Told from Emma's POV

Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT

I went to the front door of the Mayor's house and rang the doorbell. I looked down at what I had decided on wearing and wondered if I had chosen the right thing. A mint green silk shirt with black slacks and black lace-up dress shoes. I had folded the sleeves up to just below my elbow and slipped a thin black belt on to complete the look. I thought about keeping my hair down but at the last second, I pulled it back into a tight ponytail with just a few strangs left loose around my face. Honestly, it didn't matter what I wore because I knew whatever Regina picked out to wear was going to make me look like a used dish rag. I still wanted to look nice for her though. As I heard her opening the door, I looked down to compose myself and licked my lips.

The first thing that came into view were what looked like black velvet shoes that had small spikes on the heels of them. My eyes traveled up legs that had black stockings clinging to them until I got to mid-thigh and then a very thin, lightweight red stretchy dress started coming into view. My. God. How was I ever going to get through the evening with that much cleavage staring at me. All I wanted to do is bury my face in her chest and take her on the spot. I dragged my eyes up and away from that piece of temptation to find a sultry Mayor watching me.

"Nice of you to finally find my eyes, Ms Swan" She drawled before stepping outside and closing the door firmly behind her.

"You have eyes?" I teased and offered my arm to her as we started to walk towards the front gate and down to the yellow stallion.

I saw her roll her eyes in mock exasperation. "Where, pray tell, are you taking me, Sheriff, and how long must I endure this contraption you insist is an acceptable means of transportation?"

"Well, I'm sorry I couldn't find my fairy godmother to borrow a pumpkin, but, look, just get in the car and you'll find out when you find out. Come on, you gotta throw a little trust my way tonight. Please." I gave her what I hoped were puppy dog eyes until she sighed and gently slid into her seat.

In a few short minutes, we were pulling up in front of my apartment building and when I hopped out and went around to open the door for her. I swear I could see the gears in her mind spinning trying to figure out what was going on. I just smiled, winked and took her hand as I started walking up the sidewalk to the entrance. It was when I started leading her inside and up the stairs to my apartment that the stubborn side of the Mayor came out.

She refused to take another step, crossed her arms and tried to control the volume of her voice as she looked up the stairs and asked "Did you really tell me to get dressed up for our first date just so you could bring me to the apartment you share with...Mary Margaret?"

I walked over to where she was standing and placed my hands on her waist while trying to get her eyes to meet mine.

"First off, the date is not in the apartment. Second, nobody is home because my parents and Henry are at Ruby and Belle's having an epic Rockband battle. Third, remember that thing I said five minutes ago about you trusting me? Well, I need ya to go back to that moment and pick that trust back up for just a few more minutes."

I stood there waiting for a couple of heartbeats before hearing her tell me to lead the way. I leaned in, kissed her cheek quickly, and grabbed her hand as we climbed up the stairs to finally stand in front of my apartment door. She turned to say something to me but I held up one finger to silence her, bent down and picked up an imaginary ball of trust and held it out for her to take. I knew I had her when I saw the corners of her lips quiver as she tried to hold back a smile. She reached for the invisible ball and made the motion of taking it and holding it herself. I winked and turned the key in the lock.

For the first time that night, I got nervous. I led her over to the window and opened it. When I turned to look back at her, she looked me right in the eye and threw the ball of trust over her shoulder.

I froze and we stood there for just a moment blinking and looking at each other before I motioned to the window and attempted to explain. "Ok, so, I have this really romantic date all set up for us on the rooftop but the stairs are being repainted so we can't use them. I didn't even notice the 'Wet Paint' sign until I was heading to pick you up tonight. So, the only way to get back up to the roof is to use the fire escape."

I bit my lip waiting for whatever holy hell the politician side of her was going to unleash on me but instead she tilted her head, nodded and the next thing I knew, she was brushing past me and trying to climb out of the window as delicately as she could while trying not to get her heels stuck in the metal slats. I peeked my head out and watched in amazement as this smoking hot bod started working her way up without a complaint.

Apparently she looked down to see me staring because she snapped her fingers to get my attention. "Come along, Sheriff. I have it on good authority the date of the century awaits us at the top of these two flights of stairs."

I scrambled up behind her and tried to keep from staring at a bubble of red swaying back and forth above me. A perfectly, tight, round, red bubble. Nope. Definitely not staring at her ass. Not at all.

As I pulled myself up and onto the rooftop, I looked over to see Regina smiling softly and slowly looking around at what I had set up.

All around the edge of the rooftop, I had placed jars of WoodWick candles so that we could hear the flicker of a fireplace burning but didn't have to deal with the heat. Everytime a breeze came our way, we got a hint of the Fireside smell so that was a bit of a bonus. In the middle of the area was one table set for two with a white linen tablecloth and two cherry wood armless chairs with black leather seats. Beside the table, was a silver cart that held two metal domes. The entire setup was warm, inviting, and cozy. Three criteria for a romantic dinner.

