Emma hadn't been able to find Regina the rest of the day—she had meant to ask where she would be spending their shared free period during lunch, but without the chance to do so, she had only been able to wander the library, hoping that Regina stuck to some sort of routine. After meandering through the stacks, she didn't find Regina, but she did get some time with Belle. It wasn't a terrible exchange considering she got to pick up some more information on Ruby and since the new librarian could be quite pleasant company herself.

Still, she was surprised to find herself thinking about the missed time with Regina at the end of the day. Not having lunch or a free period with her had been unexpected, but Emma thought it was probably for the best. They had just started being friendly—it would be weird to spend every possible moment together, as much as Emma wanted to step up the timeline. Seeing her once during the day was a fine start.

So, on Tuesday, she claimed the seat next to Regina in English once more, and pretended not to be fazed by Regina's focused stare as she unpacked her things.

What Emma didn't know, however, was this time, Regina was prepared. The stare was not out of disbelief. If Regina was learning anything about the blonde, it was that she was quite tenacious in her pursuits, and Regina had more than expected Emma taking the spot next to her. She had waited for it. The stare was just to psych herself up for what she was about to do.

Even if she felt she knew the answer, Regina understood that nothing was ever certain.

Everything out and ready for class, Emma turned and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could get a word out, Regina spoke first.

"Would you like to have lunch with me today?"

Of course Emma had agreed. Right away.

And then she had sat like an idiot all through English.

Regina had looked her way a few times when she wasn't participating as actively as Regina had become accustomed to, only to find her smiling absentmindedly. As if sensing Regina's focus on her, she'd soon try to jump back in to the conversation, but Regina hadn't really minded her inattention. It was quite something to see she could have this kind of effect on anyone, let alone someone who was not lacking for friends.

In fact, Emma was willing to abandon those friends to have lunch in Regina's practice room. Regina had spent a while debating whether it was wise to reveal her secret getaway so early on, but she thought the exchange was worth it for the privacy and for not having to deal with the rest of Emma's friends quite yet. They were going to be a whole other hurdle. But for now, Regina just wanted to spend time with someone who wanted to spend time with her.

They couldn't avoid the cafeteria entirely however, as both of them needed to buy their lunches. Emma willingly walked by her side all the way through the halls. Even while waving at her many acquaintances. Regina had never felt so safe in her journey and yet so uncertain; any moment Emma could decide to drop her, leave her to fend for herself as she got carried away with a more acceptable group of peers, but she didn't. Even when Emma spotted her real friends, she simply waved and returned her focus to Regina as they made their way through the line together.

"So what's for lunch today?"

Regina had already been heading towards the pre-packaged food, used to efficiency in her movements through the space when Emma's voice had her pulling back.

"I thought you already know what I eat," she teased.

Emma had the decency to blush.

"One week of close-ish attention does not mean I know everything," she allowed. "What do you like? Other than salads—and lobster rolls—and please tell me you'll share fries again because it looks like they just took those out of a fryer."

Regina wondered whether it was always this easy to distract the blonde, particularly if the method of distraction was food. But Emma's enthusiasm was once again catching, and between it and the unusually appetizing fries, Regina was convinced she could be a little indulgent.

"Deal."

Emma's smile was instant as she reached for the largest helping of the group and placed it on to her rapidly filling tray. Regina had suggested she go without since she would just have to come back to the lunchroom to return it, but Emma had looked so perplexed at how she would manage to carry all the things she wanted to eat, that Regina had sighed and said she'd come back to return it with her.

"Okay, though, other than fries? Like if you had to eat only one—"

"Hey, Swan!"

Emma's friendly interrogation was cut short by Killian's voice joining in their conversation, her roguish friend winding his way through the line with minimal complaints thanks to the few choice winks he knew to bestow, finally wrapping his arm around Emma's shoulders, an individual pizza in his other hand.

"Who've you got here?"

Regina's warring emotions over being caught were superseded by the disgust she felt when Killian gave her the once over with his supposedly charming, but decidedly lecherous, smile.

