A/N: The story will move pretty quickly for awhile after this. Regina's jealousy isn't a tame thing, and the Evil Queen's plan will begin to unravel. For now, have a quiet moment of angsty fluff!

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She'd kissed her.

The thought was stuck in Regina's head, playing over and over again on repeat as she forced herself to keep it together while everyone readied for bed. It had been especially hard not to roast Hook where he stood when he asked her where her bathroom was so that he might join Emma in the shower. After snapping at him, "Not in my house, you won't", she magicked the Charmings' belongings to the main guest room, hugged Henry good night, and provided Jekyll with a blanket for his stay on the couch before making her way into her study to help herself to a bottle of cider. Closing the door behind her, she settled down on the sofa and flicked her wrist to spark up her fireplace, ready to get lost in her thoughts.

She'd kissed her.

Regina felt the familiar flare of jealousy, and a pang of regret. She had split herself down the middle, and now the Queen knew the feel of Emma's mouth under her own, and Regina didn't.

She found her mind running away from her. What had been Emma's reaction? She'd said she hadn't kissed her back, but hadn't fought her off either. What did that mean?

She tried to imagine what would have happened if she'd kissed Emma in the bedroom. God, she'd wanted to. Ever since she saw the lipstick smear across her mouth, she'd been struck with an insane urge to drag the blonde to her bedroom and replace the Queen's claim with her own. She imagined her mouth moving over Emma's, Emma's thin lips parting and granting her access into the warm wetness within. She imagined running her fingers through Emma's hair, down her athletic body. Would Emma arch into her? Would she moan breathily and pull Regina closer to her, begging for more?

Ugh, of course she wouldn't, you idiot, Regina scolded herself, effectively shutting down the fantasy. Emma was in love with the damn pirate, and Regina was still supposed to be mourning Robin.

And, in a way, she was. She missed Robin, so much. She missed his quiet presence, his reassurance, and most of all, the warmth of his strong arms around her. She had felt comfortable with him, and happy in the few moments they'd had together.

But he was gone. And the more she thought on it, the more Regina realized just how long she'd been falling for Emma. The realization of it had only hit her recently, but in reality it had been happening for a very long time.

It had started when Emma had tried to prove her innocent of Kathryn's disappearance. She'd trusted her, and it had rattled Regina's entire perception of the blonde. The Savior that was supposed to be her downfall had somehow become her salvation. Regina had begun to change (minor incident with Cora aside, not only for Henry, but for Emma as well. If Emma believed in her, she had to believe in herself as well.

So many moments, so many times fighting and sharing magic, so much emotion and so much of Emma that Regina couldn't pinpoint an exact thing that made her fall in love with her. But now that she realized she was, she couldn't shake the gnawing want for more. The more she reflected on things, the more she realized she'd jumped into Robin's arms the second she realized who he was, and let fate guide her away from what she'd unconsciously wanted and toward what must happen. Now, however….

Now, Regina was stuck. Emma didn't want her. Regina was too late in realizing her feelings, and even if she wasn't, it would never work. Emma was the daughter of her former stepdaughter, and no way in hell would Snow and David ever support it even if it was a possibility.

Once again, Regina was doomed to want something that was forever beyond her reach.

Life really was a bitch.

As if to confirm her thoughts, a knock sounded on Regina's door, and Emma let herself into the study. "Hey," she said softly, closing the door behind her. "Can I join you?"

Regina nodded stiffly and Emma turned to help herself to a glass of cider. Regina tried not to stare at Emma, but her long blonde hair was still wet from her shower and draping damply down her back, leading Regina's gaze to the toned muscles under her tank and the swell of her ass in a pair of short black shorts. When she turned around, Regina got a view of the outline of the plump mound at apex of her thighs and she turned her gaze into her fireplace once more, feeling a jolt of arousal and embarrassment. She hoped Emma hadn't noticed her gaze, but those hopes were dashed when Emma sat down on the sofa next to her, crossed her legs, and said, "I'm sorry. This is generally what I sleep in, and I don't have a robe."