As I pulled out her chair and she sat down, I saw her look down at the table and then back up at me with a puzzled expression. I shrugged, took the white linen napkin to her left and shook it out while explaining I had printed out some of my favorite song lyrics and sayings and placed them under the glass resting on top of the table. I tried to act like it wasn't a big deal but the truth was, it was the one part of planning for tonight that took the most time.

I walked around to the side of the table and started uncorking the wine. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her smiling as she traced the glass with her index finger and read each small slip of paper around her place setting. Her smile only seemed to grow with each one. I pulled the cork out, sat the wine on the table, rubbed my hands on my pants to dry off some of the sweat that had started and then took my seat across from her. I watched the way her head tilted just slightly as she moved from one saying to the other and, in my head, I was saying all of those things to her. I was the one making her smile so sweetly.

She looked up to find me watching her intently and reached across the table to lay her hand on top of mine. I turned my hand over so our palms were resting on each other and gently ran my middle finger across the pulse point on her wrist. She winked as she scraped her nails down my palm and over my fingertips as she retracted her hand. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly while running my eyes over every inch of her face before settling on her lips.

She laughed softly and lowered her voice to what can only be described as fuck me heels in language form, "Now, now, Sheriff. We haven't even had dinner yet".

I closed my eyes briefly and gave myself a mental shake before opening them again and asked her if she was ready to eat. When she nodded, I got up, placed one of the silver domes in front of her and removed the lid before repeating the action at my place setting. I poured us each a glass of wine and took my place across from her once again.

She looked down to see apple glazed pork chops over a bed of brown basmati rice sitting in front of a glass of the best merlot I could find. She looked up with one perfectly manicured eyebrow raised in a silent question to which I replied "Belle". She nodded and picked up her utensils from each side of the plate and just like that, our date had officially begun.

I caught her glancing down at the slips of colored paper under the glass in between bites and asked her if there were any she liked better than others. She nodded and moved her eyes around the tabletop slowly as she started speaking.

"I'm so glad I finally found you. Yes, that one in a million girl."

"Close your eyes and trust it, just trust it."

"When you wish upon a star, your dream will take you very far"

"Ancient lovers believed a kiss would literally unite their souls, because the spirit was said to be carried in one's breath."

"Show me how, decide what you want from me, tell me maybe I could be there for you"

She paused for a moment before saying "Those are the ones that stood out to me." Then she smiled the softest, sweetest smile before setting down her fork and knife and continuing. "Emma, this...all of this from the candles to the delicious meal to, well, just all of it is so overwhelmingly thoughtful that I'm afraid I may not be able to articulate how much this means to me."

I felt my throat tighten up and tried to blink a few times to clear the unexpected wetness that was stinging the back of my eyes. I cleared my throat and started to tell her what I had thought when planning our date.

"I wanted to show you that I could treat you like you should be treated. I was kindof hoping this might be the first in a long line of dates we'd have together. You know, if that's something you'd like. 'Cause I would. Like that, I mean. To date you. I would like to date you for a long time."

I sat back in my chair and blew air out through my cheeks. "Man, I suck at trying to get any point across to you when you are dressed like that. I'm trying to avoid gawking but I just gotta go ahead and admit that. You look absolutely stunning tonight."

Regina looking bashful quickly got added to my list of favorite things in the entire world.

Then, sly, flirty Regina showed up. "Well, Sheriff, should I bundle up in layers next time so you can avoid 'gawking' as you so eloquently put it just so we can carry on a normal conversation?"

"Noooo. Nope. Definitely no need for layers. I can carry on a normal conversation just fine. Let's see, how about you tell me about when you first came to Storybrooke? Was there anything you were afraid of when you got here? Anything you really enjoyed? I promise to sit here and listen while looking directly into your eyes. Go."

"Do behave, Ms Swan, I'm going to hold you to that. The first thing I remember about waking up is the smell. In fact, I noticed it before my eyes opened. Later that day, when I was exploring my new home, I found these apple scented air fresheners in various rooms. You know the small ones that twist up to reveal the maroon stick? I really enjoyed knowing I could fill my favorite areas with my favorite scent. We had some dried apple potpourri in my homeland but nothing this fragrant."

"The first frightening thing I encountered was the washing machine. I had stayed in the kitchen almost all day trying out all of the gadgets and finding all sorts of things to keep myself occupied. Well, during my explorations, I had found the electric can opener and had tried to open a can of spaghetti sauce. Once the can opener was finished, I grabbed the can not realizing the opener had already done its job. I ended up with silk pajamas soaked in red sauce. I went all through the house trying to figure out how to wash clothes when I came upon a small room with two white metal boxes. There were instruction manuals sitting on top of each one so I quickly figured out how to operate them. I peeled my pajamas off, loaded the detergent and fabric softener and turned the dial. The first time I had ever felt unsure of myself and afraid in my new home was when that loud beast roared to life!"

