I'll see you Monday. Have a good weekend."

"You too, Emma. Thanks again."

"Seriously… Don't mention it."

Before Regina could make a retort, Emma hurried off and left the building in a rush, eager to avoid any more awkward conversation with the woman she had such a deep crush on. The last thing she needed was to let it slip that she had the crush at all. As much as she was dying to talk to her, to hear her voice and see her smile, she was more concerned with making an ass of herself.

Monday came and went with no conversation other than a quiet 'Hello's and 'Goodnight's. Just by random happenstance, they didn't find themselves alone together after the rehearsal. A few other people lingered around chatting once they were through. Tuesday was much the same. Wednesday as well. In fact, the rest of the week passed that way.

The following week was Hell Week, the last few days before opening night that Thursday. The director was worked into an irritated frenzy and criticized every tiny mistake (of which Regina made none). Emma, however, thought the show was coming together nicely. All of them had their lines down completely and were finally acting like professionals. Their focus was sharp, and their production stage manager (as well as the stage manager working under her) appreciated their cool, collected demeanors. Surprisingly, none of them seemed anxious. Regina even seemed excited.

If she hadn't known by the date on the calendar (or noticed the complete and total panic exuding from the director), she would have been able to tell that it was opening night by the spark in their leading lady's eyes as soon as they gathered for one last run-through before the show. It also helped that Regina was finally in full costume (which drove Emma completely insane as she tried to keep her shit together, the point where her mouth was almost watering as she watched.

When the run-through was over, just before the curtain call, Emma asked her, "You nervous?" knowing full well that she wasn't.

"Not at all. You?"

"No, actually. You guys have your shit together. Especially you. I'm not worried, even if Don is."

"Well, we've all worked hard to get here."

"Some of you have."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just like you said, some people care more than others. It's really just been the last week of rehearsals that people have seriously pulled it together. I was a little concerned for a while there. Not about you, though. You've always given this your all."

"That's true," Regina replied with a smile. "It's what I love."

"And you're fucking great at it."

"Emma…"

"Just say thanks and shut up," the blonde laughed, playfully nudging the woman's shoulder.

"Th-Thank you…"

When the director approached them and shoved them towards the wing of the stage then hurried away, they both laughed quietly (not loudly enough for the audience to hear).

"You look great," Emma told her, giving Regina's shoulder a little squeeze. "Go kill it, kid."

With a nod and a bright, eager smile, the brunette hurried across the stage, behind the curtain, to the other wing where she awaited her first entrance. As soon as she started to sing, Emma could tell that she was more full of life in that moment than she had been the entire time she'd prepared for the performance, and the light that radiated from her from the very first note made Emma's heart stop. Although the star was always passionate when singing or acting, even during rehearsals, there was more passion in the notes of her first song than ever before.

Emma stared, captivated and open-mouthed, as the woman reached the climax of the song.

The key thing about good 'n' evil

Each man has to choose

Heaven 'n' Hell

Is a hell of a gamble to lose

But as I peruse

This world we abuse

It's Hell that we choose

And Heaven must lose!

By the time the star had reached the final note of the song, Emma had dropped her script on the floor. Luckily for her, the end tore her from her stupor, and she quickly bent down to pick it up. As Regina entered the wing of the stage – this time on the same side as Emma – the blonde was just standing up, and once she was upright, the brunette cocked her hip to the side and bumped the stage manager playfully. While walking away, the woman turned her head and winked at Emma, who was unabashedly staring, captured in a trance once again, completely unable to contain herself.

The production stage manager nearly missed the next cue, as did the other actress who was supposed to go on stage, but she managed to nudge the young woman just in time for her to make a smooth entrance. A sigh of relief escaped her as she watched the show go on. She tried to hold herself together, but every scene featuring Regina's character left her mouth watering and hanging open. It was impossible not to gawk at her as the woman took charge of the stage and enchanted the audience with her performance.

When the woman reached "Bring on the Men," a sensual, flirtatious number, Emma thought she might throw up from the intense arousal building between her thighs while she fought the thoughts of a private performance in her apartment.

So many men, so little time

I want them all, is that a crime?

I don't know why they say that I'm too easy

They make me laugh, they make me cry

They make me sick, so god knows why

We say bring on the men

And let the fun begin

A little touch of sin

Why wait another minute?

