A/N

Thank you all who have read and reviewed the story so far, I really appreciate it. If you have any suggestions let me know.

Friday was here before Emma knew it, she was looking forward to spending some time with her friends but she was worried about leaving Henry for the night. Knowing Granny was there eased her mind, she kept reminding herself she had the rest of the weekend with him.

Since Henry was emitted Emma spent Friday and Saturday nights sleeping in a cot next to Henry's bed. On Saturday afternoons she would build him a fort out of blankets and they would make up stories together about adventures who lived when dinosaurs roomed hiding in their 'huts'. Her friends would visit Sunday's bringing food and brand new comic books for Henry to read during the week.

She walked into Henry's room, wanting to see him before she went out. "Mom, you look beautiful." Henry said the second he saw her.

"Well thank you kid." Emma was wearing her black jeans, black boots a red shirt where the neck line plunged lower then she normally wore with a black leather jacket. She curled her hair in loose ringlets and applied a simple layer of makeup. She couldn't remember the last time she spent this time on her appearance. She made her way over to her son giving him a kiss on the cheek. "You be good for Granny, I will be back late tonight, alright."

"No, stay out as late as you want. Just be in time before the dinosaurs take over." He said with a chuckle. They both knew it wasn't real but the games they made up helped pass the time and helped Henry pretend he was a normal kid. How Emma wished more then anything that he could be a normal kid.

"Fine, I promise I won't come back until tomorrow morning." Henry reached out his pinky and she reached out hers, they pink swore on the promise. Emma said goodbye to Granny who had a Hot Chocolate with cinnamon on top in one hand and superhero movies in the other. Ruby was waiting outside in her car wearing a red strapless dress and black leather coat with studs on the shoulders.

"Awesome you did it, you work black and red." She cheered driving away with Emma in the passenger seat.

"Why black and red?" Emma asked buckling her seat belt.

"It's a theme night alright, I didn't make the rules. If you wear black and red you get half off your first drink." Ruby drove them to the Rabbit Hole located at the edge of town. Emma couldn't remember the last time she was at the local bar, she was going to have fun for Henry and she would be lying to herself if she wasn't a little bit excited.

walked inside seeing their friends across the room sitting in a booth waving at them to join. Ruby grabbed the blondes hand and pulled her over to the group of friends Mary Margarett, David, Belle, and Killian were already there each with a drink in hand all wearing red or black.

"Emma, it's great to see you," Belle said standing up giving her a big hug. The brunette sat back down making room next to her. "Ruby sit her." Belle stated patting the spot next to her. Emma knew Ruby would talk non stop the next few days on how Belle, wanted her to sit next to her. There was always an unspoken flirtation between the two of them. Ruby could have meaningless filtration encounters with everyone but Belle. When it came to the librarian her friend was a mess and Belle was too shy to start anything. For a year the two of them made side eyed glances and horrible flirtation attempts. When they weren't around the rest of their friends talked about when they would get together and who would finally be the one to make the first move.

The rest of the group greeted her and Killian made room for Emma on the other end of the booth. A waitress sat down Six shots in front of the them. Ruby handed out the shots one back one to each of her friends.

"Guy's I can't be doing shots, I have to wake up early." Emma said holding up her hand in protest attempting to refuse the drink. "I have a two drink maximum rule tonight."

Ruby shook her head. "Henry told you to have fun, so that's what you are going to do, you are going to drink this shot, forget about the crapy week and all of the changes that are happening at work and have fun." Ruby was right Emma had one of the most stressful work weeks of her life. The company that was taking over was making a lot of changes trying to get the cost numbers down and profits up. Luckily no one had been let go but Emma worried it was only a matter of time. Everything was changing from how the app looked to how they marketed to get advertisement. She was worried the beautiful company she helped create was going to be ruined.

"Your right, lets do it, it's been way to long since I have had a night to myself" Emma took the shot in hand and the group of friends joined her all cheering and taking the shot together.

Hours later Belle and Ruby were on the dance floor dancing side by side, both girls were refusing to talk to anyone who attempted to flirt with them. Emma rolled her eyes at her two friends, she leaned in to Killian trying to get his attention he couldn't take his eyes off a red head that walked up to the bar. "Those two need to get a room. I wonder if one of them will ask the other out tonight."

"Probably not love, they are both to shy around each other. It would take an act of God for one of them to fess up on how they feel about each other." Emma laughed at his response, the rest of the group had an on going bet on when Belle and Ruby would finally become a couple. Everyone could see they were meant to be together expect the two of them. "Speaking of romance Swan, any lucky ladies catch your eye tonight?" Killian asked his eyebrows rose, "Don't say the red head, she is mine." Emma scanned the room there were a few she was attracted to but it was hard to get the courage to attempt a hello. Emma hated one night stands and knew no one would want to start a relationship with someone who has a sick son and a possible crumbling business.

