A/N: So very sorry for the delay. Work has been nonsense. And as we're nearing the end here, thank you so much for all your reviews and favorites and follows—I never thought I'd write anything that'd get this kind of attention. You readers, are wonderful.

Emma just watched. Now that Regina knew she was here and there wasn't any hope of them having a civil conversation, she took what she could in the glimpses of Regina moving smoothly to the beat. Not the way the two of them had together at Whale's party, but still confident and commanding, or at least pretending to be.

Emma didn't much feel like dancing herself.

That, however, didn't stop Ruby from finding her and demanding they have some fun before she left. Reluctantly she followed Ruby away from Regina, knowing she probably shouldn't just stare longingly, and keeping watch wouldn't be much approved of either. She also realized she shouldn't ruin what part she had in Ruby's night either, so as they moved to their own little spot on the floor, she put on her best brave face and tried to let the music take away her thoughts.

It didn't work, not really.

But Ruby was smiling and dancing with all her energy, and that was enough to distract Emma. At least until she caught sight of Mary Margaret for the first time that evening making her way up to the stage.

This was it, the announcements.

Mary Margaret was radiating a frantic sort of energy, but she did look a perfect princess in her full lavender gown as she gracefully made her way onto the makeshift stage in front of the DJ's equipment, smiling as he lowered the music and handed her a microphone.

"Hello, everyone!" MM called over the quieting crowd. "Are you having a good time tonight?"

Everyone cheered in response. Despite her own personal issues, Emma clapped along, acknowledging that MM had done an amazing job with it all, and she certainly deserved the praise she was currently beaming in response to.

"I'm so glad!" Mary Margaret beamed, some of her stress fading away. "I hate to interrupt your dancing, but it's time for a very special announcement."

The crowd murmured, not as excited about the announcement as Mary Margaret, but still interested in seeing who won. Particularly the title of Queen.

Emma made her way over to the side of the gym. If she won, she wanted to make things quick and painless. Or as much as it could be with a straight shot to the stage and an eye to Regina. Maybe she could apologize over the microphone? That might make things worse.

But if Regina won, she just wanted to watch her get the recognition she deserved. Ruby had followed behind her, unquestioning, and now they stood together, watching from the wall.

"The final votes have been tallied," MM bubbled, her hands clasped around two award show-like envelopes, clearly just created for the theatrics. "And it's my honor to announce the winners for Prom King and Queen! Though in tonight's Enchanted Forest, you're all royalty."

Emma just barely suppressed a groan at MM's sentiment, but not everyone did. Ruby nudged her in the side for her efforts as MM shifted gears.

"First. Your King is…" Mary Margaret made a show of opening the envelope though it was already painfully obvious who was inside.

"David Nolan!"

David made his way through the crowd as MM clapped giddily, much more enthused about her boyfriend winning than her boyfriend appeared to be. He was gracious about it, clearly expecting it, but perhaps still a little embarrassed in the result, and he spotted Fred out in the crowd to salute him. Everyone cheered, even Kathryn, because despite his flaws, David wasn't called Charming for nothing. Who wouldn't like a popular guy who was still kind?

Once on the stage, he kissed MM, if for the added benefit of stopping her vocal cheering, and lowered his head so she could place his crown on his head. It didn't quite suit his tux, but it wasn't as horrific as it could've been. He blushed as MM continued to fawn until he whispered something in her ear and she blushed instead, composing herself and returning to the microphone.

"The race for queen was very close," she began, silently thanking David for getting her back on track, "but there was still a clear winner, one I couldn't be more thrilled to announce." She paused, almost seeming overwhelmed with some sort of emotion. "Your Queen is…

"Regina Mills!"

Regina stood shocked for a moment.

She was not alone in her surprise, but soon, the people who apparently had voted for her began cheering, and loudly.

She had thought for sure that when she broke ties with Emma, everyone else would follow. Apparently not.

Whale placed his hand on her back, giving her a gentle push in the direction of the stage. Her feet began moving with the inspiration, even if her brain didn't quite feel like it had caught up. People were still cheering. She caught a familiar whistle from Ruby and turned to see her and Emma roaring for her.

Emma was…of course Emma was happy, she had won her bet.

She let it wash over her, focusing on the small set of stairs. On her way up, she saw Tink clapping like her namesake needed all the life she could get. And Kathryn, smiling brightly and whooping along with Fred.

She made it up to the stage and managed to smile, hyper aware of the large lights likely stolen from the theatre department warming her skin and Mary Margaret and David standing before her, smiling, as if they hadn't had any part in destroying her life. Still, she smiled. And tried not to let it overwhelm her.

