Author's note: Hey ALL! OMFG It's been over 2 months, I am so soooooo sorry about the delay. I have been studying for exams and a whole heap of other personal stuff that needed to get sorted out first. I hope you all are still interested in this story, I understand if you're not anymore though that's totes acceptable. Anyway, I'd like to thank everyone for all the amazing reviews and reaching over 500 followers (nearly 600) and over 200 favourites! I am completely thrilled so thank you so much! In terms of another update I will see if I can get one in before my birthday which is on Halloween!

Anyway here you go!

Escort Services: Chapter 19 - Tension

It was raining, thunder rippled through the dark sky while lightening tore through the smallest cracks in the hovering clouds. Emma sighed; tearing her gaze from the window she collapsed onto the nearby couch. She grasped the cushion and screamed into it, her frustration taking over. Yep. It was one of those days. There was only one person on her mind. Regina. Oh, boy had she stuffed up with everything. First there was the whole losing the ring at the celebration, and then she brings Henry's biological father to Storybrooke. Emma groaned into the pillow with yesterday's events filling her mind…

Emma let out a shaky breath as she knocked on the pristine white door. She chanced a quick glance at Neal, as far as reading people went for her she could tell he was nervous as hell. A sudden wave of sympathy washed over her, and she immediately grew angry with herself. Before the voices in her mind started an argument the door opened.

The blonde held in her gasp. God, Regina always looked so beautiful. Dressed in her white blouse and grey pencil skirt, she attempted one of her winning politician-like smiles.

"Miss Swan." Regina started, almost impatiently. She just wanted this over with as soon as possible.

Emma was torn from her brief reverie by her voice, "Huh? Oh, yeah. Umm…Neal, Regina. Regina, Neal." She gestured between the two.

Neal chanced a smile, "It's nice to meet you, Miss Mills." He held out his hand.

Regina raised an eyebrow at the gesture, before ultimately deciding to accept the rather business-like gesture as though they had agreed on a deal.

"You too, Mr.?"

She waited patiently for the man's surname. Just because he happened to be the other half of Henry's DNA didn't mean she had to throw all formalities out the window.

"Uhh…Cassidy." He stumbled over his words.

Regina released her grip and suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. She kept a straight poker face as she subtlety glared at the blubbering fool before her. Emma swallowed thickly, the tension evidently palpable and uncomfortable. The sound of footsteps racing down the stairs broke the stare as Henry slipped into view next to Regina.

"Hi, I'm Henry." He gleamed at the man he presumed was his biological father, judging by his adoptive mom's 'Evil Queen-look' or so he liked to call it.

A beaming grin instantly appeared upon Neal's face, "Hi, Henry. I'm Neal, your…" He halted momentarily snapping his neck towards Emma for some guidance.

Emma cleared her throat, "Henry, Neal is your biological father." She rushed out.

"I know!" Henry gleamed, as a result three pairs of wide eyes looked shocked at the revelation.

Regina rubbed her temples, "It seems as though I might have to have a word with my son about eavesdropping on conversations when he comes back." She spoke authoritatively. Henry winced slightly at his mother's glare, but knew it was coming.

There was a pregnant pause before Emma decided to end everyone's (excluding Henry) misery. "Hey kid, why don't you and Neal head off to the park? I'll catch up." She suggested urgently.

Neal frowned curiously, "Are you sure? Be-" He stopped mid-sentence at Emma's glare, which basically said, "Don't argue with me." Without another word, he gave a quick smile to the kid and put an arm around his shoulder, guiding them both down the steps of the Mills mansion.

It was times like this when Regina wished their was magic in this ridiculous world, because if there was there would be a massive hole in the hand Neal had over Henry's shoulder.

"What is it, Miss Swan? I simply do not have time to dwindle in your presence." The Mayor spoke harshly, all politeness discarded.

Emma rolled her eyes frustratingly, "Look, I just wanted to say sorry."

Regina scoffed, "For what, dear? For meddling in mine and my son's life?" She chuckled sardonically. She was in no mood for the blonde today, especially since the last time they talked Emma pushed her to give into feelings that she had hopelessly denied herself.

"Come on, Regina. Don't be like that." The former escort almost pleaded, her eyes conveying sincerity. But Regina was having none of it.

"Then what? Should I say thank you for intruding on my life, thank you for taking my son away from me?" Regina's agitation about the whole situation was beginning to show.

"No! I-"

Regina cut her off, "I don't care what your reasons are, and I don't even want to hear what you have to say, Miss Swan." The brunette's jaw clenched with such strength that she thought it was about to become unhinged. She invaded Emma's personal space and moved onto her porch.

They were inhaling each other's air, as Regina lowered her voice," But I will tell you what I want. I want that man out of Henry's life and after you've finished your duty in this town…I want you out of mine."

The request was demanded with such disdain and ferocity that Emma almost stumbled backwards. She looked Regina right in the eye and saw endless anger, but also heartache and sadness. There was so much inner conflict within the brunette. Emma could almost feel the hatred radiating off the Mayor and before she even had time to react the door slammed shut.

Speechless, Emma needed the assistance of the nearby pillar to hold her up.

