Hello beautiful people! Yes, this is a very early update yet again. No, you shouldn't get used to it. I intend to update more frequently, but not THIS frequently. Now I'm just on a roll, after having left this story behind for far too long. So here we go with chapter 7, even a bit longer than usual! I would like to give credit to my wonderful and amazingly talented girlfriend Nina (Nin_ja_turtle or well, Miss Blanchfart, on twitter) for providing the beautiful lyrics for this chapter. Any future song by Emma will in fact be written by her, because she's awesome and I can't write songs. I hope you'll enjoy it, and please, let me know what you think. Your wonderful reviews inspire me to keep going. Much love, xo.

May 31st, Friday

"All of these words come so easily

They're coming from deep beneath me

Trying so hard to get your attention

Some things are lost in translation

Emma clutched the microphone tightly in her hand as she closed her eyes. The steady beating of August on the drums and light humming of Ruby on the bas brought her to the refrain of the song.

"Can you feel my lips on top of yours?

When I say I'm dying to kiss you

Can you feel my eyes are on you?

When I look at a picture of you

You're everything I want, if I'm honest

Is that enough to make you feel wanted?"

A loud screech filled the small studio and Emma winched before looking to where the sound came from.

"What the hell are you doing?" she almost screamed at Ruby, the previous noise having numbed her ears.

"This song is stupid," Ruby said before slumping down on a stool, crossing her arms, "We don't do love songs. We never have, and I'm not one in favor of starting."

"Last time I checked, I was the only one here who knew how to write a prober song, so maybe you should appreciate the fact that you even have something to play to," Emma growled and glared at Ruby, who mainly stuck out her tongue.

August cleared his throat before speaking up.

"I like it. It's different, but just as awesome as your other songs. I don't mind mashing up our style if it still gives us grade A lyrics."

"You're just saying that because you don't want to piss her off! You're always cradling her."

"Ruby, lay off. What's with you today?" Emma managed to bite down on her anger enough to make her voice sound less hostile. Ruby sighed and threw up her hands.

"I don't know. I'm just on edge with the entire fucking universe. It's like something inside me just wants to be angry. Maybe I'm getting my period or something," she tossed her dark locks over her shoulder before grabbing a beer from the mini fridge, "Sorry guys. Maybe we shouldn't practice today."

August threw a sympathetic look at their ill-tempered friend, before sharing a look with Emma. They both nodded.

"We're almost done anyway. What do you say we go for lunch? My treat," August said and rose from his stool behind the drums. He walked over to Ruby and put a heavy hand on her shoulder. She simply nodded before gulping down the rest of her beer. That girl always inhales everything she eats or drinks, Emma thought to herself.

The three of them shut down all the equipment, before heading to their favorite lunch place The Cinnamon Apple. It didn't escape Emma's mind that maybe her newest song addition was too obvious. But what was she to do? She wrote what she felt. And lately, all her feelings were circled around the same beautiful brunette. I wonder what she's doing right now.

Regina had woken up at 5:10am to an email stating that all lectures were cancelled due to some chaos with the water pipes. Apparently, the entire lower section of the University was under water and people had been working on the situation since last night. She'd forwarded the email to her mother before turning to her other side and continued sleeping.

Now it was 7:30am and some furious stomping coming from downstairs ripped her from her sleep. She grumbled into the pillow and pulled the duvet over her head in an attempt to die down the noise, but the stomping only grew in intensity as time passed. She sighed deeply before tossing the duvet aside and jumping off the bed. Her parents had already left for work, so she was alone and therefore the only one to open the door for whomever insisted on ruining her chance of extended sleep. She swung open the door, ready to express how displeased she was, but the face she met on the other side of the door made all her muscles tighten and she simple stared, dumbstruck.

"Hello, sis."

"Zelena," Regina hissed.

"It's nice to see you too. May I come in?"

"It's your house too. Unfortunately."

