Friday came fast and I was at Regina's house at seven sharp. I wasn't as nervous this time as last time I came to her house for a date. The door opened before I knocked and Henry stood there with a big smile. "Hey Emma! Mom's still upstairs getting ready. Come on in." Being thrown off guard was not something I was used to.

"Your mom, as punctual as she is, not being ready by seven? It's a sign of the apocalypse." Henry and I laughed as we sat in the living room. I froze when I heard that familiar throat being cleared.

"I heard that Miss. Swan." I looked up the stairs and my mouth dropped. There she stood in all her glory. The simple black dress she wore made her look amazing. The material hugged her body in the perfect way and there weren't words to explain how gorgeous she looked. She walked down the stairs slowly and all I could do was watch. "Do try to keep from drooling Miss. Swan. It's not very attractive." Regina winked at me as she closed my mouth by putting a finger under my chin. I was putty in her hands and she knew it. Henry just sat back and laughed at me.

"'kay…" Regina cleared her throat again and I snapped out of the trance.

"Well at least now I know how to get your attention." I chuckled and agreed. "Henry, are you ready to go? You're friend's dad should be here soon to pick you up." Not a moment later the doorbell rang and Regina went to open the door. "Hello there, you must be here to pick Henry up."

"Yes. How are you Madame Mayor?" Henry got up and grabbed his backpack. He hugged me real quick and headed for the door.

"Bye Mom. Bye Emma." With that he was out the door and we were alone at last. Regina closed the door and walked back into the living room.

"Join me in the kitchen for an actual cooking lesson?" I laughed and followed her.

"So is this why you wanted me to come over? So you could teach me to cook? Some date." Regina knew I was joking and I could just feel the smirk and her rolling her eyes at me.

"Exactly." We walked into the kitchen and I suddenly felt very out of my element. Cooking ingredients lined the counters and I stopped dead in my tracks. Regina turned to throw me an apron. "What's wrong Emma?"

"Uh…I'm glad you're helping because I have no idea what half of this stuff is. And the last thing I'd want to do is burn down your house." Regina chuckled as I tried to put the apron on. "Turn around." She took the strings and crossed them in the back then wrapped them around my waist. When she went to tie it in the front she was still standing behind me. I could feel her warmth and her arms around my waist. "Breath Emma. It helps nervousness." I laughed nervously as she tied her apron.

"Oh no 'kiss the cook' apron? What a shame." Regina smirked and rolled her eyes. I could tell she was holding back a grin.

"Watch it you. Now, here are all the ingredients:

12 ounces extra-lean ground beef or ground round
2 cloves garlic, minced
26 ounces Pasta arrabbiata sauce
14 1/2 ounces diced San Marzano tomatoes
1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
4 tablespoons shredded fresh basil

15 ounces low-fat ricotta
1 cup shredded provolone

1 egg
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

12 cooked Pasta lasagna noodle sheets
1 8-ounce package 2% milk mozzarella, shredded
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan, divided

My eyes were glazed over as she showed me each ingredient as she checked it off. "Emma?" All I could do was stare blankly and blink a few times. "Emma?" Finally I snapped out of it.

"Good God what have I gotten myself into?" It was then when Regina finally smiled. Her laugh was enchanting. I ran my fingers through my hair to pull it back in a pony tail so we could cook. "So how does all of this," I motioned to the counter with both of my hands. "Create your award winning lasagna?"

"Magic." I laughed and shook my head.

"Yeah you show me how you work your magic." I walked closer to the counter and started to look at the stuff more. "So, how do you really cook it? Besides your magical touch." I could feel her eyes watching me.

"Well first we cook the beef in a large saucepan over medium heat, breaking it into small pieces, for about 5 minutes or until no pink meat remains. Then we add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add pasta sauce, tomatoes, vinegar, 2 tablespoons of basil. Could you hand me the garlic, pasta sauce, tomatoes, and vinegar? I'll get the two tablespoons of basil." As I gathered the ingredients Regina watched to make sure I got the right thing. Which is fine because since I don't cook like this I had no idea what I was doing. "Thank you." I watched as Regina put the ingredients in one by one. She made it look so elegant and easy.

"You make this look so easy and elegant." I loved when Regina chuckled and laughed.

"Thank you. I've been cooking most of my life. I've always enjoyed cooking. Something about putting the work into it and seeing the end result." I listened and smiled as she shared some of her personal life with me. "Now we bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat and let it simmer for ten minutes."

"So what else do you like to do besides cooking and being a mom?" Regina hesitated before turning towards me and leaning on the counter.