The blonde let out a breath that she hadn't realised she was even holding. Yesterday's events were so fresh in her mind that they remained to have the same affect on her. Speechless. This was not the first time Regina had let her know how she felt. Emma remembered when she was about to quit after the second celebration. Oh, man was Regina loathing her then when she had accidentally let Henry's name slip on her way out of the job…

After the second celebration:

"Goodbye, Regina." Emma gave the brunette a weak smile before trudging forward.

At the remembrance of someone, Emma quickly spun around. "And tell Henry I said goodbye." She rushed out.

The expression on Regina's face immediately changed to a horrified glare. "Miss Swan." She started, her voice low and unwavering.

Emma, with her back towards the brunette inwardly cringed at the harsh tone. She was beating herself up inside at the slip up. Oh, fuck me.

"Get in the car. Now." Regina ordered, her cold tone indicating that it was not negotiable.

Emma slowly turned around; she noticed Regina looked as though she wanted to burn her at the stake. She cautiously moved towards the SUV and hopped into the passenger's seat. It was going to be a long and tense drive back to Storybrooke.

Emma screamed into her pillow again, her frustration becoming the better of her. It was evident this women was driving her insane. It was strange though; every time she was around the Mayor she would feel this deep pull inside. An aching feeling would erupt, as though she wouldn't be able to live or survive without the woman. That was what scared Emma the most. Over the course of the last few weeks her feelings for the Mayor grew everyday, and she was unable to control them.

The blonde effortlessly rolled off the couch and onto the floor. She groaned, her legs feeling like jelly as she stood up. Emma yawned, before shrugging her red leather jacket on. From the time on the clock, she had deduced that she had less than 5 minutes to make it to the mayoral mansion before she'd be classified as being late. The next celebration was tomorrow evening and in Augusta and she had less than 24 hours to learn how to do the waltz. With things already tense between her and Regina, she didn't have any hope that this would end well. However, she hoped she'd be proved wrong.

It wasn't until she heard a clearing of the throat that she'd realised Mary Margaret was home.

The teacher raised an eyebrow, as she held up the broken toaster.

Emma chuckled nervously, a sheepish smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Yeah, about that…" She trailed, her cheeks turning a darker shade of red.

The pixie-haired brunette glanced from Emma to the broken toaster, then back to Emma. "Yes, would you care to explain?" She fought the urge to chuckle at her roommate's apparent mishap with the kitchen appliance.

Emma flicked her pony tail over her shoulder, "Well…I don't have a very good relationship with most kitchen appliances, and the toaster…well we had an on and off relationship, and then we broke up." She breathed out, with an even smile.

Mary Margaret couldn't help but chuckle at the excuse, "And this is the end product?" She shook her toaster, the loose pieces within the toaster made an irritating sound.

Emma quickly nodded, now on her way out the door. "Hell yeah!" She yelled over her shoulder as she closed the front door behind her.

…

The Mayor swirled the last remnants of the hard liquor in the tumbler, she tipped her head back and downed it in one gulp. A look of disdain crossed her features at the abnormal act as she laid the glass back down onto the coffee table. She leaned back in the soft chair, her posture like that of a Queen's. The Mayor quickly ran her sweaty palms down the length of her grey business dress, removing any microscopic crinkles in the material. It was unusual for her to feel nervous, and it didn't sit right with her at all. Even when her son was around only a few hours ago, he had noticed almost instantly. For once she was grateful that Henry had asked if he could go to the arcade with Neal, because she felt as though she was losing her mind. Since their last confrontation, Emma had been on the Mayor's mind ninety-nine percent of the time. The blonde was like a plague that ceased to evade her.

Brown eyes flicked to the clock on the wall, a frown etching across her face.

"Late as always." She murmured to herself, as the minute arm stroked past 6pm.

An abrupt knock at the front door caused the mayor to flinch at the abrupt noise. She gathered her feet and ran her fingers one more time down her dress. With a quick flick back of her fringe, she strutted towards the door with sheer confidence radiating off her.

Regina opened the door and almost faltered at the adoring look the blonde wore on her face. It wasn't the usual cockiness and arrogant persona she had become accustomed too. Instead there was a young woman nervously darting her eyes around her whereabouts with her hands shoved deep in the back of her jean pockets. The Mayor cleared her throat and straightened her spine once more, her face revealing no emotion on any count.

She opened the door wider to allow the blonde inside, "Late again, as always." She noted unimpressed.

Emma gave her a weak smile, as she stepped past Regina who closed the door behind her.

"Sorry, I lost track of time." She mumbled unconvincingly.

Regina dismissed the response and simply strutted back into her living room, expecting the blonde to follow her. Which she did.

Regina wasted no time in beginning the lesson, having a strong desire to get this over and done with as soon as possible. Though she already knew that teaching the woman a simple dance such as the waltz would be a challenging task.

The Mayor spun around as she reached the center of the room. She locked eyes with the blonde who was nervously lingering in the entrance.

"Come on, Miss Swan. I do have other priorities that I need to attend to." She spoke briskly, her patience already wearing thin.

Emma nodded and quickly scattered over to Regina, now standing before her.