"It's fine, Emma," Regina said, fighting to keep the lust out of her voice. "You're free to wear whatever makes you comfortable."

They sat there for a moment in silence before Emma blurted, "Killian wants me to share the extra guest room with him tonight."

Grimacing in disgust, the information mixing with the arousal in her belly to create a sickening feeling, Regina quipped, "Thanks for the heads up that I'll need to wash the sheets tomorrow."

But then she noticed Emma's hands trembling slightly. Sighing, she reached forward and took Emma's glass from her, setting it down on the table in front of them. "Talk to me, Emma," she urged. "What are you thinking, right now, in this moment?"

"Well, first off, I'm not going to have sex with him under your roof, and with Henry and my parents down the hall."

Relief flooded Regina at that, and she pressed further. "And?"

Emma heaved a sigh and continued, "And I don't understand why I feel like I do. I love Killian. I made him into a Dark One, I went to Hell and dragged my entire family, including you, with me. I told him I wasn't afraid to start our life together, but…"

"But you are."

Emma nodded. "I am. I'm so used to running, still, that the thought of something as domestic as a committed relationship makes me, I don't know, sick? Scared?"

Carefully, not willing to try her luck and run Emma out, Regina said in a low voice, "Maybe it's who you're considering the relationship with, instead of the relationship in general." Emma looked over at her, a frown on her face. "What do you have against Killian, Regina? I know you two don't like each other, but it's something more than general dislike. Oh God," she said, eyes wide and a sick look crossing her features, "you two never slept together, did you?"

Regina had been taking a sip of her cider, and now she was choking on it. Emma patted her back as she coughed, but it was clear she still wanted an answer. "No!" Regina exclaimed, louder than she intended. "No. No, Emma, we've never…ugh. No."

Relief passed over Emma's face and she moaned, "Oh, thank God. I'm sorry." She let out a giggle and Regina scowled, wanting more than ever to throw up. "Some things have happened, Emma, between that…pirate and myself, but none of what you're thinking."

Emma reached for her glass again and took a huge swig, effectively downing it. "One day you should tell me," she decided, standing up to refill her glass. She grabbed Regina's glass as well to top it off. When she sat back down, she went on, "Whatever went down, you should know it won't change how I see you. You're still Regina, and he's still Killian. You both have things in your past you're not proud of, and you're both trying to overcome it and do better. It's what I admire about both of you."

"Yes, Hook and I are surprisingly similar in some ways, I suppose."

That sentence was followed by an awkward silence. Emma looked uncomfortable. Then came the question Regina had been dreading. "Why would she kiss me, Regina?"

Please don't ask me that, I don't know if I'm strong enough to lie.

But she tried anyway. "I don't know, Emma. Like you said, she was playing her games. We still don't know what's going on, what her plans are, or why she does anything. She's me, the dark part of me, but she has none of my reservations and none of my conscience. She's more dangerous than I ever was. Why was she at the loft?"

Emma shrugged and replied, "She said she was waiting for Snow and David."

"Then it's good they're here," Regina said firmly.

"I agree."

Regina could think of nothing else to say on the subject, so she just stared at Emma. Her hair was still hanging damply and before Regina knew what was happening, she'd said, "Turn around, face the fireplace."

Emma gave her a questioning glance but did as she was bade. With shaky fingers, Regina put her glass down and reached for Emma's hair. She ran her fingers through it, from root to tip, and she heard Emma gasp and saw a shudder run through her. Scooting closer to her, Regina continued to comb out the Savior's shining strands, pulling it back as she did so.

"That feels really good," Emma said. "I can't remember the last time someone played with my hair. It's been at least a decade."

