The rumour about Granny's club-night, had spread like a wildfire.
Everyone was talking about it, and after some convincing even Granny herself thought it might be a good idea.

As soon as they had set the date, Emma sent out a message to Regina.
Going through with this plan wasn't necessarily another attempt at winning the other woman's heart. She just didn't want the truth to come out because of this stupid lie. That was really the only reason.

Are you free this saturday? It's club-night again. Emma

Regina was shocked. She actually went through with it? Who would have thought?
- I'm impressed Sheriff. Wouldn't miss it for the world.

Impressed? What is that supposed to mean?
Wonderful. See you then.


When Saturday had finally arrived, Ruby, Emma and Belle were working hard on the preparations.

"I still don't get it." Belle admitted. "According to Regina, you already held a club-night. And apparently, I was there."

Ruby, who was balancing on a chair in order to hang up the decoration, thought it was best to come clean about it. "Emma wanted to impress someone, and I thought I was helping her. Yet here we are organizing a big fat lie."

"Really?" Belle smiled. She loved a good romance. "Who is it?" She whispered.

"I've said enough."

She pouted her lips in disappointment.
"Will he be here tonight?"

"Yes."
Emma saved her friend from digging her hole of lies any deeper.
"And no, I won't tell you who it is." She added as soon as Belle wanted to speak again.

She immediately closed her mouth, which made her kind of look like a goldfish on dry land.
"Fine...I will figure it out tonight."


Around 10PM, the townspeople started to make their way towards the diner. Within an hour the place was packed with people ready to party.

"This is a huge success!" Ruby squeaked to Emma while jumping up and down to some 90s dance tune.
"Is she here already?"

Emma, who hadn't moved her eyes from the door, shook her head in defeat.
"I don't think she's coming anymore."

"Of course she is. Don't worry. She's probably just delayed. Maybe her babysitter was late."

"Her babysitter is standing right over there." Emma pointed out a girl at the back of the 'club'.
Which made her wonder; "Who's watching Henry?"

"Your parents are."

Emma turned around, recognizing that beautiful deep voice anywhere.
"You're here." Emma stated.

"You're so sharp Miss Swan!" The dark haired woman replied sarcastically.
"So, this is club-night." She leered around the diner. "Is it always this crowded?"

Emma and Ruby started to stumble over their own words, and Regina was pretty sure she wasn't going to get bored with this any time soon.

"Let me get you a drink." Emma ran off to the bar, leaving Ruby alone with the queen.

"Great." Red mumbled.

"What was that dear?"

"I said, this is a great success!"

Regina started laughing. "Yes it is. Who would have thought wolfs would be just as loyal as dogs. You created a mess, yet you managed to save her ass. It's quite impressive."

Ruby knew Regina was on to her, but she didn't want to make a scene for the sake of Emma.
"Next full moon, I advice you to sleep with one eye open." She kept on dancing like they were having a normal healthy conversation.

Before Regina got a chance to reply to that threat, Emma jumped in to save the day with three shot glasses.
"Tequila anyone?"

"How barbaric." Regina reached for the glass, and held the liquid under her nose, inhaling the substance.
"And disgusting."

Emma gave her a lemon. "Here, you put the salt on you hand, lick it, drink it, and bite the lemon."

Regina gave her a smirk. "Really Miss Swan? Lick, drink, bite?"

The sheriff swallowed hard. "Yeah, like this." With one smooth movement, she licked the salt, emptied the glass and bit the lemon. The sensation made her shudder, she could feel it making it's way through her body, until it finally reached her head. Which is exactly where she really needed it the most right now.
I'm gonna need more of these.

Ruby followed her example with an equally smooth movement, and they both faced Regina in great expectation.

"Give me your hand dear." The queen held out her own hand in front of Emma who looked at her in confusion. "You don't expect me to put this stuff on my own hand are you? It's filthy."

With a trembling hand, Emma reached out to the one in front of her. Which right away gripped her tight.
Regina turned it towards her, threw on some salt, and met Emma's eyes.
"Please hold it still, I refuse to lick the floor."

She bent over to lick the salt of Emma's hand, drank the Tequila and bit her lemon. All without ever loosing eye-contact with the woman in front of her.

Emma's mouth felt dry, she was pretty sure it would hurt if she tried to swallow right now.
She moved her lips, but no sound came out. The way she pointed towards the bar, made her friends assume she was getting them a refill.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ruby angrily asked the woman.
"I swear, if you hurt her, I will..."

"Who says I'm going to hurt her Miss Lucas?"

Ruby's angry expression didn't change.

Regina rolled her eyes and let out a loud groan. "I am really not going to hurt her."

For the first time, Ruby thought she might actually be telling the truth.
"I'll keep an eye on you."

At that moment Emma reappeared again, holding another three glasses of Tequila.
Ruby emptied hers before they had the chance to toast, and walked away.
"I'm gonna mingle."

"What's her problem?" Emma asked.

"Ruby!" Belle pushed herself through the crowd to get to her friend.
"Isn't this great?" She kept on dancing to the music, while looking around the room.