Regina silently gulped due to their close proximity.

"Okay, first thing's first. Establishing the leader and the follower. In this case you will lead and I will follow." She began firmly, which earned an understanding nod from the other woman.

The Mayor took another step closer to the blonde, their bodies nearly brushing against on another. She delicately placed her left hand on Emma's shoulder, at the lining where her sleeve was sewed to the red jacket. Then she raised her elbow until it was at the perfect height.

"Give me your left hand." Regina ordered.

Emma complied and grasped Regina's hand in her own.

"Straighten your arm out slightly, so that it isn't so bent." She requested once again, and once again Emma complied.

Regina nodded in approval, "Now, place your right hand on my shoulder blade, if not just under it. And raise your chin slightly." She spoke softly, her voice barely more than a whisper. It was evident that their close proximity was having profound physical and emotional effects on the women.

Emma raised her chin and held the Mayor properly, "Like this?" She questioned, slightly on sure.

The brunette nodded, "Perfect." She gazed directly into green eyes, her breathing already becoming labored. "Okay, this is the most difficult part. We have the stance correct, now it's the actual movement."

Emma grumbled, "I thought this was the difficult part…" She pouted slightly. Regina almost melted at the adorable expression, it reminded her so much of her son.

The Mayor couldn't suppress a smirk, "If you thought this was the difficult part then you're in for a ride." She chuckled lightly, alleviating the growing tension.

Emma smiled in return, "I seem to have a pretty good teacher, who knows what she's doing." She grinned cheekily. Emma's usual charismatic demeanour slowly seeped its way through.

Regina shook her head, a small smile etching its way across her face.

…

"Ughhh Regina! I can't do this! I think that's like the 100th time I've stepped on your feet." Emma exasperated with frustration.

They had been attempting to do the waltz for the past hour and Emma still hadn't gotten use to the 'box' steps. Regina, on the other hand was rather amused by the blonde and her inability to grasp such simple concepts in relation to dance steps. The tension between them had definitely eased since the start of the night and both women were grateful for that, especially Emma since she felt like she had been walking on eggshells in the last few days.

Regina rolled her eyes playfully, "More like a thousand. Now let's go again, to music this time. But keep the 1-2-3 count in your head." She spoke over her shoulder, while she sought an appropriate song for the dance.

The Mayor, satisfied with her choice, returned to the center of the room. The pair immediately resumed their perfected stance, as the song started.

Emma locked eyes with Regina; she stepped forward with her left foot and then stepped diagonally with her right, matching the other woman's steps. Emma then brought her left foot together with her right, before stepping back with her right foot and diagonally with her left foot. The blonde then brought her right foot together with her left and a beaming grin consumed her face at their success.

"We did it!" Emma nearly jumped with joy.

Regina chuckled, "Only after an hour or so." She smiled, both women now standing in front of each other.

There was a comfortable silence that encompassed the pair, both of them not knowing what to do next. Emma still felt weighed down about everything regarding Neal and her little out burst a few nights ago. She felt the need to apologize properly.

Emma quickly, before she chickened out, wrapped her arms around Regina's waist; she tightened her grip, expecting to be shrugged off. But it never happened.

Regina, initially caught off guard by the move, hesitantly ran her arms up and over Emma's shoulder. Her eyes slipped close at the contact, she had never felt so safe in someone's arms her entire life. She nudged her nose into the crook of Emma's neck and inhaled deeply. The blonde's scent was like a powerful drug that she was hopelessly addicted to. She felt Emma's fingers thread through her brown locks and pleasurably scrape her skull. Regina stifled a moan at the contact.

Emma whispered tentatively, "I am so sorry about the last few days." She spoke with genuine sincerity.

Regina sighed into the blonde, "I accept your apology, even though it is not necessary." She spoke almost breathlessly.

"It is though, I was being a total…bitch."

Regina chuckled lightly against Emma's collarbone, "You could be my bitch." She purred against her flushed skin.

Emma's hands began to wonder the brunette's back, "I so think I could." She smiled and placed feather kisses along the length of the Mayor's neck.

Regina moaned in delight at the contact, she peppered light kisses along Emma's jaw before reaching her lips. The blonde immediately brought their lips together in a longing kiss. They both felt sparks set off inside their bodies; Regina's mind went hazy while Emma felt like she was on a powerful drug. Their tongues collided in a battle for dominance; it was safe to say Emma won as she massaged Regina's tongue with her own. The brunette moaned into Emma's mouth, approving the action, which sent vibrations throughout the blonde.

Next thing Regina knew was that her back was up against the wall with Emma's body pressed against her front. Their lips urgently sought each other's with oxygen becoming a minor issue. Emma ran her hands up the sides of her body, brushing over her perfect mounds. Regina gasped at the touch and fisted Emma's white tank top under the unzipped jacket.

Regina caught Emma's lips once again and breathlessly spoke, "Bedroom. Now." She almost whimpered, her voice breathy and full of desire.

Emma hummed in response before the two women stumbled up the staircase, discarding various pieces of clothing along the way.

Thank you for reading and please review! :) x

(next chapter will be the about present time and the celebration in Augusta)