Regina moved aside and let in her big sister and closed the door too hard, making it quiver. Zelena looked more like a train wreck than usual and she was obviously exhausted. Her hair was greasy and she'd collected it messily in a bun bouncing on her head. Her clothes weren't all too clean either, as dried up dirt covered her jeans and she had a rip in her t-shirt. She threw her huge backpack on the entre floor with a sigh, and a puff of dusty smoke emerged from all its folds. Regina fanned it away from her face.

"What are you doing here, Zelena?"

"Well as you so politely stated, I live here," the red-haired woman said and smirked wickedly before making her way to the kitchen. Regina followed, only to see her opening one of their dad's imported beers. It's not even 8 o'clock in the morning. Regina knew that Zelena was well aware that they weren't allowed to drink them. But as usual, her big sister didn't care for anyone else but her own self.

"You know what I mean. I thought you were backpacking with Jason?"

"I was. That's over now," Zelena said dully before taking a big zip of the beer.

"Why am I not surprised," Regina said sarcastically.

Zelena grinned and took another gulp of beer.

"What would you know, only having one miserably failed attempt of a sexual life."

"It's not just about sex, Zelena."

The auburn haired woman threw her head back laughing in mockery.

"So young, so unwise."

Regina chewed on her bottom lip in anger. Her and Zelena had never had the best relationship, if any at all. It had always been like they belonged to two different worlds. Sometimes Regina questioned if they were really sisters at all. Zelena was unruly, self-centered and careless, and she was always in the company of all the wrong people. But together with people she actually liked, or simply when she wasn't around Regina or any other family members, she was fun, hilarious, and she'd always lived one hell of a life. She was more adventurous and brave than Regina herself, and the brunette had always envied her sister that. But even though she'd made it clear just how much she loved her life, she'd always been jealous of Regina. The younger daughter had always been the parents' favorite, to no surprise really, as she was the earthbound and ambitious one of the two. Either way, Zelena still lived at their house since she never worked steadily, and therefore couldn't afford to live anywhere else. Or maybe she simply didn't want the responsibility of owning anything herself. It wasn't like she was here much anyway, since she was always out drinking or backpacking or breaking the law. Nonetheless, her room was still intact and untouched.

"How long do you plan on staying this time?" Regina tried to keep the hostility out of her voice, but it was difficult.

"I think I'll be sticking around for now, actually." Zelena emptied her beer in one last gulp and threw the bottle into the sink with a loud rattle. Regina raised an eyebrow.

"Really? And for what reason may that be, if I may ask?"

The shift in Zelena's mood caught Regina off guard, and she stumbled backwards when the redheaded woman growled furiously at her.

"I don't need a reason, do I?" she pointed a stiff finger at her younger sister and barred her teeth before continuing "I'm staying, and that's not something you have a say in. So just leave it and shut up."

Zelena spun around on her heel and left Regina numb on the spot. The brunette was staring blankly into the air with her mouth hanging open slightly. She was used to her sister being, well, a bitch, but that outburst had come out of nowhere, even for Zelena. Regina couldn't help but think that there was indeed a reason for her staying, but her big sister was obviously not interested in sharing. Regina didn't care much anyway, as long as she kept out of her business. So she simply shrugged and returned to her room, hoping to catch another hour of sleep. She didn't. As soon as she was alone in her room again, her thoughts ran wild, and suddenly she was way too busy thinking about Emma to focus on sleeping.

Emma fiddled around with her pasta, lost in her own thoughts. She barely registered the conversation going on in front of her. That was, until Ruby poked her arm with her fork.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Emma whined and rubbed at the sore spot.

"I asked you a question."

"So? You don't have to stab me."

"I obviously do, since you seemed to be miles away. What the hell are you even thinking about?"

Emma looked down on her plate. She wasn't sure how long she'd been twirling the same spoonful of pasta. She scooped it up and answered Ruby with her mouth still full.