Step this way its time for us to play

They say we may not pass this way again

So lets waste no more time

Bring on the men!

Oh, my God, Emma! Stop! her mind was screaming, but she found that the thoughts – and the star – owned her in her entirety.

An intense roller coaster of emotion quickly followed, and when Lucy (Regina's character) kissed Doctor Jekyll (Robin's character), rage and jealousy overflowed in Emma, to the point where she wanted to scream. This was quickly subdued by the woman's next number, "Sympathy, Tenderness," after which the blonde found herself crying at the mesmerizing beauty of it all.

Sympathy, tenderness,

Warm as the Summer,

Offer me their embrace

Friendliness, gentleness,

Strangers to my life,

They are there in his face

Goodness and sweetness

And kindness

Abound in this place

I am in love

With the things

That I see in his face

It's a memory I know

Time will never erase

Of course, Emma quickly wiped her eyes as Regina left the stage and passed her once more, playing it off as though she was simply rubbing her eyes to remove a piece of debris.

By the time the show was finally over – after a long bout of thunderous applause (especially when Regina took her bow) – and Emma had survived the torture of her heart exploding in her chest, she felt as if she might collapse. Sweat fell from her forehead down her cheeks, but she was at least grateful that the tears had stopped.

So pathetic, Emma whined to herself. So fucking pathetic.

"You okay?" Regina asked her, putting her hand on the woman's shoulder as she saw Emma's head drop into her hands.

"Yeah," the blonde muttered, not raising her eyes. "Good."

"No, come on. What's the matter? Did we fuck something up? Is Don pissed?"

"No!" Emma cried, lifting her head. "No, it's nothing like that. I… I have a headache…"

"Did you take anything for it?" Regina asked, buying the lie. "You should take something. You're probably just stressed. You work too hard, you know."

"Not as hard as you. And I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"Are you sure? I-"

"You were… You were great tonight, Regina. You were amazing."

"Oh, gosh, Emma… I… I just tried to do my best. I mean-"

"You fucking nailed it, girl. Flawless. Couldn't have been better. If you had a cock, Don would be sucking it right now."

This earned a laugh from the brunette as she shook her head.

"Nah. It was mediocre at best."

"Oh, my God! Shut up!" Emma shouted, giving the woman a playful shove. "You were phenomenal."

"Robin wasn't so bad, either."

"No, you're right. He wasn't. He actually did pretty well. Didn't throw you off, which is really all that matters."

"That's not all that matters! He was the lead! We're supposed to put on a good show."

"It was amazing, Gina. Don't worry about that. They fucking loved you. Didn't you hear the roaring applause when you took your bow?"

"They clapped for everyone…"

"They clapped the loudest for you."

"I…"

"What?"

"You called me 'Gina.'"

"Oh… Um… I'm sorry. I… It just slipped out… I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's fine. It's just… No one's ever called me that before."

"Really? It's a cute nickname. It suits you."

"It is sweet, isn't it? I kinda like it, actually."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. But I'm not sure I'd like it coming from anyone but you."

"W-What?" Emma stammered, unable to process what Regina was trying to say.

"Emma… Would you… Um…"

The stage manager, who was still sweating, waited patiently for a response that didn't come.

After a while, her urge to speak grew overwhelming, and she gave into it, finally saying, "Uh… Regina…"

"Yeah?"

"Do you… Do you think that maybe… um… maybe I could… um…"

"That you could what?"

"Uh… maybe… uh…"

"Em?"

"Do you think I could take you out for a drink? You know… just to… unwind… and… celebrate?"

"Only if you promise not to let me have more than three," Regina laughed brightly, smiling as she looked directly into Emma's eyes.

The gaze pierced through her, and the blonde found her mouth watering again as her eyes made an involuntary dip to Regina's exposed cleavage.

"My eyes are up here, perv," the brunette joked, causing Emma to freeze in shock. When she saw just how horrified the woman was, she added, "It's fine. I'm just teasing."

But they both knew exactly what Emma had been looking at.

After Regina had changed out of her costume, she took Emma's arm (without being invited, since Emma was too nervous to offer it) and allowed her co-worker to lead her a few blocks away to the bar. Once they were sitting at the counter and had each ordered their first drink, they sat in silence.

