By 3pm, Emma had all of her clothes unpacked and scattered around her room. Sure, to others, this was just a dinner. But this was a dinner with Regina. She knew she would be dressed to the nines, so Emma couldn't show up in her regular jeans and tank top. She owned one dress that was short and black that she had brought along in case she went out on a date, but it could hardly be considered formal. She sighed heavily. Nothing she owned would do, so she gathered her wallet and headed out the door. After a few minutes of walking down Main Street, she came across a small dress shop and headed inside.

"Hello, would you like any assistance?" She turned to see a small woman with a pixie haircut staring at her with big green doe eyes. She looked more like a school teacher than a retail worker, standing there in her medium length summer dress covered in bluebirds with a matching blue cardigan, but who was Emma to judge?

"Hi, yes, please! I'm going to dinner tonight at the Mayor's house and I need something semi-formal to wear." She saw the look of fear flash in the woman's eyes at the mention of Regina, but it was quickly replaced. She decided she was going to ask Regina about that later. The woman grabbed her hand and led her to a small section in the back of the shop where the cocktail dresses were located.

"Any of these would be an excellent choice. I have to head back up to the front, but if you need any more help, just come and get me. Oh, and, welcome to Storybrooke."

Emma thanked her before turning to take in all of her options. She immediately spotted the perfect one. It was a skin-tight red dress that could both pass for formal occasions and a night out. She just hoped she'd look good in it. And that Regina would agree. She paid for it and headed back out to Main Street in direction of the nearest liquor store.

She was pleased to find that Storybrooke had a rather large selection of wines. Emma was more of a beer girl herself, and whiskey if she was feeling extra daring, but wine had never been her thing. She knew absolutely nothing about picking out a good wine, or even what Regina would be into so she decided to rely on humor instead of taste and grabbed up a bottle of Tesora Della Regina Pinot Grigio. The one time she tried pinot grigio, she remembered absolutely hating it but even if it was awful, she hoped the name earned her a laugh.

At 6:30, Emma arrived at 108 Mifflin Street. She didn't know what she was expecting Regina to live in, but honestly, a fucking mansion didn't ever cross her mind. This house was huge. She looked down and adjusted her dress one last time, smoothing out invisible lines before walking up to the porch. She paired her dress with 3-inch black heels, minimal eyeliner, and a nude lipstick so the dress would be the center of attention.

She knocked on the door before taking a step back, her nerves finally catching up to her. It's just dinner, she thought, there's nothing to be scared of. Sure she wants to apologize for kissing you, but that doesn't make this a date. Get it together, Swan. The door opened.

When Emma arrived in Storybrooke, she looked down upon the town below her and was certain that it was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. As soon as Regina opened her front door, she knew she had been wrong. She was unable to tear her eyes away from the sight before her. Regina stood before her wearing dark black jeans, a crisp champagne colored silk button up shirt, 6 inch Louboutin heels, and minimal makeup. She was beautiful with her face full of makeup, drop dead gorgeous really, but she was a thousand times more beautiful to Emma like this. Emma was too busy being mesmerized by Regina to notice that Regina had been equally stunned by Emma, her eyes trailing down the blonde's body, taking in every inch of the sight before her.

When Emma broke from her trance, she held the wine bottle, almost forgotten, out to Regina.

"I, uh, I didn't know what you'd like so I kind of just picked based on name alone. I hope it's okay." Emma stammered out, glancing down at her shoes in embarrassment. The idea seemed funny earlier, but now standing in front of Regina, she became slightly less confident. She was pulled from her negative thought by the prettiest laugh she's ever heard in her life.

"It's lovely, Emma. Come in," She said, moving aside so Emma could enter, "Would you like a glass now? You're a bit early, so dinner isn't done yet." She linked their arms together again, leading her to the large kitchen at the end of the foyer.