She leant down just a little, her cheeks straining over the effort of maintaining her smile, as Mary Margaret placed the tiara on her head.

"Congratulations, Regina," Mary Margaret murmured sincerely. As Regina lifted her head, she saw the sentiment matched with a teary-eyed smile, as if Mary Margaret were genuinely thrilled it was her, as if it was a sort of resolution.

"Your 1998 Senior Prom King and Queen!" Mary Margaret proclaimed into the microphone, leading the crowd in another round of applause.

"Now, if our Majesties allow, the first dance of the rest of the evening."

The DJ took that as his cue to play something slow, and Regina turned to see David offering her his arm. Offering his arm and his signature, lopsided smile, also somehow genuine, when he was just supposed to be Mary Margaret's sycophant boy.

The lights reflected off of the silver of his crown, the crowd below them clearing out a space on the floor waiting for them to descend.

She took his arm, and allowed him to lead them down the steps, past the peers that parted in their presence to a clear space of floor, not exactly able to turn him down and everything seeming a blur in the imprecise refractions of the disco ball.

She now recognized the song as some entirely inappropriate cheesy R&B love song, like the DJ had somehow been the only human in the room not to catch onto the fact that Regina and David certainly weren't together, but David just offered her another lopsided smile and took her hand, slowly guiding her into a respectable stance, allowing her a moment to refuse before his hand came to rest securely on her waist.

She had just been crowned Prom Queen and everyone was watching her slow dance with the boyfriend of her biggest enemy.

What.

Regina had to remember to breathe.

David was much more graceful than he let on, and as they moved, he leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"Ballet lessons."

Regina cocked an eyebrow, wondering what he was talking about, and more than glad for the something to concentrate on.

Catching her response, he smiled again. Always with that lopsided smiling charm. Sickening.

"We had to take them for football one year. But I liked them."

He twirled her suddenly and confidently before leaning back in.

"Now I like ballroom even better."

That was certainly unexpected. The king of the school with a fondness for formal dance. Regina smirked, but David beamed.

He had gotten a real smile-sort-of-thing from Regina. He had succeeded. At least a little. Now he could say what he had to.

"Regina, I know it's unfair of me to do this when you don't really have an escape, but I just wanted to say I'm so sorry. For everything that hurt you."

She tensed in his hold, not above walking away in the middle of their dance, even with the crowd watching. She had won Queen unimpeded, what could they do?

"David—"

"Please." He didn't back down, matching her stare but with warmth instead of her steel. "You only have to suffer through this dance, and then you never have to listen to me again."

She never had to listen to him to begin with, she thought, but it was probably better to hear him out than to run off into the night. As satisfyingly dramatic as that would be. Whatever Charming had to say, she was sure she could tolerate three minutes of it. She gave a slight incline of her head, indicating she would allow him to continue.

"Mary Margaret explained, well, more than what she first said," he hurried through, sure of her reluctance to discuss any of this. "I know it's not her place to tell, but she's never been the best at secrets…you know." Her rolling her eyes at his idiocy didn't even come close to stopping him. "But this she has kept longer and closer than anything else, and I—well, I'm sorry for it all."

Regina thought maybe she had made the wrong choice in allowing Nolan this free reign, his words only increasing her discomfort, especially as they continued to move together, but the bumbling boy he was, he pushed through, either ignoring or intending to change her displeasure.

"But, as much as I love Mary Margaret, I know it means nothing to apologize for anyone else. So, I'm sorry that I screwed things up with Kathryn," he pledged sincerely, a look of ill-suiting regret passing over his face.

"And I'm sorry that I never got the chance to know you. Because that's been the coolest part of your hanging with Emma, getting to really meet you. You're so much more than I've ever given you credit for, and I've really liked getting to know what you're like. Even though I'm pretty sure you think I'm an idiot."

His joking didn't detract from the intensity of his confession, the earnestness entirely unexpected, and as the song moved into its final verse, he committed even further, hurrying to finish before she could run away unhindered.

"You're pretty great, Regina. More than pretty great. But we all are idiots for how long it took to figure out. Emma was the first one there."

So there it was. Regina had been lulled into security, but now there was no more out—David wasn't pausing, not allowing her to end things early.

"I've been friends with her for a while now, but I've always felt more like her brother or something, and I've got to say, I'd never seen her so happy. That stupid bet was the best thing that ever happened to her. And the worst, because this past week, I've never seen her so miserable. She cares about you more than I think I've ever seen her care about anyone…"

He finally looked a little sheepish, as if maybe Emma wouldn't look too kindly on his revealing this, or maybe he had just made the realization for himself, or maybe Regina wouldn't respond well to this tack after all. Still, he went on.

