The club closed at four am. By that time, after four more shots and four more glasses of alcohol each, Regina and Emma were both absolutely plastered. The flowing skirts of Marian's that they'd been wearing had begun to feel more and more restrictive as they'd become clumsier and they'd decided it would be a good idea to retreat to the girl's toilets and rip the bottom halves off. When they eventually stumbled out of the club, sweat dripping from their faces and clothes tattered, they wanted to do anything but go back to the apartment. To Regina's surprise, the streets were still buzzing with activity and she didn't want to leave. So when a bunch of rowdy twenty-somethings addressed the crowd and shouted out an invite to a party back at theirs, they shared a look which said "Why not?" and followed the masses down the street to the stranger's penthouse apartment.

It turned out that the guy had just divorced his 'bitch of a wife' and was celebrating. His penthouse was large enough to comfortably fit the fifty or so strangers from the street and stocked to the brim with beer, wine and spirits.

"Shots for the lovely ladies?" The guy said, holding up a bottle of sambuca.

"Hit us up!" Emma jeered before Regina could answer, not that she expected the brunette to decline anyway, she was having too much fun.

He filled up two shot glasses and held one out to Emma, "One for…?"

"Emma." She said.

"Emma! And one for…?"

"Gina."

"Gina?" Emma repeated.

"One for Gina!" He passed them both their drinks and then poured one for himself, "One for Adam."

"Nice to meet you." Emma smiled as they downed their drinks. Emma realised this was the fifth type of alcohol they'd had, the hangover was sure to be a kick in the teeth in the morning.

"So what brings you two out tonight?"

Before either had a chance to think about the real answer to that question, Emma gestured to Regina and said, "I thought this one would enjoy a night out at a club for the first time."

"First time?" He asked in surprise. "What kept you so long? You look like a party animal to me."

Emma almost choked at the statement.

"This isn't usually my thing." Regina said.

"Well then, we gotta make sure you get all the experiences in, don't we?" He grinned and looked over to where some of his friends were setting up a keg stand. "Lads, we got our first taker over here!"

"Oh, no- no I don't think she'd-" Emma began to stammer while Regina just stared at the stand blankly, clearly never having seen one before.

Emma didn't have a chance to finish her sentence though, before two huge guys had grabbed ahold of Regina, dragged her over to the stand, ignoring her protests to stop and lifted her into the air, spinning her upside down. Emma's hand went over her mouth in shock at the sight.

"What are you doing? Put me down, this instant!" Regina shrieked.

"Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!" The crowd shouted and when a third guy held the beer tap to her mouth, Regina finally realised what she was meant to do.

Emma couldn't believe it when she started guzzling the drink, the crowd cheered her on and she just kept going and going and going. When Emma was sure a whole minute must have been up she finally spluttered and moved her face away from the beer tap, eliciting a huge applause from everybody.

"Your friend can sure take her beer!" Adam said, clapping Emma on the back, "You guys are welcome back any time."

"Thanks." Emma muttered, still staring at Regina as the guys lowered her to the ground. She had beer in her hair and all down Marian's white top, adding to the pink, cranberry stain already there.

"Good job, Madame Mayor." Emma praised her. "I didn't know you had it in you."

"There are lots of things you don't know about me, Miss Swan."

"Oh, yeah?" Emma smirked. "Like what? Tell me something I don't know about you."

"How about the fact that I was a champion horse rider?" Regina said, smugly.

"Well, I figured you had to have been pretty good to have saved Mary-Margaret the way you did."

"I was a lot better than pretty good." Regina boasted. "I was one of the best."

"If you enjoyed it so much, why don't you ride in Storybrooke?"

"I don't know." Regina admitted. "Honestly, I just put it to the back of my mind. I didn't have much chance to ride after I married the king."

Emma noticed Regina's grimace and said, "Well, when we get back, and all of this stuff with Gold has blown over, lets go. We can bring Henry, I'm sure he'd love to see you ride."