When Regina's scotch was gone a few minutes later, she finally looked at Emma with the most serious face the woman's stage manager had ever seen her display and asked, "Were you checking me out earlier?"

Emma's heart stopped at this and got caught in her throat, but eventually, she retorted, "Were you checking out my muscles before?" expecting this to catch the brunette off guard and cause her to drop the subject.

Contrary to the woman's prediction, Regina simply looked her dead in the eyes and answered, "Yes."

"Fuck," Emma breathed, then turned her head and downed her second glass of scotch. "I… uh… wasn't expecting you to answer that…"

"Your turn," the star said seriously, not breaking her stare as Emma refused to face her.

"I…"

"Well?"

"I…"

"Emma Swan, were you checking me out or not?"

By this time, Regina was smirking as she reveled in the woman's discomfort.

Finally, Emma looked up, meeting the brunette's gaze, and answered, "Yeah, I was."

Regina just smiled and took a sip of her second drink, feeling triumphant and in control (which she clearly was). When the bartender asked if either of them wanted a third drink, they both laughed and shook their heads in unison to decline the offer.

"Not such a great idea for me, obviously," Regina chuckled.

Emma nudged her shoulder with a smirk, then said, "I dunno. It's pretty cute when you can't stop laughing." When the woman just smiled in response, Emma added bravely, "I love that sound."

"What sound?"

"You laughing."

"What? Why?"

"It's intoxicating."

It was the star's turn to be caught off guard – which she was – and she simply stared at the blonde without saying anything.

After a few awkward moments of silence, Emma asked, "What?"

"Your smile is intoxicating."

"My smile?! What about yours?!"

"What about mine?"

"You have the most perfect smile I've ever seen in my life. The moment I saw your headshot in your application folder, I…"

Eyes wide, Regina pressed, "You what?"

"I knew it was going to be hard not to flirt with you. But I have no balls, so that… that made it easier."

Regina laughed and put her hand on Emma's shoulder, saying, "I'm glad you don't have balls. I much prefer breasts."

"As do I." Then, she swallowed hard and added, "Especially yours."

"You did seem to notice them, didn't you?"

"I always notice them, Regina. It's just a lot harder to ignore them when you're in costume."

"Oh, you like the costume, huh?"

"I…"

"Hey," the brunette said softly, leaning in and putting her lips close to Emma's ear. "It's alright. Normally, I don't like that kind of attention, but coming from you… I'm enjoying it. I also like to watch you squirm." As soon as she saw Emma's cheeks turn red, Regina giggled, kissed the one closest to her, and said in a low, seductive voice, "Come home with me."

Once again, Emma settled their tab, paying for the other woman's drinks as well as her own (after another wave of protests). The entire way back to Regina's place, Emma thought she was having a heart attack, until they reached the very last block before her apartment, when the woman slipped her hand into the blonde's. Then, she knew she was having one.

The eruption of excitement, fear, and anticipation continued to explode inside her chest as Regina shut the door behind them and gently pulled Emma into the living room, dropping her bag on the floor.

"'I'll be right back," Regina said suddenly, then disappeared down the hallway and into her bedroom.

At this point, the sweat on Emma's palms was joined by new sweat on her forehead. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to jump the woman immediately and fuck her senseless or if she wanted to bolt and run as fast as she could back to her own apartment. She decided on neither. Or, rather, she made no decision at all, given that she found herself completely frozen in place once she'd sat down on the couch. When Regina reappeared before her, in a tight black tank top with red silk pajama shorts, Emma's lungs failed to draw breath.

"I…" she tried, but nothing else came out.

"Just thought I'd change into something more comfortable. The costume's pretty constricting, you know? Fun to wear, but… it's pretty… uh… tight."

Nodding her understanding (which was really all she could manage in her current state), Emma watched as the woman sat down beside her.

"Take your jacket off," Regina offered. "Stay a while."

"I…" the blonde tried once more, but again, there were no other words.

"Are you nervous?" the leading lady asked, giving the other woman a small, encouraging smile.

All at the same time, Emma was comforted but greatly intimidated by the young star.

When the stage manager said nothing but seemed to be staring at her lips, the brunette said, "Emma?" which tore her from her trance.