Her history with Killian was slightly less tumultuous than with many of her other peers only because he hadn't been around all that long. Though that didn't mean that it was without incident. Upon arrival, he had briefly tried making his place with some of the more "alternative" kids and took great pleasure in taunting her with them. As soon as he learned he could move up the social ladder, he had, leaving basic sexual innuendo behind in favor of slier forms of mockery, laughing with the jocks leaning against their lockers, until he had traded up into the top echelon, where the most popular of all typically ignored her if she played it right. Like Emma had, up until a week ago.

"Killian," Emma said with humorous exasperation as she managed to pluck his arm from her space. "This is Regina. Regina, Killian."

"A pleasure, love."

"Charmed, I'm sure."

Emma had definitely seen Regina tense up at Jones' arrival, but with her strangled response, she was now certain it wasn't just because of her being overwhelmed. It was looking like most everyone she knew had some sort of history with Regina but for her. Killian didn't seem at all perturbed though, in fact, he seemed a little amused at Regina's bite, almost scoping her out to see if he could tempt her further. Emma decided to put an end to the situation. In his current state, Killian would not be helping any matters.

"Well, Hook, now that you've cut to the front, pay for your food and get out of here."

Despite his displeasure at hearing the name he knew was used to scold him, his brows furrowed more at Emma's implication as he fished out the correct change and handed it over.

"You're not sitting with us, Swan?"

Regina found herself desperately worried that Emma would change her mind, or worse, try to get her to stay in the cafeteria and sit with them. She paid as quickly as possible, hoping if that were the case she could at least figure an escape.

"Nope," Emma confidently replied. "Me and Regina are having lunch together."

"Ah," Killian uttered with a strange sort of knowing smile, "You sure you lovely ladies wouldn't like some company while you're eating? Everything is better with a third."

Emma couldn't repress her groan as he waggled his eyebrows.

"Ugh, Killian!" She chastised. "Regina is way too classy for you. Now she'll never want to sit with us."

"Oh, I don't know," Regina piped up. "I suppose if I got properly vaccinated first."

Emma guffawed, her amusement doubling at the sight of Killian's shock, both offended by the implication and Regina's pointed stare and impressed by the girl's hidden fire.

Having made their way free of the line, Emma nudged Regina to their exit, and Regina found herself inordinately pleased with how the whole interaction had gone.

"See you 7th, Hook." She made her leave, well aware of the people who had begun to observe them, the odd pairing of Emma and Regina sticking out even more with Killian's inclusion. Emma walked right at Regina's shoulder, as close as any two high school girls could be.

"It's not going to stick!" Hook called after them.

"We'll see!" Emma threw over her shoulder, chuckling at her friend's irritation—and at Regina's pleased smirk—as they walked through the double doors.

"So this is where you disappear to," Emma observed.

Regina had brought her to a small stairway in the back corner of the music hall, leading her up the stairs (Emma was at once distraught over the amount of food she had to carry and glad that she would have it for the end of the trek), and down an even smaller hall, filled with tiny rooms behind wooden doors, glass panels near the top and muted melodies filtering through the walls the only way of knowing if anyone was inside.

Regina unlocked the very last one on the end with a key of her own and let Emma into the space with the one plastic chair, a couple of music stands, and a bench in front of an upright piano.

"This is where I like to spend my free time, yes." Regina arranged the seating, pulling the bench forward so Emma could use one end as a table for her tray as Regina sat on the other.

Emma sat in the chair, watching Regina in her space, realizing that this was the least tense she had ever seen her at school.

"Was this where you were during your free period yesterday?"

Brown eyes snapped up from the container holding her sandwich.

"You were looking for me?"

Emma mentally smacked herself on the head—she may be getting better at getting information out of Regina, but she was getting worse at holding her own hand. Something about Regina just made her slip up.

"I—" One look at Regina had her deciding that honesty was the best call. "Yes. I was. I wanted to spend time with you, and I was worried I'd scared you off with the lunch thing."

Regina genuinely couldn't believe it. She didn't think she had ever been so consistently surprised by anything, and her heart swelled at the idea that not only did Emma want to see her but she was worried over her feelings. Emma cared, at least a little, about her. She wanted to say she was sorry Emma hadn't been able to find her; she wanted to invite the blonde to all of her future free periods; but she managed to rein in her desires. It wouldn't do to feel too much and scare Emma off entirely.

