A/N

So I'm gonna try and upload a new chapter every day.

Also if you have any questions or wanna chat, you can find me on tumblr and twitter as reginamlls

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 5 "Hungry Eyes"

Granny's diner was empty, as was expected since most of the residents of Storybrooke were mostly likely still sound asleep. Emma had convinced Regina to take a seat by the window while she ordered for them, which had terrified the brunette. She kept looking up towards the counter, trying to read Emma's lips as she ordered their food.

Regina wasn't usually one to allow people to do things for her, especially not order her food. She had spent most of her life keeping herself to herself and only rarely did she make friends with strangers. In this case, she was completely and utterly confused.

She knew she was only in Storybrooke to protect Emma and to ensure that no harm should ever come to her but it just wasn't enough. Even while they only seemed to spend the smallest length of time together, Regina was utterly intrigued. As the brunette wondered about her inevitable friendship with Emma Swan, said blonde plopped down in front of her, holding two small plates.

"I wanted to get you grilled cheese so bad" Emma started, holding the plates up out of Regina's sight, "but I settled for kale because I was pretty sure you might just get up and leave"

The brunette peered down at the plate as Emma slowly set it down. She smirked and looked straight back up at the blonde, who seemed to be waiting for Regina to say something. The brunette offered a shrug of her shoulders, "I enjoy kale very much but I'm not opposed to trying new things, Emma" She laughed as Emma huffed and relaxed into the chair opposite her.

"Now I wish I had gotten you the grilled cheese"

Regina observed Emma. She was very childlike and seemed very lost in innocence. "How about this," The brunette spoke up, shifting her plate of kale salad forward, "I'll take a bite of your grilled cheese and you can take a bite of my salad"

Emma looked from Regina, down to the kale salad and then back up again before her faced screwed up in disgust. "I can't eat that" She shifted Regina's plate forwards, along with her own. "Kale is green and disgusting, grilled cheese is orgasmic"

The brunette flashed an amused smile and rolled her eyes, "I'll be the judge of that, dear"

Regina pulled the plate closer and pulled the grilled cheese apart slowly while Emma watched and waited for her reaction. The brunette brought the sandwich to her lips and took a small bite. The blonde waited patiently before she gestured to the sandwich, "well?"

"I've had better" Regina grabbed a napkin and cleaned her fingers and the sides of her mouth, "Far too greasy, if I'm honest"

Emma shook her head, faking disappointment. "I can't believe you just said that, how could you?"

Regina's eyes shot up, not quite understanding what was happening. She observed Emma's face and gulped, "I didn't think it meant that much to you, I'm so sorry—"

The blonde looked up at Regina, almost feeling instantly guilty as she realised that Regina hadn't gotten her little joke. "Oh, goodness" She chuckled and leaned forward, "I was joking" She offered an apologetic smile as Regina pouted.

"I really thought you were upset, now I feel silly"

"No, it was adorable, you're—you're adorable"

Regina's head tilted as she watched Emma, both women staring into the pair of eyes opposite them. She could feel her cheeks warming as Emma continued staring. She liked how it felt, having Emma watch her. "I don't think I've ever been called that before"

Emma smiled and looked away, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Well, you have now" She chewed her lip nervously and Regina smirked as she pulled her plate of kale towards her and picked up her fork.

After spending over two hours talking, laughing and blatantly flirting with each other, both women decided it was time to get going. Regina had lied, telling Emma that she had to prepare for a meeting at town hall and Emma had bought it straight away.

They had said their goodbyes and Emma had gone as far as to kiss Regina's cheek, which had made Regina blush but also freak out a little.

Regina couldn't understand why she was allowing herself to enjoy Emma's company so much, knowing that it couldn't last forever. Eventually, whatever the outcome, Regina would return to Boston and never look back.

Emma certainly was growing on her. She could hear Emma's voice in her head saying, "I told you so"

After the mini freak out, Regina decided she would walk Emma back to the apartment before heading home. They talked about the Mayor's mansion on the way. Emma had asked how many rooms there were and if all food was provided and did she have a pool. Regina seemed so content and amused as she answered each of her questions.