"Killian, no one wants to get involved in my mess of a life. How could I try to start something when I barley have time to take care of myself." Emma replied sinking further in her seat. She spent all of her time and energy worried about Henry and the company she never thought about what she wanted.

"Love, it's been years since you've been in a relationship. You deserve to find someone, I know Henry would want you to. We all know how you felt about Lilly..." Killian was cut off.

"Don't bring Henry or Lilly into this." She raised her voice a little louder then what she meant to. "Henry just wants to be a normal kid he doesn't care about my love life."

"That's not true, last weekend when I brought him the pirate ship he told me that he wished you would find someone incase anything happens, he doesn't want you to be alone." The news of her son so worried about her broke Emma's heart. Maybe it was time she tried to meet someone new. "Lilly was three years ago love, I know she broke your heart but you deserve some happiness, even if it's not to serious. You need to have fun. I dare you to go up and talk to the next girl that walks up to the bar." Emma rolled her eyes at him. "It doesn't have to mean anything, just go up flirt a little. Afterwards you can come back here and we talk about all of the pretty girls we see and guess if they bat for your team or mine." Killian chuckled giving her a playful nudge.

"Fine, I'll do it just so you stop bugging me." Reluctantly Emma stood up from the booth and walked over to a slender brunette who was ordering a drink. Emma passed her group of friends dancing on the dance floor she could feel them all watching her make her way up to the bar. She stared straight ahead and ordered a rum and coke from the bartender waiting to glance at the brunette she noticed she was drinking a martini with an olive sticking out of it. Emma received her drink and took a long sip of liquor encouragement before speaking. "Whenever I see someone with a martini it makes me think of the movie 007, don't you?"

The brunette turned towards her, saying "It is a sophisticated drink, I do say."

Emma looked over at the women, "Hi, I'm.."

She was cut off immediately "Miss. Swan, how lovely to see you." Emma was perplexed to see her boss at a bar, her checks started to blush the idea that her boss was at the receiving end of her lame attempt at flirting was to embarrassing for her to handle.

"Um, hi Regina I was not expecting to see you here. This doesn't seem like a place you would hand out."

"Ms. Mills, dear and no I wouldn't normally come to a place like this but Storybrooke doesn't have a lot of options and I wanted a martini." She took a hold of the tall glass bringing it to her lips leaving a red stain on the rim of the glass. Emma gulped she could feel her friends watching her from across the room. "Do you always flirt with your bosses or am I one of your latest conquest?"

Emma was stunned, she attempted to speak but the words were caught in her throat. "Is this where you go every night when you leave work early if I knew you were such a big drinker I would make you stay later, it's only far all things considering with whats happening to the company."

Emma could feel her blood begin to boil, all week Emma rushed out of work to get to Henry earlier then Regina would have like. Each day she left the office she knew Regina was watching her clocking the departure time. Then each morning Regina would be there asking her where she had to rush off to the night before. The transition from the company was not going as smooth as Emma wanted, every day she would fight on why a certain employee shouldn't be let go or why they did things a certain way.

"If you must know, this isn't where I go every night this is the first time I have been out in months.." Emma tried to keep her voice from rising, she hand was balled into a fist her nails making indentations into the palm of her skin. there was something about this women that made her angry she was to stuck up and proper for her liking. "What I do outside of business hours are non of your concern. Good night, Ms. Mills." Emma grabbed her drink and swiftly made her way back to her friends, as she expected the group watched the encounter.

"What happened?" David asked "Why were you talking to Mills?" David was the local sheriff but had heard all of the stories from Killian who was a software engineer for the company. The two of them were best friends.

"Killian made me flirt with the first women I saw at the bar, I didn't realize it was going to our boss." Emma slouched in her seat Ruby wrapped her arm around her shoulder.

"Well don't try to flirt with the robot, that never goes well. You need to find someone that's better for you, someone that's more human." She knew Ruby was right ever. Shortly after Regina arrived someone granted her the nickname the Robot, she was the first one to arrive, the last one to leave, no one had seen her leave for lunch, and she hardly showed any emotions.

"I didn't know it was her until it was to late and I'm pretty sure she accused me of being an alcoholic and being irresponsible." Emma sighed taking her drinking chugging what was left of it and slamming the glass down on the table.

"You are the most responsible person here, besides Belle, she lives in a library and is so organized it's crazy." Ruby laughed at her own joke.

"I don't live in the library, I live above it, thank you very much." Belle said proud of her living arrangements.

"Well come on love, let's drink, you need to forget about your problems for one night, you deserve it." Killian waved the waitress down and ordered Emma another rum and coke and the group a round of shots.

"Fuck it, I deserve one night to myself." Emma said to the group.

The rest of the night was a blur, filled with laughter, drinks and dancing.