"I was. Normally I don't get the chance because there are usually lessons here."

"Lessons?" Emma asked. This whole part of the building was practically foreign to her, and she certainly didn't know her school offered lessons.

"Voice, mostly, since it's the smallest room up here," Regina clarified.

"Do you take them? Voice lessons?"

"No."

"Why not?" Emma persisted around bites of her meal.

Regina hesitated. "I don't sing."

"Bullshit."

"Excuse me?"

Emma guessed she had maybe been a little abrupt in her lie detecting, considering the look on Regina's face, but she wasn't going to back down.

"I'm calling bullshit. I bet you have a great voice. And," she thought to add, "I can tell you love it."

"Can you."

Regina was decidedly unimpressed, but Emma could tell that there was a hint of something underneath—nervousness, maybe? Or curiosity?

"Yep. So why don't you take lessons?"

This time Regina's response was timely and determined.

"Violin and piano are more admirable pursuits, and I'm not talented enough to be dedicating valuable time to singing."

Though they came from her mouth, those words were clearly not Regina's. Emma had an inkling of whom they actually belonged to, but on this, of all things, she knew not to press. When they got a little deeper into this friendship, then Emma would make sure Regina knew that she could talk to her, about anything. For now, she'd pivot to hopefully safer ground.

"So why do you have a key then?" Emma inquired around a bite of sandwich.

Regina put her own food down to properly examine the girl in front of her. "Are you always this prying?"

Emma shrugged. "Pretty much."

Already knowing that Emma could be as stubborn as she was, Regina just sighed and answered.

"I have a key because my conductor knows I like to play and I don't get the chance to as often as I would like."

Instead of accepting her response and moving on as Regina had anticipated, Emma turned more thoughtful.

"Will you play for me then?"

"What?"

Regina knew that whatever this was was still new, but she had a feeling that no matter how close they could become, Emma would always manage to surprise her.

"If you normally use this time to play, I don't want to take that from you, and I'd really like to hear it."

"I —" Regina didn't even have time to consider how best to refuse before Emma cut back in.

"Please?" Emma pleaded, eyes wide and lips turned down. "If you play things other than classical or jazz or whatever, I'll sing along!"

She had no idea how Emma could have guessed, but that was the only thing that Regina imagined could get her to reconsider.

"You sing?"

"Not like lessons and things, but I can carry a tune you know," Emma insisted. "C'mon, a sing-a-long would be fun!"

A sing-a-long would be fun. If inconceivable even a few minutes before this very moment.

"Fine," Regina agreed reluctantly, but growing eager at Emma's building excitement. "What song do you want to sing?"

Emma pondered for a moment. "What do you know how to play?"

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't we pick something you know the words to?"

"I figure your playing is probably more important."

"If it's a simple enough song and I've heard it enough times, I can typically figure something out."

Emma stared at the piano and then Regina in awe as if they could reveal the secret behind the talent.

"Really? Without sheet music?"

Regina tilted her head a little, warm in the face of Emma's admiration.

"I have a good ear…my da—" She caught herself. It was not cool to call your father "daddy". "Dad got me songbooks from musicals when I was younger and learning, and they often had the guitar chords marked as well. If you play the chords in rhythm and then add a little flair…" Regina trailed off, arranging herself at the keyboard and demonstrating her steps, eventually playing the distinctive refrain from "America" that even Emma could recognize before improvising into some of the rest of the song.

"One, that is crazy impressive," Emma declared as Regina's playing faded out. "Two, you like musicals! I told you you liked singing."

Regina scoffed, smiling at Emma's assertion. "Oh, well if you told me, it must be true."

"Cool it, sassmaster. I'd say we should sing something from a musical, but I don't really know them, so…you could just sing for me?"

"What happened to sharing our talents?"

"Alright, okay," Emma ceded. It had been a long shot anyway, but picking a song was turning out to be much more difficult than she imagined. In the meantime, she could use the opportunity to pick up some more things about Regina.

"Let's see…I can think of a few, but what would you like…" She rested her chin on her hand, pretending to contemplate Regina's music tastes for a few moments before continuing, "Candle in the Wind?"