"Nothing."

Ruby puffed out a breath in sarcastic mockery.

"That wasn't nothing. Something's up. Spill it."

Emma swallowed thickly before pinning Ruby with a glare.

"When I say it's nothing, it's nothing okay? Leave it."

Ruby threw up her hands in defeat and turned to August to continue their conversation.

Meanwhile, Emma fell right back into her train of thoughts. It wasn't like she was worried or so but… something was just bothering her. Her feelings were bothering her. Mainly because she couldn't comprehend or understand them. She was unable to pin them to something known, and that pissed her off. She hated feeling stupid and being confused. But lately that was all she was. Confused. Or maybe she simply chose to remain so, because she was too scared to face the facts.

If she was completely honest with herself, she knew what was happening. She knew what she was feeling about Regina. But it was too overwhelming to just accept. Even to say out loud. She hadn't even completed the thought. She was afraid to think it, in case it became all too real. So instead she remained in somewhat denial. At least until she was ready to face the truth…

Maybe I should just tell them. They might be able to help… She debated that for a good ten seconds, until concluding that telling them would only make things worse. August would tease her and Ruby would simply tell her to get over herself. So she remained in silence. All she wished for in this moment though, was someone she could talk to. Someone who would understand her and whom she was certain wouldn't judge her. But the sad truth was that she didn't. Maybe because she didn't trust anyone enough, but even still, it left her without anyone to confide in. To be honest, she felt lonely. Even if she was the exact opposite. But she couldn't help this feeling of utter loneliness that always hung over her like a dark cloud. The only time she didn't feel lonely was when she was writing with Regina.

That thought woke her up from her trance, and she immediately smiled to herself. She didn't need to figure anything out. For now, she just needed Regina. She decided to write her as soon as she was home from lunch. But this time it was going to be different. This time, she was going to treat it as what she had secretly wished it could be, ever since she'd come to know the beautiful brunette – a date.

It was 10am when Regina received the message from Emma. She was still in her PJs, curled up in blankets on her balcony in the middle of a book. It was still a bit chilly to sit out here in the early morning, but she didn't care. Whenever the sun was shining, she always sat out there, no matter how cold. And right now her only concern was that Zelena would leave her be.

This time though, it wasn't the late spring breeze that gave her goose bumps. This time, it was those four simple words staring back at her from her screen.

"I have a question."

Wasn't it old knowledge that whenever someone said that, along with "We need to talk" and "Can I ask you something?", severe panic would always occur, which was why you should always prevent yourself from saying any of this? Regina scolded Emma a bit for making her so nervous. It was like pushing a big red button marked "DANGER" and it made Regina's palms sweat and her heartbeat rise. She had no choice but to answer.

"Ask away."

It took way too long for Emma to answer. Or maybe it just seemed longer than it was, because of how nervous Regina was. But when the answer finally came, the waiting was more than worth it. As Regina read the message, she gasped with such force that she dropped her phone, causing it to bounce on the metal floor, which had the brunette falling off her chair in an attempt to capture it before it fell through the railing. She did so, even if she was now splayed out awkwardly on the little space, her ears burning with embarrassment. At least no one had seen her. She crawled back in her chair to read the message again, making sure that what she had seen before was actually true.

"What would you say if I asked you out on a date?"

Regina let out a shrill cackle of unnatural sort. But how was she to contain her excitement. The dark-haired woman was grinning from ear to ear, her heart throbbing rapidly against her rip-cage, unable to contain itself just as Regina herself. She had to stop herself from kissing her screen. Instead, she jumped off the chair and danced around herself a few times, before running inside, bouncing up on her bed. There was no doubt in her mind as to what she would answer, but how to put it was the question. She thought about this for some time, all the while knowing that with every passing second, Emma was probably going more and more out of her mind.

"I wouldn't be opposed to the idea."

Regina chewed on her bottom lip. She wasn't sure why she tried to be funnier than she actually was, because she knew she always miserably failed.

