A/N: I just noticed that with the last chapter this story is my longest yet. I thnk that calls for a celebration of some kind - a short one, but a hot one. ;) Enjoy.

They had stopped at Regina's office for the mayor's coat and were now leaving city hall together. Emma waved at some of her friends who were still standing and talking to each other. Ruby was among them and the sheriff had to endure another wink and wide smile from her friend. But she didn't mind.

They hadn't talked about it, they weren't going to, they were just walking home together.

"Where is Henry tonight?" Regina asked after a short while of silence.

"Sleepover... with the juvenile delinquents," Emma admitted.

Regina sighed.

"In case you hadn't noticed but my whole family was kinda occupied tonight. He would have stayed with Neal if he hadn't been at the meeting," the sheriff defended herself.

"Maybe next time we should just have Henry join the meeting, too. As a spokesperson for the juvenile delinquent citizenry," Regina said teasingly. She smiled at Emma who had to laugh.

"I bet he would like that."

"He would love it," Regina agreed. She pushed her arm through Emma's as they were walking and not even aware that she was doing it. She pressed into Emma in a kind of unselfconscious happiness, as if walking with her, being with her was the most natural thing in the world - until she became aware of it. She wanted to pull back but Emma took hold of her hand that was about to inch out of her arm.

"It's okay," she said as if talking about the weather.

Regina looked at Emma, her profile in the dimly lit night and decided that Emma was right. It was okay.

"I really loved what you did with the music, Emma. I feel like... it's special..."

"I wanted it to be," Emma said.

"I never would have thought you were so old school," Regina admitted with a smile.

Emma looked at her.

"What kind of music did you think I'd like?"

"I don't know... more rock, less soft jazzy tones... not to mention those rhythmic pieces. I didn't even know that Jennifer Lopez recorded songs in Spanish," she answered.

"I like the occasional rock ballad... I guess I'm not as badass as you think I am," Emma gave back.

"I guess I'm just now discovering this side of you... a softer side."

They walked for a while just listening to the noise their steps made on the pavement. They felt... alone in the world but very together. Like this was how it should always be. It had felt that way all evening. Everybody else just fell away when they were talking or looking at each other.

More than once Regina had just barely kept from drowning in Emma's lush green orbs. And she had felt that she wanted to do more, that she wanted to reach out - under the table - and take Emma's hand, though she hadn't. She had thought about it, she had stretched her fingers in Emma's direction but didn't even touch. She knew she was indulgent, she knew she should finally take that necessary step away, put the distance between them, a distance she was always telling Emma to keep. But it was useless. She couldn't keep away. The moment they looked at each other, the moment Emma smiled at her, all distance fell away and they reached out, they talked, they flirted. Or they enjoyed each other's company in silence.

"Do you llike dancing, Regina?"

"Are you asking me... out to dance, Emma?"

"No, I... I wasn't... though I would love to. I just wanted to know if you liked to dance," Emma stumbled over her words but then caught herself. There was no reason to lie or take things back, she had already told Regina how she felt... through the songs. She felt that they could be very honest now.

"I love to dance... there are just so few occasions to do it," Regina admitted.

"There's dancing at The Rabbit Hole every night," Emma said.

"And who would I be dancing with?"

"Preferably with me," the sheriff answered.

"I would like that but..."

"It's impossible?"

"Maybe. I... Emma, I..." Regina stopped walking. In the distance she could see the upper windows of the mansion, the way they reflected the light of the street lamps. She turned to Emma and they looked at each other for a long moment. "You said tonight that you trust me. Is that true?"

"Of course, it is."

"I want to... trust you, too," Regina said. She put her hand up and caressed Emma's cheek, finally reaching, finally touching her. "With all my secrets... one at a time."

Emma's lips formed a soft smile, she took Regina's hand and pressed a kiss into its palm. Once again their eyes simply stared into each other, losing all grip on reality, on surroundings. They were both roused from this by the howl of a wolf. They looked around themselves, slightly spooked.

"Sometimes this town is... so weird," Emma said.