"It's not enough to make up for anything. It may not even be enough to change anything. But if there's anything that can fix this, anything you need, Emma will do it. Literally anything, Regina."

The DJ faded their song into the next one as the space around the royal couple began to be filled by their classmates, their final applause of approval covering the movement.

"Thanks for the dance, your Majesty," David murmured as he stopped their swaying. "Sorry I talked your ear off."

He dropped her hand and gave a little bow, complete with yet another genuine smile before turning to find Mary Margaret.

Regina felt more baffled than she had even in the moment of the announcement, all the competing information in her brain battling for dominance.

She didn't have time to sort any of it through as Whale stepped up to take David's place.

"May I have this dance, my Queen?"

She accepted, using the mindless movement to attempt to calm her thoughts.

Emma actually beamed as she saw her friends (Regina was her friend, she was) just owning the floor, somehow making the lame song graceful. They really could be royalty, with their perfect posture and striking looks and crowns shimmering atop their heads, even though David definitely wouldn't be down for that, and Regina...

She flinched again at how she had essentially forced Regina into this situation.

Charming had had time to at least prepare, to understand that it came with his position, but Regina? She really did deserve the title and the recognition, but that didn't mean she had wanted it, and Emma didn't even talk to her about that choice, and this whole thing really was a mess.

She was going to have to come up with a new plan to make it up to her.

But that hope died when the song ended and Whale came up to Regina as David bowed off. Emma decidedly couldn't watch this. She could trust Regina was smart enough not to fall for his shit. She could trust Regina.

But she couldn't watch this.

It turned out she didn't have to, as now that the announcements were over, Ruby was making her move to exit and was nudging her once again, this time indicating the doors.

"You're leaving?" Emma asked, somewhat impressed that Ruby was actually following through with cutting out early considering she had seemed to be having a great time.

"Yup," Ruby confirmed, even grinning at the prospect. "I'm late for a very important date."

Emma smiled. It was something to see Ruby this nervously excited when normally she was all flirtation and confidence.

"Say hi to Belle for me."

Ruby blushed. They hadn't discussed it much since Emma started figuring out what was really going on, and saying it out loud was still new and exciting. Still, she smiled.

"Will do. And you try to have some fun," she commanded, only a little teasingly.

"I guess," Emma allowed, doing a quick sweep of the room. She didn't really feel like joining in with the people she found, but she gave Ruby a reassuring smile just the same. Ruby took it as the best she was going to get and gave a smile in return, turning towards the doors.

But before she could leave, Emma went to catch her, pulling her over to the side, away from any potential unwelcome attention, even if the possibility of someone overhearing was next to nothing with the baseline now pounding from the speakers.

"Hey, Ruby?" Emma asked, waiting until she had her friend's full attention. "Is this thing—with her…is it, you know, real?"

Ruby considered her for a moment seriously before answering with the truth, never a fan of hiding from her friends and with her blush already returning at the thought of Belle, perfectly complimenting the red of her dress and her lips.

"I hope so. I like her like her, Emma."

Emma couldn't help but smile at Ruby's admittance, always impressed by her in matters of the heart. Besides, Ruby truly deserved this, and Belle, well, she would be lucky to have Ruby.

"Cool," she gave her official blessing. "Good luck then."

"Thanks," Ruby returned, taking it in stride with a new boost of confidence. "Gotta go get my girl. You ought to go get yours, too."

Ruby had made her move to leave, but it had to have been a flourish because Emma's instant stuttering had her back in an instant.

"Wait, what?" She puzzled the connection. "No, it's not like—"

"Emma." Ruby stopped her, placating but serious.

"I've seen the way you've been all week. Even before that," she explained, not needing to offer a single word more. After all, they were friends, and Emma had been able to figure Belle out—Ruby wasn't an idiot. Still, she watched Emma struggle with it, the desire to protest all over her face though she held back, even if she didn't quite know why. Ruby took the opportunity to continue.

"All you have to know is—me, Tink, MM, the guys, Archie? We'll all love you no matter what. And we're all gonna be here for you no matter what. So go—explain it all to your girl. Sooner rather than later, because mopey you is kind of a drag," she added, playfully.

"Goodbye, Ruby," Emma dismissed, not acknowledging anything her friend had said.

Ruby expected nothing less and so took it in stride as she sauntered out the doors.

"Talk to you tomorrow, Ems!" She called over her shoulder.

Once Emma heard the click of the doors returning shut, she stood for a moment alone against the wall, taking in the decorations as the lights washed over them. The kids dancing, the chaperones watching on the edges, the occasional pop of light from the photographer.

She took a moment to spot Regina in the crowd and watch her dance once more. Queen, indeed.

Then she turned and walked out the doors herself.