"Was that a yes?"

Regina hit her face in her hands as she blushed. She should really just have put it as directly as she felt it.

"Definitely."

Too much time passed before Emma answered. Regina was hammering her fingers against her phone while she waited. When a message ticked in, she nearly dropped it.

"Great! I mean that's really awesome. I'm glad."

Regina smiled sheepishly. Emma was obviously as nervous as she was herself.

"Do you have time… say, now?"

"As a matter of fact I do."

Regina looked down at herself. Suddenly she felt horribly underdressed. Even if she knew Emma wasn't exactly going to drop by her house, she felt weird sitting in her room in her PJs for what could be called their first date.

"Actually… can you give me half an hour?"

"Sure. Take as much time as you need. I'll just put the wine back in the fridge."

Regina giggled before bouncing off the bed, sprinting to her bathroom. Thirty-three and a half minutes later she was in a royal blue cocktail dress with three-quarter sleeves and a black zipper down the back. It was one of her favorites. Especially because of the unique front with two crossing triangles, and the purple belt right above her waist. Her hair she wore in her signature braid, with a bow matching the color of her dress, and her makeup was light, although her lips a deep red. She knew it didn't make the slightest sense to dress up, but she felt more confident this way.

"I'm ready."

Emma's reply was prompt and it made Regina quirk a now perfectly plugged eyebrow.

"Knock-knock."

Was she going to start this off by telling horrific jokes?

"Who's there?"

"Me."

"Me who?"

"No one. Just me. I'm knocking on your door. It's a date right? So I'm picking you up. I even brought flowers."

Regina's smile was too big for her face and her cheeks were already hurting immensely. If Emma wasn't charming, then who was.

"Well then I guess I should open the door for you."

"Please do. I'm an impatient woman."

Regina considered actually walking to her front door, but quickly dropped the idea since that would be too ridiculous.

"Hello Ms. Swan. Oh what lovely flowers. Purple roses, how did you know?"

"Wild guess. And please, call me Emma."

"Emma."

"Regina. You look breathtaking this evening."

"Thank you, Emma. As do you."

"I'm really in sweatpants and a yellow hoodie but thank you."

"Hush. Don't ruin the magic.

"My apologies. Are you all ready to go?"

"Where are you taking me?"

"It's a surprise. Just follow me."

A bit of awkward silence followed as Regina didn't quite know what was going to happen next. Even still, she was excited, practically bouncing on her bed in anticipation.

Emma let a suitable amount of time pass before she wrote Regina again. She was grinning like a fool, feeling quite pleased with her own idea. Hopefully Regina was enjoying it as much as she was herself.

"We're here."

"And where exactly is here, if I may ask?"

Emma took a deep breath. This could end either way.

"It's a meadow. Or not as much of a meadow as it's a grass field. But it's beautiful. You can see it stretch far into the horizon, with a few houses here and there. Behind us is a little forest, with a path leading through a village. But most importantly, there's this picnic right in front of us in the grass. Let me take your hand. I'll make sure you won't get dirt on your beautiful dress."

Emma waited for Regina to answer, chewing furiously on her nails. Why was she so nervous? It's not like it was a real date. Even if she wanted it to be.

"Emma…"

The blonde sucked in an uneven breath.

"Yes?"

"This is wonderful."

"I'm glad you think so."

As she exhaled, she mentally high-fived herself. So far it was a success.

"Now, let's eat. I've heard the food is awesome."

"Did you make it yourself?"

"Exactly."

Emma contemplated what to do next. She wanted to get to know Regina. She was so curious to get to know the woman behind the beautiful face. Or at least know more of her. Suddenly, an idea struck her.

"Do you wanna play 20 questions?"

"Are you serious?"

"Sure, why not? I mean I want to get to know you. This seems like the perfect way."

"I guess you're right. Alright, lets."