Her proposition was met only with a very convincing death stare, and Emma couldn't help but laugh.

"No?" She acted surprised. "My Heart Will Go On?" She teased, reveling in Regina's increasing aggravation.

"Okay, okay. I know…" She paused for effect. "Backstreet Boys!"

This time, Emma was outwitted when Regina started playing the opening line of "Quit Playing Games with My Heart" all while staring Emma down.

"You're the one that has to sing it," she dared.

"Oh god," Emma laughed again, "If that ever got out I don't think I could recover."

Regina stopped playing to wait for Emma's next suggestion. She was intrigued by what she might come up with as a real possibility.

Emma didn't know what to say though. Suddenly every song she could think of didn't seem like it could translate to the piano at all.

"Clearly I'm failing here," she admitted. "What do you usually play?"

"It depends," Regina replied, unimpressed with the shifting responsibility of picking and increasingly uncomfortable with the idea of playing anything more at all.

Emma noticed the shift and tried to compensate for it, knowing that she was the one who had wanted the recital to begin with.

"Regina, I'm not going to make fun of your music tastes. You already obviously are above average, even if you don't appreciate Celine Dion like you should."

Emma hadn't made fun of her. At all, really. Regina supposed she could believe her.

"Fine," Regina ceded. "But if you don't know it, I'm not explaining, and we move on."

Emma nodded vigorously in agreement with her conditions, and Regina considered her options. Might as well go with what was most fresh in her mind.

"It really does depend on what I feel like playing," she clarified, running the tips of her fingers over well-worn keys. "But recently I've been trying to work out some of the songs I like. This is what I was doing yesterday, when you couldn't find me."

Regina took a deep breath and situated herself, trying not to feel like this moment meant more than it actually did. She started playing very distinctive opening notes, this time not observing Emma at all, deciding she'd stop if she didn't hear singing at any point.

Emma, on the other hand, was trying not to bounce in her seat and give away that not only did she know the song, she loved it, and was patiently waiting for her cue to enter, just hoping that Regina wouldn't stop playing before she had a chance to sing.

"Walking on, walking on broken glass."

Emma's surprisingly clear tone caught Regina enough off guard that she stumbled over the next set, but she managed to keep playing as Emma continued with her.

"You were the sweetest thing that I ever knew,
But I don't care for sugar, honey, if I can't have you.
Since you've abandoned me,
My whole life has crashed.
Won't you pick the pieces up?
'Cause it feels just like I'm walking on broken glass."

"Annie Lennox, Regina?" Emma gasped as Regina faded out of the next verse, "There is no need to ever feel shame about Annie Lennox. That's solid."

Regina's smile burst at the agreement.

"So you do have decent taste after all," she replied, the faintness of the praise undermined by her cheer. "It was nice to have someone to play for," she admitted. "You're a very talented singer."

"Please." Emma found herself blushing at the compliment. It wasn't much of anything, but from someone like Regina, she found it meant a lot. "I'm sure you're like crazy amazing. If I could play piano, I'd make you switch with me so I could hear it."

Regina couldn't understand Emma's urging. No one actually wanted to listen to her sing, except maybe her father, and he was her father, he was supposed to. People used to find out she liked to, and ask her about it, but they would never press after she denied them. They asked out of politeness. Emma was not asking out of politeness. She genuinely wanted to hear Regina, as if it were something Regina could give her. And Regina found her walls wilting under Emma's encouragement.

"…You did sing for me—"

"Really?" Emma perked up at the undertones in Regina's words. "Please, will you?"

Regina took in the girl in front of her, practically vibrating with energy.

"Are you part puppy?"

"You know," Emma laughed, "It would explain a lot." Suddenly though, the puppy faded away and left the girl that was bizarrely sincere and mature. "But seriously, Regina, I can't believe you've shared all this with me. If it makes you uncomfortable, then you shouldn't, but I'd really love to hear anything. Anything at all."

That did it for Regina. She couldn't refuse. She didn't want to. But she didn't want to play something too revealing, or embarrassing—it had to be something she was confident at but wouldn't sound showy, something fun…she never would've guessed there would be so many potential landmines in playing a song.