As they approached the apartment building, Emma spun around to face Regina. "Can I ask you a question?"

Regina stopped beside Emma and shifted slightly, "You may"

"We're having dinner tonight" Emma stated, matter of fact.

"That's not a question, Emma" Regina replied, narrowing her eyes.

"Is it a date?" Emma asked.

The brunette paused for a moment before she looked down towards her feet, "I'm not—I haven't thought—"

Emma's smile faltered and soon disappeared completely. She hated that she had allowed herself to think it was a date. She watched as Regina attempted to answer her question, feeling slightly guilty for putting the older woman on the spot. "It's fine, Regina" She reassured the brunette before she whispered a goodbye and walked off towards the entrance, "I'll see you tonight"

"Wait" Regina called out before she caught up with Emma. She waited for Emma to turn around before continuing. "We'll get dressed up and we'll have dinner together" She paused for a moment, hoping Emma would perk up a little, "We'll have some wine and then we'll see what happens"

Emma's face reddened instantly, which caused Regina to backtrack immediately.

"No! No, not that" She blushed furiously and stepped backwards, "I meant, we'll just see how things go"

The blonde was laughing now and nodding her head in understanding, "It's okay, I get it" She composed herself, "I like that idea"

Regina scratched her head, still feeling utterly embarrassed. "Okay, great!" She walked backwards, "I'll see you at 7.30pm"

Emma nodded once more, waved, turned and headed into the apartment building. Regina marched off towards Mifflin Street, her face still bright red.

When she got to the mansion, she immediately headed off towards her office and attempted to clear her mind of her embarrassing speech earlier. She plopped down onto her office chair and sighed, resting her back against the leather.

Her phone rang and she jumped, banging her knee off of her desk. "Fucking fuck! SHIT!" She yelled, attempting to find her phone under the mess of papers on her desk. She eventually found it and looked at the screen, already recognising the number.

"What can I do for you, Angelo?"

"Regina, he's in Maine. They're all in Maine, they're trying to find her"

Regina's breath hitched and she froze.

Emma had spent the rest of her day helping her father out at the pet shelter, while secretly panicking about what she should wear for dinner with Regina.

David had known there was something on Emma's mind all morning. He knew his daughter far too well and could easily identify when there was something bothering her. "Okay, what's going on?"

The blonde snapped out of her daydream and peered up at her father, who was attempting to feed a small dog in one of the stalls. "Nothing, nothing" She pouted, "It's just Regina"

"What about her?"

Emma paused, her father stopped what he was doing and turned to face her. She shrugged her shoulders, "We're having dinner tonight and I asked her if it was a date and she totally freaked out on me"

David stared at his daughter, a smile forming on his face.

"So I told her that it was fine and I got all moody and then she made an inappropriate comment and then she was embarrassed and so I think we're having a date now but I don't know what to wear" Emma sighed and her head sunk down onto the counter.

"Okay" David narrowed his eyes, "So you and Regina, huh?" He smirked and walked towards Emma, wiping off feed from his hands.

Emma peeked out from her arms surrounding her head on the counter and then hid her face again, mumbling against the counter, "Yeah"

David took the muffled "Yeah" as a yes and then started clapping his hands together, "I can't believe this is finally happening" He looked over at Emma, "you're finally opening yourself up to someone"

Emma made a gagging noise and leaned back, "stop being gross, dad"

They both laughed, David walked over and sat down beside his daughter behind the counter. "I've been there with your mother, you know" He crossed his arms and leaned back, "and look how we've turned out, we've been married for thirteen years"

The blonde turned to her father, "I just don't wanna do the whole one-sided thing"

"You have far too many expectations, Emma"

She nodded her head and rested it against her father's shoulder, "I know" Emma sighed, "I just really like her"

David flashed her a sympathetic smile before wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

It had taken a good fifteen minutes before Regina was able to snap herself out of her state of shock. She had told Angelo she'd call back but that was the last thing she'd be doing. She had spent the rest of the day trying to take her mind off of the news.