"Awesome! You start."

"Hey now, it was your idea!"

"And since I'm the mind behind this brilliant idea, I say it's only fair that you ask the first question."

"Sigh. As you wish. But I'm really horrible at questions."

Emma watched time pass as Regina thought of a question. When it had been nearly five minutes, Emma was about to suggest she would start, but then came a question from Regina.

"What's your favorite thing about yourself?"

Damn. That was a tough one. There was more Emma disliked about herself than stuff she liked. She chewed on her bottom lip, deep in thought.

"My humor I guess. But I'm not quite sure since I have a love/hate relationship towards it. I tend to make fun of everything and sometimes also my feelings. I kinda wish I was more serious about some things cause I sometimes hurt people with my sarcastic comments even if I really mean the exact opposite. So yeah… what about you?"

"I would just like to say that I adore your humor. Now, are we allowed to ask questions back?"

"I vote yes. Otherwise I'll be left way too curious."

"Good point. Well then I would have to say my passion, in almost anything I do, really. If it's laughing too loudly over something that wasn't funny or crying too hard over something that wasn't that sad. I guess I've always been driven by this passion of mine, even if it has also brought me great pain. I tend to think this is why I've always had the silly idea of becoming a writer."

"It's not silly, Regina. Don't say that."

"I believe it's your turn to ask a question."

Emma took the hint and decided to take this matter up some other time. She asked the question she'd already picked.

"What's your biggest dream?"

"I have a lot of dreams."

"We all do. But what's your biggest one?"

"To follow my heart. To not let anything or anyone stop me from doing what I want."

Emma felt her throat tighten. Normally when people said this, it seemed so shallow. But with Regina, Emma knew there was something more. And she was desperate to find out what it was. But she also knew it was too soon to ask.

"That's a good dream."

"Thank you. Do you have a dream of your own?"

"I do. I want my own family. A place to feel home and in love."

"That's a lovely dream, Emma."

"This is getting quite emotional, isn't it?"

"It is."

"Do you want to stop?"

"No."

Emma smiled softly. Sometimes she had trouble figuring this brunette beauty out.

"Well then, I believe it's your turn."

"What's your most precious childhood memory?"

Regina had finally been able to come up with a question without spending half an eternity. This one she was actually quite proud of, even if it seemed to be tough for Emma to answer.

"Shit. I don't know."

"Take your time."

And so she did. Ten minutes passed before Emma's answer ticked in.

"I used to play Gameboy a lot. I had this one friend I played with every day. Um, we liked all the same things, and we've always lived close to each other. His name is August. He's still my best friend. That's so not special but I didn't want to tell you sad shit or so."

Regina smiled, a bit confused. Whenever she asked about Emma's past, the blonde seemed rather reluctant to say much but she always mentioned that it wasn't a happy story. It made Regina nervous, not to mention curious. She wanted to know so much, everything really, about this wonder of a woman who had mysteriously entered her life.

"This is a wonderful memory, Emma. I'm glad he's still your friend. You must really have a special bond."

"Yeah, we do. He's like a brother to me. Anyway, what about you?"

"Well this is also a tricky one for me… I guess the first thing that springs to my mind is one of my family's old traditions. Every summer, everyone would gather around our house for a special meal – eel. My dad used to go fishing with his old friend so the eel was captured by them. The only time we ate it was this day. I don't remember it entirely, since we stopped doing this long ago. It doesn't seem like much, but it was just… amazing. We would sit out until long after dark, wrapped up in blankets by a fire. I remember always feeling so safe on this day. It was back when everything was still easy I guess."

"I love this. It sounds lovely."

"Thank you. Now you go."

Emma's next question had Regina stiffen. She was caught off guard by the sudden seriousness, and the possible meaning behind this question had her panicking.

"Do you believe in love at first sight?"

