A few weeks later, Emma did get Regina's attention, although not quite the way she'd have chosen.

Henry was regularly visiting her at the club in the afternoon a few times a week, and played the guitar with her. Everything seemed under control. And then, Ruby happened. Maybe Emma shouldn't have insisted so much on Henry loosening up a bit. Or maybe he would have done just the same anyway.

"I'm really sorry, Regina," said Emma, feeling terribly guilty. "I swear I never saw that coming, or I wouldn't have left him alone backstage for a minute!"

"Oh," Regina replied, furious, "so that's your excuse for bringing me back my son passed-out drunk?! I knew it was a bad idea to let him see you!"

"It was an accident!" Emma pleaded. "Minors can't drink at the club, and Henry wasn't supposed to find alcohol in the dressing room! I hadn't realized Ruby had left that flask of whisky!"

"You were responsible for him," Regina pointed out. "You had to watch over him. It's obvious that you're totally unfit to be a parent. You can't be trusted!"

"I already feel guilty as hell, OK?" Emma admitted miserably. "But Henry is a teenager, he's experimenting. We all did the same at his age." Regina glared at her in disgust, making perfectly clear without uttering a word that she most certainly did not.

Emma refrained from mentioning that she believed Henry was actually trying to work up the nerve to talk to Ruby after the rehearsal. He seemed to have developed a major crush on the scantily clad singer and her endless legs, which made him lose his speech each time she so much as looked at him.

"Anyway, since he had never drunk a drop of alcohol before," Emma concluded, "it didn't take much to - "

"Are you saying it's my fault if my son is dead drunk after spending a few hours at your club? When Henry listens to my orchestra, he doesn't end up risking ethylic coma!"

Emma was dying to answer, "I'm sure when he listens to your fancy stuck-up music he doesn't need any alcohol to fall asleep," but not wanting to add fuel to the fire, she settled for a weak, "Come on, there was only so much whisky in that flask. He'll sleep it off and be just fine."

"I suppose you should know," Regina replied coldly, staring Emma down as if she were the epitome of depravation. "Well, for Henry's sake, I think you've made it clear that our little experiment is now over."

"I am sorry, for God's sake!" Emma cried. "What else do I have to do to prove it?! But you can't forbid Henry to see me! It will blow in your face."

"I'll take the risk." Regina said in a final tone. "Now, will you please leave."

Emma was still standing in the hallway with her jacket on, having never been invited further in after helping a very drunk Henry into the apartment. She hovered, undecided. Regina's ire was justified, and Emma was mad at herself too for letting such a thing happen. But there was something so rigid and unaccommodating about Regina that it made her want to fight back, no matter how guilty she was in the first place. Regina made her feel exactly like Henry, writing her off as if she could never be good enough. Emma could understand why, having no other parent to look up to, the boy was so miserable with her.

Emma did her best to suppress her anger and tried a different angle. "Raising a kid is hard, I get it. I thought I couldn't do it alone, that's why I gave him up. So why do you do it on your own?"

Regina glared at her. "Why? Do you think I need a man to save me and my son?" she said in a scornful tone.

Emma smiled ironically. "Well, a good old father figure probably wouldn't hurt, but this is absolutely not what I said. I just meant, maybe it does help to share this with someone."

"That someone being you, I suppose," stated Regina, once more looking Emma up and down with utter contempt. "My dear, you've just proved how capable you are."

"Come on," Emma insisted, "This is new to me. Give me another chance!" Mirroring her antagonist, she looked Regina up and down. Regina's eyes were blazing from their argument, her cheeks rosy and her chest heaving with righteous indignation. With her perfect hairdo and impeccable tailor-made clothes, she was absolutely proper from head to toe, yet she managed to be smoking hot. Each time Emma looked at her, the sharp contrast captured her attention like a magnet. Until now, she had done her best to ignore her attraction, but right now, Regina was being so infuriatingly superior that Emma didn't care how much this was a terrible idea to let her desire show – she just craved the satisfaction of unsettling the damn woman, if only a little.

Regina's expression changed under Emma's openly lustful stare. Flashing her white teeth between full red lips in a carnivorous grin, she raised an eyebrow and said. "Oh, so this is what you want?" Slowly, she walked up to Emma, her dark brown eyes now deliberately staring at her mouth, her breasts, her… Emma felt her body react strongly and her mouth go dry. Then Regina authoritatively put one arm around Emma's waist, slid her other hand into her nape, and kissed her.

Regina's kiss was no tender first kiss – it was a declaration of war. Emma felt her brain explode and surrender before even considering fighting back. Regina, carrying on with her attack, resolutely pulled Emma closer to her. Emma felt a jolt of pleasure as her body pressed into Regina's. Her knees weakened. So much for unsettling the damn woman, she thought confusedly, wanting nothing more than that kiss to never stop, even if Regina seemed ready to bite her at any moment. The thrill of danger only made things more exciting.

The next thing Emma knew, Regina abruptly pulled away and stepped back out of arm's reach. Panting, stunned with pleasure and surprise, Emma hazily registered that she was now standing outside the apartment, on the landing. "How predictable!" Regina said with a satisfied smirk. "Goodbye, Miss Swan." And she closed the door to her face.