"Well besides being the Mayor and being a mother there's not much free time left. I love Henry, don't get me wrong, but he can be a handful at times. Sometimes you just want some time to yourself not doing work." She crossed her arms as we chatted back and forth waiting for the ten minutes to pass. "Okay, since I'm cooking you get to taste it." Regina turned and gathered some in a small spoon. "Here," she held out the spoon for me. "Try this." I kept my eyes on the spoon praying I wouldn't somehow miss my mouth and get it all over me. As I tasted and swallowed the mixture I was surprised.

"Oh wow. That tastes awesome." It really did taste good. I wasn't just being a suck up. "Okay we need to hurry and finish cooking this because I want to try some of your lasagna now." Regina raised an eyebrow and gave me a small grin.

"You can't rush perfection Miss. Swan." She turned to take the mixture to a bowl.

"Are you sure about that?" The words came out of my mouth before I knew it. I covered my mouth instantly as Regina turned around slowly.

"What was that?" The mischievous look in her dark eyes put me a little at ease. I knew she wasn't mad but then that look made me uneasy in a different way.

"Nothing. Nothing at all. Uh...what do we do next?" Regina chuckled but didn't push further on the subject.

"Well now we get it ready to cook. Will you preheat the oven to 350?" As I did that Regina added ricotta, provolone, 2 tablespoons of basil, egg and crushed red pepper flakes.

"Why do you put red pepper flakes in it?" That's an odd thing to put in lasagna.

"It gives it a little kick." The way Regina scrunched up her nose as she said that was adorable and I knew I was going to laugh. It was nice seeing this side of Regina; the at home at ease side of her. It was totally different from the business woman she was normally. Regina placed 3/4 cup of pasta-sauce mixture in the bottom of a 13-by-9-inch baking pan. Then she topped it with 3 cooked noodles and spread a third of the ricotta mixture evenly over the noodles. She sprinkled a third of the mozzarella. I watched intently as she repeated with 3/4 cup of the pasta-sauce mixture. She did the same with each layer, ending with 3/4 cup of pasta-sauce mixture and the final 3 noodles. Lastly she spread the remaining sauce on top, and sprinkled with Parmesan.

"There's not going to be a test on this right? Because if there is, just save yourself the trouble and give me an F now. There is no way I could ever do this by myself." I was in awe at all of this. All of it went straight over my head.

"No, there won't be a test. Now all we need to do is let it Bake for 30 minutes; uncover and bake for 15 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven. Let it stand 15 more minutes before serving. Then garnish with the remaining basil." Regina took off her apron and folded it. Since I was still in awe I totally forgot I had one on. "Emma? Your apron."

"Oh sorry." I quickly untied it and folded it. She put them both back in the pantry. "So what do you want to do while we wait for it to cook?"

"I know it's a little early, but, would you help me set the table? Regina brushed by me to get to the cabinet. She handed me two plates and two sets of silverware. I walked over and set the table. She came up behind me with two wineglasses and a bottle that had been chilling in the fridge. "Would you like some?"

"I'd love some. Thank you." Regina poured me some wine into the glass and then into hers. "Hmm a red wine to go with pasta. How many surprises do you have in you Regina?" She chuckled as she took a small sip.

"I didn't know you were a wine person." We chatted back and forth until it was time to take the cover off the lasagna and then talked until it was ready to serve. "So how do you like the finished product?" Regina dabbed her mouth with a napkin and watched me.

"This is fantastic!" Honestly I was having a hard time to not just shovel it into my mouth like a barbarian. Regina chuckled at the look on my face. "You're right though; the red pepper flakes do give it a little kick."

"Well I'm glad you like it." She finished her glass of wine and split the rest of the bottle with me. I finished my plate soon after that and was stuffed. "Full are we?"

"You have no idea." I leaned back in my chair a moment taking in a deep breath. I ate way too much. "Can I help clear the table?" Regina looked at me strange. "What? Hasn't Graham asked to help clear the table before?" She didn't say anything; just averted her eyes a second. "He's starting to sound like an asshole if you ask me." I got up and took our plates to the kitchen sink to rinse them off before putting them in the dishwasher. There was an awkward silence between us as Regina portioned out the rest of the lasagna into containers to put in the fridge and freezer. "Regina...I'm-"

"He never asked." Her voice was quiet and she never looked at me. "He never did any of the stuff you do. That's why it surprises me when you open a door, or help out in some way." My body acted before I could control it and next thing I knew I had hugged her from behind. I held her close not saying a word. She stiffened at first but loosened and relaxed into me after a few seconds.

"I'm sorry Regina. You deserve someone who treats you like a Queen and does little things like that for you. It's just good manners when you're around a lady." I placed my chin softly on her shoulder afraid she'd make me move it. I relaxed when she didn't resist my touch. "How about we finish cleaning the kitchen and then figure out whatever you want to do?"