"Yeah, it's great." Her friend was still a bit annoyed by the way she got told off by Regina. The person this whole damn party was for in the first place. She is such a bitch. I really don't understand what Emma sees in her anymore.

Belle came closer to speak into her ear. "Is he here?"

"Who?"

"Emma's lover of course!" She kept glancing around the room for any sign of the mystery man.

"Yeah he's here." Red mumbled annoyed.

"He is? Who is it? She's only talking to Regina the whole time." Belle gave it a thought.
"I have to get her away from there."

Before Ruby could stop her, Belle made her way towards the two women.
"Regina!" She waved from a distance. As soon as she turned around to see who was yelling her name so unflatteringly, Belle made a movement with her hands to come over.

With much annoyance, Regina started to make her way towards the girl who, she wished, would still be locked up right now.
"What is it Belle?"

She hadn't really thought this part through yet. What on earth could be so important that she had to tell the woman?! "I ehh, was just wondering...how you were doing!" It couldn't have come out any more awkward than it did.

Regina tried to give her an even more annoyed look. "I'm fine. If that was all, I'm going to return to Miss Swan now."

Belle quickly grabbed Regina's arm to stop her from walking away. "I'm also doing fine!"

The queen slowly turned around, trying very hard not to kill the woman who had immediately pulled away her hand in shock. "You better have a damn good reason for this."

Belle tried to avoid her eyes, trying to think of something valid to say.
"There's somebody here that Emma likes. And I'm trying to figure out who it is. So I was hoping, now that you're here, and not there, she would go over and talk to him."

Regina's death-stare changed into something else. Something Belle couldn't quite place.
Was she mocking her? Was she amused by this?

The queen started laughing. "Out of all people, I thought you would be the one to recognize the love between a beauty and a beast." She threw it out before she realized what she was actually saying to the girl. Love?!
"If you'll excuse me, I'm going back to Miss Swan."

Ruby had watched the whole thing from a distance. She couldn't hear everything, but it sounded like Regina was saying she loved her friend.

"She is SUCH a bitch!" Belle returned to Ruby who felt a lot better after hearing this new information. "Why are you laughing? Did you hear what she was saying? It's SO rude!"

"Oh yeah, I heard." Ruby looked at the smaller woman. "You really don't get it do you?"

"Get what?"

"Look at the way those two are talking to each other."
She tipped her head in the direction of Emma and her love interest

Belle slowly turned her head, watching them. Seeing the way they were looking at each other, smiling at each other, making excuses to touch each other.
"Oh..."

Ruby couldn't stop herself from laughing about Belle's sudden realization.
She patted her back. "Believe me, you did well."

When Regina returned to her previous spot, she leaned closer to her friend.
"I just had a very interesting conversation with the girl."

"Really?" Emma started to get nervous."About what?"

Oh like you don't know!
"Apparently, there is somebody here that you're in love with. Or like. Which is it anyway?"

"She said that?" Emma started shifting nervously from one foot to the other, trying to find a comfortable position for the hell that was about to break loose.

"Yes." The older woman kept quiet, just looking around, pretending to find this mystery-man. "If I'm holding you back from making a move, I can just join your friends over there." Pointing towards Ruby and Belle, who quickly turned around as if they haven't been watching them this whole time.

"Oh no," The blonde started. "It's nothing. I...I...there's nobody."

Regina lifted an eyebrow. "Fine. I'm going to get a drink and talk to some people. I'll see you later." She gave her a smile, and walked over to the bar leaving a confused Emma by herself.

Regina decided to stay at the bar for a while, since there was nobody she wanted to talk to anyway. Unlike Emma, who was surrounded by people as soon as she had left.

The ex-mayor couldn't keep her eyes of the blonde tonight. She looks absolutely stunning.
Before her mind could wander any further, there was a tab on her shoulder. She turned around and faced the woman who had just threatened her. "Don't you have some house to blow down?"

Ruby counted to three, and took a deep breath while reminding herself who she was doing this for.
"Can I ask you something?"

Regina didn't reply, because she knew the question would come anyway.

"Do you like her?"

The former mayor took a sip from her drink, and started to fumble with the glass in her hand. It had always been a nervous habit of hers. "Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters. You know she likes you. I honestly don't know why, but well...she does." The expression on the other woman's face instantly hardened by her words.
"If you like her, then why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Playing her." It was obvious what she had meant.

"I'm not playing her."
Regina knew it was a lie. She was playing the poor girl. Just not for the reason Ruby would think.
She was scared. And that alone had scared her even more. There was nothing in this world that she was afraid of. Yet, she was afraid of Emma Swan. Afraid the woman would break her heart. Could break her heart.

The younger woman tried to figure out what was going on in the queen's mind.
"Please don't hurt her, Regina." She waited until she received some sort of conformation.

Instead Regina opened her mouth to speak again. "Ruby," It was the first time she actually called the woman by her name. "I...Does...I mean, is she serious?" She wished she could take back the question. The answer could change everything. But it was already out there. Lingering between the two women.

Ruby noticed the conflict within the woman, and touched her hand to make sure the following words would reach her.
"She is head over heels Regina."