She wanted to go out there. She wanted to find the bastards and kill them one by one but no, that was not the plan. She had to stay here. There were no instructions for this part. But she knew one thing; she had to protect Emma. They hadn't found her yet but if they had come to Maine, they had a head start.

When 6.00pm came around, Regina started prepping for dinner. She had realised that although she couldn't do anything out within Storybrooke, she could keep Emma safe here. The brunette had considered cancelling dinner but knew that the safest place for Emma to be, would be at the mansion, with her.

She opened a bottle of pinot grigio and poured herself a glass. If she wanted to keep herself calm throughout dinner, she was gonna need some help. She downed her first glass and then another before she poured herself another full one.

As time started to pass and dinner slowly started to come together, she rushed upstairs to pick out an outfit. Although she had said that it wasn't exclusively a date, Regina wanted to look damn good for Emma and if it took her mind off of the news from earlier, she'd damn well do it.

After a quick shower, the brunette slipped into a royal blue dress and paired it with black heels before she blow-dried her hair. Regina applied her favourite blood-red lipstick and quickly applied some mascara.

"That'll do" She smoothed out her dress and glanced at herself in the mirror. She looked good. That made her feel a little more at ease.

Once downstairs, Regina set out the dining room table and lit two candles. The grandfather clock chimed at 7.00pm.

She stood by the kitchen counter and took a moment to herself. Regina shifted from side to side, while sipping her white wine. She felt a lot more relaxed as soon as dinner was almost ready and the wine worked its magic.

By the time 7.30pm came around, Regina was feeling slightly tipsy but she knew that was only heightened by nerves. She went around the living room and dining room, ensuring everything was tidy and clean.

The doorbell rang, causing her to jump.

She took a deep breath and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to compose herself. Regina walked out into the hallway and took a moment by the mirror, giving herself a pep talk.

"This is fine. She'll be safer here" She breathed out slowly and spoke once more, "You are incredibly attractive and so is she" Now Regina was just thinking about what Emma would be wearing and how wonderful she would look.

But that was an understatement.

Regina pulled the door open, getting ready to greet the blonde but words completely failed her when she laid eyes on the woman.

Emma wore a red dress and matching red heels. The dress clung to her every curve so deliciously that Regina felt she might melt right there and then.

Regina had completely forgotten all about Angelo and his news.

The blonde pushed her hair off of her shoulder, the blonde curls falling onto her back. "You look incredible" Emma offered, her eyes raking over Regina's body. Her eyes fell upon Regina's plump lips, greatly appreciating the choice in colour. "Aren't you gonna let me in?"

The brunette's eyes wandered over every inch of Emma's form. "Oh, wow" She gulped and nodded her head in response to Emma's question, "Yes, please do come in"

When the door shut behind Emma, Regina lead the way towards the living room. Candles lit up the small coffee table and Regina gestured to a table by the window, "Would you like a drink?"

"Oh yeah, sure" Emma replied, taking in her surroundings, "This place is stunning"

Regina poured two glasses of apple cider and turned to face Emma, who was standing by the sofa, looking around at the paintings on the walls and the ceiling décor, "Yes, you are quite stunning" confidence filled Regina once again.

Emma's eyes fixed on a painting, before they darted back to Regina who was making her way over. She blushed furiously as Regina complimented her. "You're not so bad yourself"

The brunette smirked and gestured to the sofa, "Let's sit, dinner will be ready soon"

The blonde shifted closer before she sat down on the sofa beside Regina. It was incredibly difficult to hold conversation with the brunette because both women kept checking each other out. Emma felt like she was in High School all over again.

Regina leaned back against the sofa but kept her body facing towards the blonde and sipped her drink. "I hope you're hungry"

Emma chewed her lip nervously before she nodded her head, solely focusing on the way Regina sipped her drink, "Yeah, I'm hungry" She breathed out, her eyes fixated on the gorgeous brunette in front of her.

Regina brought her glass up to her mouth, a slight smirk gracing her lips. "I bet you are, Emma"

A/N

*Sniffs* I smell a change in rating..