Of course, she had been staring at the woman's lips, but as hard as it was to tear her eyes away, she managed to do so. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) for her, Regina wasn't about to let it go.

"You're staring at my lips."

"I…"

"Are you going to say anything other than that?" the woman teased, nudging Emma's shoulder with her own.

"Um… I…"

"Wow! Two whole words."

"Hey, shut up! I'm…"

"Emma," Regina said with a sigh. "You don't have to be nervous. It's just you and me tonight."

But this wasn't as comforting as the woman had intended it to be. In fact, it sort of exacerbated Emma's anxiety by pointing out the obvious reality that they were, in fact, alone… in Regina's apartment… with the brunette wearing exceptionally revealing pajamas… and looking flawless.

"I… I can't help it," the blonde finally admitted. "My heart explodes around you. It feels like I'm dying."

"Oh, stop it," the woman giggled. "You're so dramatic."

"I'm not being dramatic. I'm being serious."

"Oh…"

"Yeah."

"I… I'm sorry. I thought you were just…"

"I assure you, I was quite serious."

"But… I mean…"

"You're enchanting, Regina. I don't know how else to say it. You steal everyone's heart, and I don't think anyone ever actually gets it back. The cast… The crew… The audience…" Emma trailed off at first, then finally added, "Me."

"You're the only one I care about."

"I… Really?"

"Really."

Emma's thoughts carried her away again, out of the moment and into Regina's bedroom, but she continued to stare into the woman's warm brown eyes, captivated by their beauty.

Finally, she said, "You're gorgeous, you know."

"Stop it, Emma. I'm-"

"I mean it."

"I…"

"Regina."

"Oh, just fucking shut up and kiss me!" Regina finally cried, grabbing the straps of Emma's white tank top and jerking her forward until their faces were just a few centimeters apart.

Emma opened her mouth to speak, but the brunette caught her lips and held them in a deep, slow kiss.

They pulled apart, slowly, reluctantly, before the star managed to say, "Would you stay the night?"

Part of her wanted to jump at the chance, but the other part of her was terrified and still wanted to run away. She was scared to disappoint her or fuck it up. She was also scared to open up even more than she already had. But Regina was scared to be vulnerable too, which helped her sense Emma's emotions, and when she put her hand on top of the blonde's, Emma decided to stay and offered the woman a nervous nod of agreement.

"You don't have to," Regina said quickly, biting her lip.

"I… I want to."

"Good. Then take me to bed."

Gaining a burst of confidence, even though the tenseness of her nerves and her intense desire were electrifying her entire body, Emma grabbed Regina and stood, lifting the woman into her arms, bridal-style, then carried her all the way to the bedroom.

"Shit, you're strong," the brunette breathed in her ear.

"Nah. It's just a magic trick," the woman teased.

"That doesn't explain all those muscles."

"Oh, shut up," Emma laughed, shaking her head and setting the woman down on the bed.

"Shut me up, then."

Before Emma could respond or make a move, Regina pulled her down until their bodies and their lips crashed together.

The way they made love was nothing like Emma had imagined, and the release that shook her body as she came was far more intense than she ever could have dreamed of. The look of ecstasy on Regina's face as her orgasm quickly followed suit told Emma that the woman felt similarly, which soothed some of her anxiety about her own performance.

"Was… Was that… okay?" Regina asked as she lay in Emma's arms, once her heart rate and her breathing had mostly slowed.

"That was perfect."

"Good… because it's more than I ever could have wanted."

They both shut their eyes.

"Will you sing to me?" Emma asked her softly, after they'd been lying in each other's arms quietly for some time.

She her fingers through the brunette's smooth locks of hair as she kept their bodies close together.

"What do you want to hear?"

"Whatever you want to sing me."

"Oh, Emma," Regina sighed. "I want to sing you everything. Don't you know how hard I try to impress you?"

"What?"

"Can't you tell?"

"I…"

"Yes, I care about the critics and what people think of me, but the only one I'm trying to impress is you."

"You do. You do impress me," the blonde said quickly. "I just… Please, Gina… Please, sing to me. Anything you want. Just sing me to sleep."

As the notes poured from the young star's lips, Emma's heart continued to sputter and burst, as all of her became consumed by the sound.

"Sympathy… Tenderness… warm as the summer, offer me their embrace…"