I found myself laughing along with Regina as she described such a horrible experience with such a mundane thing. We ended up sitting there under the stars for the next two hours talking about all of the things we'd never thought to discuss before. Her favorite book, my favorite movie, telephones, tv, microwaves, airplanes, and electricity. She told me about how she found her life stuck on some sort of twisted repetitive cycle which was nothing like she imagined it would be. I told her about work as a bailbondsman and had her laughing at some of the wild twists and turns I went through to earn a paycheck.

As the night wore on, each story brought us closer and closer to the point where our stories collide. Our son. I was hesitant to tell her about the man behind the sperm but knew deep down, it was a story I was going to tell her eventually so why not make eventually tonight? I told her how I thought I had found love in the most unlikeliest places-Tallahassee. I told her how I was left behind to take the fall for a crime I didn't commit. I told her how it felt to realize I would be in prison when my firstborn child entered this world.

I guess I expected pity to show in her eyes but instead, I saw understanding. She told me about how she had thought she had found love in the most unlikeliest places-a stable boy. She told me how it felt to dream of running away and living a life of complete happiness with the one person who made her feel wanted and safe. Then she told me how it felt to realize that dream would never materialize.

We agreed on one thing though. If it wasn't for our two realities being so different than our dreams, we never would have the one thing that brought us together in the first place. Henry. I know people say things happen for a reason and I've always thought that, too, but I don't think the full meaning of that statement hit me until we had this conversation. We ended up sitting there a few moments longer, just silently mulling over what had been said. It was comfortable, though. Like we both accepted everything life had thrown at us through the years because all of it had brought us here. Right here to this moment.

I stood up and walked over to the small stereo and plugged my phone into it before selecting the one song I had decided on to end the evening with. As the first notes of the piano started playing, I walked over and extended my hand in a silent invitation for my date to join me. She took my hand and I pulled her to her feet before walking backwards, leading her to the spot closest to the music.

Even in heels, she was still shorter than me but it was perfect dancing height. She draped her arms around my neck and I rested my hands on her hips as we started to let the music carry us away. Each movement we made seemed to draw our bodies closer and closer together until you couldn't see where neither one of us began. We were moving as one being.

being this close to her always wreaked havoc on me. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest and I realized why I had struggled with trying to make tonight so perfect. Why I felt everything had to be just right for the woman I now held in my arms. She was wrapping herself around my heart and nestling it in a warm cocoon of brightness. My sweet little Mayor had found her way inside my defenses.

As the song played on, I tried to remember what it felt like to be in love because I knew what I was feeling in this moment was stronger than anything I previously thought love to be. So it definitely wasn't that. It couldn't be that. I mean, well, we had known each other for a long time but were just starting to KNOW know each other. We had...affection for one another. Understanding of one another. Both of which were very, very different from the L word.

Love was supposed to be something people either grew into as their relationship matured or fell headfirst into immediately. Love was supposed to make you feel all giddy and goofy when you were around one another. Love made you do crazy things to prove to the other person how much you cared about them. I certainly didn't feel giddy or goofy.

As I felt Regina lay her head on my shoulder, I thought about the first time I had seen her. I thought about how no matter how irritating she could be, at the end of the day, I saw who she really was. I saw the woman who was a mother to our son. The Mayor who cared about her town and its inhabitants. I thought about how she had embraced her second chance and had become the amazing woman that I now held in my arms.

I thought about how it felt to always have to tell her goodbye and go back to my lonely bed. I thought how my stomach always flip flops when she gives me one of her special smiles that I'm pretty sure she reserves for only me. I thought about how amazing she feels curled around me. I spent that entire song not saying a word. Just thinking about the woman pressed against me.

As the song came to an end and silence caused our steps to slow, I felt warm breath on my neck as the Mayor quietly whispered "Just trust it, hmm dear?"

I tightened my arms around her waist bringing her even closer to me as I shut my eyes. She must have noticed me trying to get my breath because she pulled back just enough to look at me with this concerned look on her face before asking if I was alright.

I stood there completely still and closed my eyes again as a million thoughts flashed before me. I needed the perfect date. Food with her favorite flavor. Wine that pleased her pallette. Song lyrics to tell her some of the things in my head. A romantic fireplace feel in the middle of summer. Conversation to get to know the woman I had quickly...well, damn.

Love.

The woman I had quickly fallen in love with.

I opened my eyes and saw everything I had ever wanted in life held safely in chocolate brown eyes. I could try to push this feeling down. I could run as far away as I could get but there was no denying that this short, black haired, olive skinned picture of perfection with flaws and scars as deep as the Grand Canyon had surrounded every sense I had until my entire world revolved around her. I knew nothing in my life had ever scared me more than that realization.

I reached up and took her face between both of my shaking hands and tried not to lose it when I saw her nuzzle her face into me before briefly shutting her eyes. When our eyes met next, I took a deep breath and whispered. "Just trust it."

Bonus points for whomever puts two and two together and figures out the song they were dancing to! Next up...hawtness. Mmmhmm! See, you get rewarded for being patient ;)