Humming noncommittally, Regina continued her task. The sound of Emma's gasp had brought back the heat in her belly, and she was fully enjoying this quiet moment amongst the chaos, being allowed to freely touch the beautiful woman in front of her. Slowly, she sectioned out Emma's hair into three different parts, and began to braid it. She worked slowly to prolong the moment, but diligently so as to make a perfect braid. When she was done, she magicked a hair tie into her hand and tied it at the end, then lifted the braid and draped it over Emma's shoulder before running a hand down Emma's pale, soft shoulder. "There," she said, giving Emma's bicep an involuntary squeeze. "Much better."

Emma turned back with a smile on her face. The braid made her appear years younger and the smile lit up her face, stealing the breath from Regina's lungs for a moment. Then she saw that Emma was fighting back a laugh. "What?" she asked warily. Emma shook her head and took a drink before replying, "A few months ago you talked about braiding each other's hair as though it was a bad thing. Now look at you."

Shifting uncomfortably, Regina defended, "I don't like disarray, and your hair was a mess."

"Uh huh," Emma said through her grin. "Want me to do yours?" Regina shifted away, realizing she was sitting too close, and scoffed. She quickly grabbed her drink and drained the contents. "Absolutely not. My hair is perfectly in place, as you well know."

After a pause, Regina admitted, "And I think it's time to cut it." Emma cocked her head. "Need a change?" Regina nodded, relieved that Emma understood. Emma clapped her hands and said, "Then do it! You can use magic to do it, can't you?" Regina nodded slowly. "I haven't tried it," she admitted, "but I could."

She realized Emma was staring at her expectantly. Oh. Emma wanted her to cut her hair right now. "O-okay," she said. Lifting her hands, she envisioned her hair short, how it was in Neverland. That seemed the perfect length in Regina's mind. With intense concentration, she flourished her hands and felt strands of hair fall down over her shoulders at the same time as a weight seemed to lift from them. Emma lifted her hands and magicked away the fallen strands, and she was grinning widely. "Well, hello, Madam Mayor," she teased softly in a low voice that….did things to Regina. "Did it work?" Regina asked breathlessly, feeling the sizzle of their combined magic like a heady drug. Emma got up and walked over to the covered mirror on the wall and bade Regina to follow her. "Just a peek," she explained, "and then we'll cover it back up."

With a bit of trepidation, Regina followed her and stood in front of the mirror. Emma pulled back the blanket and Regina saw her reflection. Her hair was just above her shoulders once more. She smiled into the mirror and felt a wave of power course through her. There was Mayor Mills, the strong and confident woman that Regina didn't feel she was anymore. "I like it," Emma said as she let the blanket fall down again. "How do you feel?"

"Better," Regina replied.

"Hey, Gina," Emma said. When Regina turned to her to scold her for using that hideous nickname, she had a mischievous look on her face. "What?" Regina asked, completely forgetting the scolding. Biting her lip to keep from laughing, Emma teased, "You braided my hair and gave yourself a makeover. Ready to prank call someone?"

Regina crossed over to the couch and grabbed a pillow, chucking it at Emma. It hit her in the face full force and they both collapsed into laughter.

Regina didn't want to admit how warm, how complete she felt when she was with Emma. Laughter came easily, as well as a feeling of ease and hope.

But, as usual, the moment was ruined by an intruder.

A knock sounded on the study door and Hook's voice drifted in. "Swan?"

Both women sobered up quickly and Regina reached over to take a giant swig straight from the cider bottle as Emma crossed the room to open the door. Hook was standing there, a puzzled look on his face. "Are you coming to bed? It's been a long day, and I think we could all catch up on some…rest," he leered. Emma rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, you're right. Regina and I were just finishing up." She turned back to Regina and said regretfully, "I'm going to go upstairs to bed. I'll see you in the morning?"

Regina nodded once, not meeting Emma's gaze. When the door closed behind her, Regina chunked her glass into the fireplace, finding solace in the crunch of glass on brick and the sizzle and pop of the fire's reaction as it engulfed it.