"You don't think it was Miss Lucas, do you?" Regina asked.

"No full moon. That was probably just a wolf... maybe the one who kept me in town that first night."

"Do you believe in coincidences like this?"

"Maybe it wasn't a coincidence at all. Maybe it was fate," Emma said. She held her arm out to Regina and the mayor took it. They walked again in silence.

"Do you wanna start... telling me your secrets tonight?" the blonde asked after a while as they were already passing the hedge surrounding the mansion.

"I don't think there would be any talking happening if I... invited you into the house tonight," Regina answered with a slight smile.

"That sounds like you're contemplating whether to seduce me or send me home," Emma said.

Emma held the gate for Regina before follwing her through. They walked down the short garden path to the front steps of the mansion where Regina turned toward Emma. They stood close and Regina smiled into the warmth, the smell of the other woman.

"I want to have you tonight, Emma. More than... even you can imagine," she admitted, her hand taking hold of Emma's collar.

"I feel a 'but' coming my way," the blonde breathed before her breath was completely taken by Regina pressing her lips to her own.

It wasn't simply a kiss they shared. It was weeks of denial, weeks of pushing and pulling at each other, days spent yearning, hours without sleep but disturbingly vivid imagery of them loving each other. They had dreamed about this moment, they had fantasized and argued it away. They had wanted, needed, missed this opportunity and for once they didn't hold back.

Emma pushed Regina against one of the mansion's pillars, pressing her whole body against the other woman and receiving an encouraging moan in response. Regina's hands lost themselves in the folds of Emma's clothes, trying to get hold of a heated patch of skin. They couldn't breathe, their hearts beat so violently they were sure to wake the whole town with their thunder.

But there was something underneath even their too long withheld passion. It was time, the knowledge that they had it, that they needed it and that tonight wasn't the right one. And so their kisses lost their initial fervor, the heat of it lingered in their bodies as they became aware of their surroundings again.

"There was a 'but' in there somewhere," Regina admitted her breath erratic. "I just can't seem to remember what it was." She laughed lightly and Emma joined her.

"I know what it was," the blonde said.

"I wish you didn't. I wish you would come into the house and... take me," the mayor confessed in a raspy voice that sent erotic shivers down the back of Emma's thighs.

She moaned in frustration.

"You are evil, woman," she told Regina who smiled almost innocently.

"I do want you, Emma."

"And I want you..." There was a 'but' in there somewhere and even though they were unable to name it, they knew it was there.

Emma took a small step back from Regina and smiled shyly at her.

"I have missed your passion, Emma," Regina told her and ran a hand down her front as she made her way around the blonde.

"I'm glad I remember yours now," she gave back the reference to their first kiss. "When will you tell me... the first of your secrets?" she then asked.

Regina stood at the door and was about to unlock it.

"You could come by tomorrow," she said.

"Do you want to try that dinner-thing again?" Emma asked with a teasing smile.

"When were you planning on picking up Henry tomorrow?"

"I told him I would call him, we haven't set a time. You know those kids, they'll talk half the night and probably sleep in," Emma said.

"You could come over for breakfast then," Regina invited her and Emma walked slowly over to her. They leaned against the still closed door, looking at each other, feeling the other woman's nearness. Then Emma leaned in and they kissed again with a slowburning lingering heat that just barely held their emotions.

"I'll see you in the morning," Emma said into the kiss before she pulled back.

A whimper was her reward and then she could watch Regina roll her eyes at her own weakness, her desire for the sheriff.

"Make it 8 a.m. sharp," the mayor commanded and Emma nodded.

She pushed back from the door and sauntered away, her hands in her jacket pocket.

"Think of me tonight," she said turning around and walking a few steps backwards. She saw Regina giving her a dirty look.

"I'll think of you so hard, you're going to feel it, savior," she gave back and Emma could already feel it, in her whole body. It was like a fever under her skin and she was tempted to run back to the door, push it open as Regina was now closing it, and... take her... But how clicheed romance novel would that be?