"I'm not a big wine drinker. Never had the taste for it, I guess. But please, you go ahead. I'm fine with water or something." Emma shrugged. She should have bought herself some beer. She was hoping Regina wouldn't take offense to her not wanting to drink the wine with her. She thought she should have said yes, even if she hated it.

"How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you ever tasted?"

"That sounds lovely, thank you." Emma was grateful that Regina had other options. She didn't know if she could make it through tonight without some kind of liquid courage. She had decided earlier in the day that tonight would go one of two ways. Either she would make it clear that the kiss was welcomed and kiss her again, or she would be rejected and move on with her life. Not that she thought that possible at this point. Four days of knowing her and Regina had already worked her way into Emma's mind and heart. No, not heart, Emma thought, I barely know her.

Regina handed her the glass of cider and motioned for her to follow to the dining room table. The table could easily sit six people and it was covered by a deep red cloth that reached the ground, adorned with a black lace design around the edges. It was positively regal. She noticed only two plates had been set out.

"Henry won't be joining us?" She didn't want to get her hopes up, but this totally looked like a date.

"I assumed it would be easier for us to talk without a rambunctious ten year old controlling the conversation. He's staying at a friend's house for the night. I'll be back in a moment. I'm going to go gather the meal. I do hope you like lasagna. I've been told that mine is the best in town." Regina smirked before walking away.

When Regina made it to the kitchen, she finally took a moment to gather her thoughts. Her intentions for tonight were to apologize for kissing Emma and then distance herself from speaking to her, as she clearly couldn't keep her emotions in check around the blonde. But no, Emma just had to show up wearing that and now she had to do all she could to not kiss her again. She sighed, pulling the lasagna out of the oven and headed back to the dining room but not before grabbing the entire bottle of wine. She'd need it.

She served a healthy portion to both of them before taking her seat across from Emma. They probably looked weird, sitting across from each other, but Regina needed to be as far away from her as possible at the moment. They made mindless small talk while eating, Emma made sure to comment on how delicious she thought it was after every third bite.

"What did you put it in this to make it spicy? Usually, I'm not a fan of spicy food, but this works so well with all the other flavors." Emma had said.

"Red pepper flakes. Gives it some kick." That response earned her a laugh. A laugh that she wanted to hear as many times as possible before Emma inevitably left.

When dinner was done, they headed into Regina's study and sat next to each other on the couch, both a little too close for it to be strictly platonic. Halfway through dinner, Regina's wine had started to kick in and so had Emma's glass of cider but they both kept drinking despite that.

"Can I ask you a question?" Emma said, finally glancing up at Regina.

"Of course."

"I went to a store today to buy this dress and I mentioned I was having dinner with you tonight and the lady working looked terrified," Emma said with a laugh.

"That isn't exactly a question, but I get what you're asking. Her name is Mary Margaret. We don't get along. I won't bore you with the details but it's a hatred that goes back twenty years. I'm surprised she didn't try to talk you out of it." There was a hint of sadness in her voice when she entertained that last thought.

"She wouldn't have been able to. I'm not interested in what others think of you. I like you. You're tough and funny and you stood up to me and put me in my place. You're also a pretty great kisser." Emma offered her a genuine smile.

"I'm sorry that I kissed you. It was unprofessional and I should've asked first. I was caught up in my emotions and I apologize." At that, Regina started to move slightly away from her but she was stopped by a hand on her knee. She looked up to stare into glossy emerald eyes.

"Don't be sorry, I didn't mind. I didn't come here looking for anything serious. I certainly wasn't expecting to find anyone I'd want around for the long run. You're different, Regina. I can sense it. There's something special about you and Henry both. Please don't feel bad about the kiss. I know we've only known each other for a few days, but I'd like to keep getting to know you. And... I wouldn't mind kissing you again." Emma said with such sincerity that Regina's heart melted.

"You wouldn't?"

With that, Emma's mouth was on hers in a flash, the alcohol completely forgotten.