"You think?"

"I know he would." Emma smiled. "He'd be proud."

Regina smiled widely at that. "Also, it might be funny to see you try to ride."

"You underestimate me." Emma smirked. "Wasn't it you who told me I'd have been a great knight? Riding's in my blood!"

"That may well be, but without any practice, I imagine you'll be hopeless." Regina laughed. "I'll have to teach you."

Emma's eyes lit up. "I think I'd be okay with that."

"How about you?"

"Huh?"

"Tell me something I don't know about you." Regina elaborated.

"Hmm…" Emma thought for a moment. "I'm kind of an open book." She smiled and then added, "And anything I haven't told you, I'm sure Sidney found out when he was busy working as your spy."

"Yes, well, sorry about that." Regina muttered.

"Oh, I've got something!" Emma said, excitedly. "I bet you didn't know that I can do the splits."

"What?"

"Yup. Taught myself" Emma grinned, proudly.

Regina scoffed, "I don't believe you."

"Oh, yeah? Hold my shot glass" Emma said, handing it to her before leaning to the side and stretching her legs. "Watch." With that, she lowered herself to the floor, easily falling into the splits.

"What a useful skill." Regina said sarcastically as she laughed.

"I'll have you know, Neal was very appreciative."

Regina gaped, "I bet he was," she chuckled. When she asked a moment later, "Do you think you could teach me?" Emma lost herself in a fit of laughter.

"Looking to impress somebody in particular?" She asked.

"No!" Regina argued. "But I suppose it wouldn't hurt to make things a little more interesting in the bedroom."

Emma couldn't quite believe that she was having this conversation with the Mayor, a woman who'd had a stick up her ass for the past four years, and it made her feel ridiculously happy. As though she were getting to see something that nobody else was privy too. She felt lucky.

The sun had come up and most people were passed out on the floor when they finally decided to head back to Robin's apartment. They had continued to drink and Emma wondered how neither of them had been sick, especially Regina who, by her own admission, really didn't drink all that much. They were both certainly drunker than they'd ever been, leaning on each other for support as they waddled down the street.

When they reached the apartment, Emma put a hand on Regina's arm to stop her before she could buzz the door.

"What was up with saying your name was Gina?" She asked.

"That's what some of my friends used to call me."

"I've never heard it before."

"You've never met anyone who I was close with. I wasn't exactly 'tight' with any of Storybrooke's residents, after all they're all people who I was busy punishing." Regina explained.

"I like it. Gina suits you."

"It doesn't exactly sound as-" She paused, thinking, "regal, as Regina."

"That's why I like it. It sound more like you, like the real you."

"The real me? As opposed to the fake me?"

"As opposed to the scary-ass persona you'd have everyone else believe you were. I think this is the first time I've had the chance to hang out with the real you. They say a little drink brings out the person behind the mask by removing our inhibitions. I was beginning to think that your mask would never fully come off."

Regina surprised her with the insecurity laced into her next question, "And what do you think of her? Of the real me?"

"I like her." Emma stated without hesitation.

Regina's eyebrows rose on her face, her nose crinkled a little in confusion.

"I really like her." Emma said again, as she took a step forward.

Regina didn't back away. Emma was standing close, close enough that they were breathing the same air. She glanced at the blonde's lips and then back up to her green eyes again, blinked a few times.

Emma leaned closer, the ends of her hair brushing across Regina's collarbone. She looked into Regina's chocolate-brown orbs, eyes that looked as though they'd seen the world and more in their time. Eyes so deep she wanted to be lost in them. She glanced between them and gently touched Regina's fingers with her own, a feather-like touch which sent sparks flying up her arms.

Then they were both leaning closer, lips coming together.

"Moms?!" A voice called out.

Regina jumped back from Emma like she was poison and the two of them whipped around in the direction of the voice to see their son standing across the road from them, next to David's car, his eyes wide, mouth open.

"Henry!" They gasped in unison.