Settling her fingers on the keys once again, she took a deep breath, and tried to lose herself in the performance, the way she always did.

"C'mon babe, why don't we paint the town…"

Watching Regina sing was an experience.

Emma was blown away by her slipping into character, her versatile voice—the flirtatiousness of someone who wore loafers on a regular basis. She didn't know the show, but she did know the song, especially since Archie had introduced her to the Tony awards the previous year—and Regina, good girl Regina, could most certainly pull off this song. Her thoughts returned to the Thespians photo in their freshman yearbook, Regina sitting on the edge of the stage. She wondered once again why Regina quit, knowing that if she was this brilliant in this tiny, hidden away room, she didn't really want to know the answer because it couldn't have been anything good.

Emma was so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't even realized she was just staring at a now stopped Regina, who was looking at her questioningly.

"Another, please!"

It was probably for the best that Regina had her science lab that afternoon instead of free period or both girls would have been left wondering whether the other wanted to spend it with her. With the exception of a brief moment in the hall, they didn't get a chance to talk again until English the next day, where Emma once again took the seat by Regina's side. Emma had a team lunch that day, but she desperately wanted to skip it to hang out with Regina again. She had asked Archie about Chicago when she had gotten home, and she wanted to share just how excited her foster dad had gotten over her new interest.

"I'm sorry I can't have lunch with you today," Emma apologized again as they got up from yet another productive period.

"I hardly expected that we would have lunch together every day. You didn't have to say anything."

As much as Regina knew her words to be true, she still felt the loss of Emma's company. She knew she was getting too attached much too soon; it could only end poorly.

"But I want to!" Emma insisted. "I mean, I don't know if you want to have lunch with me—I mean, every day, but I really wish I could skip this one to go with you."

Regina thought Emma's uncertainty was almost adorable, and she felt her heart clench with the idea that maybe this sudden attachment wasn't all that one-sided.

"Really?"

"Really."

They shared a smile as they made their way through the hall, an unspoken agreement to at least get to the cafeteria together.

"One day I'll get you to join the rest of my friends, but I see them plenty," Emma added, teasing, before she remembered, excited, "Like tonight! You should come!"

"Come to what?"

"They're throwing some sort of senior-spirit-grill-out-bonfire thing down at the beach tonight," Emma explained hurriedly. "Will you come?"

Regina considered the invitation. It was a group event, which was entirely unappealing, and she'd have to think of some sort of excuse for Mother…

"I don't know…"

"C'mon, it's legit!" Emma protested. "Student Gov sponsored, I think even the sheriff will be there to supervise. No booze, no funny business, over by 9 at the latest."

Emma's frowning face of appeal was back in full force, and those were pretty ideal conditions for an event.

And she'd get to spend more time with Emma.

She started thinking of ways to convince Cora.

"I'll try."

"Yes!" Emma exclaimed in victory. "It starts at 5:30, I think? I'll be there right after practice."

They entered the lunchroom together. It was still strange to be seen with Emma, but Regina was starting to enjoy the looks—her peers looked just as bewildered as she felt.

Emma spotted Mary Margaret already set up at the ticket table for prom, and turned to ask Regina what she now realized was a relatively important question.

"Hey, are you going to prom?"

She indicated the table in the face of Regina's confusion at the change of topic.

"I hadn't thought about it."

It wasn't lying—she hadn't, not really. Or at least that had been the goal, because she obviously wasn't going. Emma seemed set on changing that, however.

"I know I'm starting to seem like a pusher, but you should totally go. Only get one senior prom, right?"

Regina took one look at Emma and supposed it wouldn't be a terrible idea to think about it after all.

"I suppose I'll consider."

"Good." Emma seemed just as pleased at the concession as she had been for her previous invitation. Spotting her teammates, she moved to take her leave. "See you tonight?"

Regina nodded, suddenly determined to find a way to make it work.

As Emma turned away, she paused and bit her lip, deciding to take a risk.

"Emma?"

Emma stopped and turned back instantly.

"Yeah?"

"If you wanted, you could come to the practice room 7th."

Emma lit up like her inner puppy had just gotten a new chew toy.

"Really?"

Regina nodded.

"I'll so be there."