"That sounds nice." We stood there a few more minutes and then I loosened my hold on her. I instantly missed her warmth and the feel of her in my arms. I wanted to feel that again. We worked in a comfortable silence. "After the lasagna settles I made apple turnovers for desert."

"Oh wow. That might be awhile. If I knew you had desert, especially apple turnovers, I wouldn't have eaten so much lasagna." I rubbed my stomach and stretched.

"Getting sleepy from a full stomach?" I chuckled.

"Just a little but I'll wake up once the food settles. Shall we?" I motioned for her to lead the way and she did. I loved the sound of her heels as they clicked on the wooden floors. We walked into a small den with a fireplace. We sat on opposite sides of the small vintage couch and faced each other. I was getting extremely nervous and started to look at the decorations. "Where do you get these decorating ideas? Your home and office are all very well decorated. Very 'dressed for success' style."

"Thank you. I've always believed that your surroundings have an impact on your mood so if I have my home and office decorated for success then I'll succeed." There was something behind that but I couldn't read it.

"Then there are the little things that you've scattered around your office and home that shows who you are. The pictures of Henry here and at the office for one and also the hand molding you showed me." A small smile came to Regina's lips.

"Why is it you notice little things like that? Or even treat me the way you do? I know I've not been the nicest person to you since you came here, yet, here we are. And even before all of this you seemed to always respect me even if I was being a total bitch towards you." I thought a moment and fiddled with the lacing on the small throw pillow.

"Aaahhh!" I leaned back and covered my face with my hands and then ran my fingers through my hair. "I don't like talking about myself and especially about things that I don't know the answer to." I looked back over to Regina who had a slightly amused but still confused look on her face. "I notice things like that because I like you and it sticks out to me. When it comes to the way I treat you, part of that is just good manners…and then I like you and you deserve to be treated well. I guess I let the rudeness slide because I could tell you were unhappy and when a woman is unhappy then it builds up and eventually will come out towards someone." We fell quiet a few minutes and then she spoke up.

"Well thank you for not giving up on me and you're right. I'm not happy. I wasn't happy with Graham. While we're being brutally honest, I think I'm happy with you. Henry has wondered why I've been acting happier though I know he had something to do with this." She waved a hand between us. I laughed nervously and looked away for a moment. "No one has ever treated me the way you do. I've never actually gotten flowers from someone other than Henry for Mother's Day or my Birthday. It was nice getting the roses on our first date. Then I got them from some secret admirer the next day. I'm not sure who they could possibly be from." Her voice had a joking tone to it and I snorted.

"Have you told Graham yet?" I think I know the answer already but I had to ask. Regina averted her eyes from mine…yup. I was right.

"No. I've not thought of a way to tell him yet." She looked away for a moment. "But at least he can't fire you for stealing his girlfriend." I didn't laugh and I think she could tell that I was hurt. "I'm going to tell him tomorrow."

"Okay." I knew she wasn't lying. She was good for her word and would tell him tomorrow. Well technically almost later on today. It was close to midnight. We sat in silence a few minutes and she fidgeted. Neither knew what to say really.

"Do you still want to make the turnovers? If you want to leave you can." Her voice was low and timid. She never looked at me either. She was slightly afraid though she'd never admit it. I think that's what made me stay. She was genuine with her emotions.

"Of course I still want to make apple turnovers." I paused a moment. "Well you make them and me help. I don't want to burn down your house." Regina laughed and stood slowly.

"Well let's go." We prepared the turnovers and ate them. They were exquisite and I knew that if our relationship got serious that I'd have to work out more to keep the extra pounds that I'd gain off from her cooking. We talked for a few more hours and then I figured I better go. "Well I guess I better head home. It's two in the morning." Regina looked quickly at the clock and looked very surprised.

"I didn't realize it was this late. I'm not normally up til this hour unless I'm swamped with work from the office. Though, I do like the alternative reason why I'm up late better." I smiled and stood up to stretch.

"I like it more." Regina smiled and stood.

"I'll walk you to the door." I walked a step behind Regina and really didn't want to leave but I knew it was late. We stood on her porch for a moment not saying anything.

"I better head home now. It's chilly out here and I don't want you catching a cold. Henry may kill me if you did." Regina chuckled.

"Goodnight Emma." I smiled with a nod but before I could turn around Regina grabbed my arm and spun me around. She planted a soft kiss on my lips as she laced her fingers through my long blonde hair. "I will tell him. That's a promise." She leaned her forehead against mine.

"I know you will." With that I kissed her again quickly and headed to my car. If I didn't get out of there now I wouldn't leave period.

Okay my disclaimer: I do not know if this is a good recipe I found it online and it sounds good. The recipe said it served 9 people. Though I would want to try it.