Regina stared into the air while contemplating what to say. Her experience with love spoke against believing in such a phenomenon, but the dreamer inside of her made it hard to resist believing in the possibility. She wanted to believe it. It gave her hope. And the things she'd been feeling recently had her question everything anyway. She kept postponing the moment where she had to sit down and actually let herself think about what was happening. Face it. It terrified her to her bones.

"In some ways I do. I believe that love knows no boundaries, and therefore it might not be bound by things such as how long you've known each other. I think it's quite possible to meet someone you just connect with on every level, and that that grows into love. So yes, maybe I do. How about you?"

"Same as you."

Emma's short answer had Regina worried. Something seemed to be bothering the blonde.

"It's your turn to ask a question now."

Regina nodded as if Emma could actually see her in this moment. She smiled to herself when writing her question.

"What's your idea of the perfect date?"

Emma's answer was one single word, but it held much more. It held a promise.

"This."

Regina grinned like a fool. Her stomach was twirling almost uncomfortably, and she had trouble keeping track of all the things her body was doing.

"May I ask you something else, Emma?"

"Sure. It's getting late anyway. I promised your parents to have you home by nightfall. So lets call your question the end of the game."

Regina blushed at Emma's reference to the pretend date. She was simply too cute for words.

"Why did you bring me here, to this field?"

"It's where I go to write my songs. And lately, a lot of those songs have been about you. I just wanted you to see it. Actually, hold up."

Regina waited patiently with a blinding smile on her face. "A lot of those songs have been about you." What was Emma doing to her? She had never felt this way. So… light. Light headed, light hearted. She felt like she was floating among high clouds. And if that was so, she never wanted to find her way back to the ground again.

A message ticked in. It was a picture. A picture of a beautiful grass field, bathed in the breathtaking light of a sunset emerging. Regina had to gasp when she took in the sight. She went there. She actually went there. She didn't know what to say. Or what to do. She looked down at herself, remembering her attire. It was the least she could do. She got off the bed and stood in front of her mirror, taking a picture of herself and pressed send.

"Thank you for showing me that, Emma. It's stunning."

"Oh my… you got dressed."

"Of course I did. It was a date after all."

"Screw this sunset. Regina, you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

"Oh stop it. Don't exaggerate."

"I'm not. I'm really not. Everything about you takes my breath away."

"Thank you, Emma."

"No need. Just believe me."

Silence fell upon them. Regina felt hot tears prick at her eyes and she swallowed hard against a sudden lump in her throat. How could Emma do this to her? Whatever it even was, since Regina was still not sure about that. Or maybe she was. Maybe she was simply denying what was right in front of her. But she was just so scared, of so many things. And this fear was holding her back with a grip sometimes stronger than herself. She resented this fear, but no matter how hard she tried to fight it, it was rooted too deep within her for her to break free. But maybe, just maybe, she would be able to do so, with help. Emma's help. Maybe, this was the time for her to be happy. To be free.

"Regina?"

Regina sniffled and took a deep breath. Her hands were shaking as she typed.

"Yes?"

"I like you."

"I like you too, Emma."

"No, I mean. I really like you."

Regina's breath caught hard in her throat. Her heart was throbbing uncomfortably against her ribcage but even still she smiled. Was she happy? Was she scared? Did she feel the same? She didn't know. She didn't know anything and it frustrated her to the point of anger, because all she wanted was to give Emma a clear answer. A right answer. She knew she felt the same. Didn't she? Otherwise, why would she smile every time she received a message from Emma? Why would she think about her constantly? Why would she imagine what it would be like to actually be with her? She wouldn't do any of this if she didn't have feelings for Emma.

And there it was, just like that. The truth. It scared her just as much as she'd known it would. It made her quiver almost violently and for a moment she felt like she couldn't breathe. But then she laughed. She laughed loud and carefree, tears dripping down her cheeks as she reveled in the feeling of finally being true to herself and stop denying what was right there. It was very simple after all.

Regina had feelings for Emma Swan.