Kailor: So when they hit the dance floor, they're definitely dancing to "Burnin' It Down" by Jason Aldean. Just sayin'. But feel free to choose any song you like to play in your head! That's just the one playing in mine while I'm writing this.

Cora let herself in the house, humming under her breath. She was excited to put this next phase of Operation Hero and Leander into play...for her daughter's sake, of course. Right. Her humming stopped when she heard female voices laughing in the den. She put her coat away and followed the hall, peeking around the corner before she entered.

Regina was sitting on the opposite end of the couch from a thin blonde with bright blue eyes and a glass of wine. Cora smiled, sweeping into the room. "Kathryn!"

"Mamma Cora!" the woman called back with equal enthusiasm.

Kathryn Nolan had been Regina's best friend pretty much from birth. Even when Regina moved schools and then to New York, she kept closely in touch with the blonde woman. Kathryn had been to visit multiple times over the years, staying in Regina's large apartment in New York while Regina worked. And she was often at the Mills' house to help when Cora couldn't get Henry out of bed or if she was too busy to take care of him and Cora had a certain fondness for the woman.

"What are we doing tonight, dears? Any special places to go?" Cora settled into her plush armchair, sighing happily.

"The bottom of this bottle," Regina said, indicating the half empty merlot on the counter. "Why, Mother?"

"Well," Cora started, remembering the text Henry Jr. had sent her when he'd gotten home. "I was hoping we could go out tonight. It's been a long while since I got to take my girls out. And both of you are here now."

Kathryn threw back the last of her wine. "I'm in! I'll just have to get changed and I'm ready."

Regina swirled her wine for a moment, then sighed. "I guess I could go."

"Your enthusiasm is overwhelming," Kathryn said dryly. "What about Papa Henry?"

Cora suppressed the large grin that was threatening to take over her face. "I've already texted your brother, David. He'll be coming over here to babysit. Fathersit? Grown-man-sit?...Visit? Vi-sit? What is a 'Vi'?"

XXXXXXX

Ruby growled at herself in the downstairs bathroom mirror. Henry had shut himself in the upstairs one to shower and she was left with only her back-up make-up case. She loved the outfit she'd picked out: the jean capris, the too-short red tanktop. She felt ready to dance, but her face was a different story. "Emma, get your son out of the damn bathroom! I need my lipstick collection!"

Emma's laughter rang down the stairs. "Why do you even have a collection? All you wear is red!"

"Not true," Ruby huffed to herself, thinking about how true it was. But there were all different shades of red. She heard hangers sliding upstairs and leaned out the bathroom door. "Swan, you better stay out of my closet!"

"I'm not in your closet! I'm not in any closet, actually." Emma laughed at her own joke and Ruby rolled her eyes. A moment later, the blonde came hopping down the stairs, buttoning up a long-sleeved red shirt.

Ruby gasped at it. "That so came out of my closet!"

"Then quit judging it," Emma quipped with a grin. "It needs our support right now, Rubes. And I don't have much-" she glanced down at her rather small chest then back to Ruby with fake determination on her face. "But I will do my best."

"You're just going to take it off when we start dancing anyways." Ruby went back to her reflection, ignoring her roommate's shrug.

Henry joined them a minute later, still toweling his hair dry. "Finally," Ruby snapped, racing up the stairs past him. He waited for the bathroom door to shut before turning to his mother.

"Hey, Mom. David's gonna be here soon to get me."

"Okay, kid. You'll sleep there and I'll see you tomorrow? You work, right?"

"Yeah. And we'll be at the Mills mansion anyway so I can just ride to work with Mrs. Mills."

"Oh?" Emma was genuinely surprised. David hadn't mentioned that when she'd asked him to babysit.

"Yeah. Mrs. and Miss Mills are going somewhere too. Mrs. Mills called him just a little while ago to ask if he could watch after Pops. She said I could go along."

"That's cool of her," Emma opened the fridge, pulling two six-packs of bottled root beer out. She shoved them into her messenger bag. Henry rolled his eyes at the sight. His mother hated buying drinks when she went out. "Then I guess I'll just see you tomorrow when you get off. I'll pick you up and we can hang out, if you want."

"Yeah, that'd be cool, Mom." Henry turned to go back upstairs and finish packing for the night. "Have fun tonight! Be safe!"

"Tell that to your Aunt Ruby!" Emma laughed. Wolf's head popped up from the love seat, where he'd been napping. "Well, good morning. Planning on becoming a cat? You roam wherever you want then come home and sleep all day." She glared at him. "Don't become a cat. You'll be living on the streets permanently."

A knock on the door interrupted her scolding. Without waiting for her answer, it opened and Mulan stepped in, followed by a tiny woman with messy blonde hair in a bun and green eyes. She grinned when she saw Emma. "I am prepared for the night. I brought the only thing keeping the Irish from ruling the world!" She held up a very large bottle of Jameson whiskey.

"Hey, Tink." Emma rolled her eyes at the smaller blonde. "I'm guessing you're sleeping here tonight?"

"Hell yes. I've already started drinking. I'm surprised I got my car here."

"You realize you just confessed to drinking and driving to the sheriff, right?" Mulan asked, chuckling.

Tink's eyes widened. "I plead the fifth." This set Emma and Mulan off laughing.

"I don't think it works that way," Emma said, grabbing her bag as Ruby trotted down the stairs. The front door opened again, admitting a small brunette with short hair and a very pregnant belly.

"Mary Margaret, give me that baby!" Ruby said, hurrying to hug the newcomer-or her belly, actually.

"Hey," Mary Margaret laughed. "David's outside waiting for Henry. We're all riding together, right?"

Mulan, who had volunteered to be designated driver, nodded. "Shall we?" The group cheered.

XXXXXXX

The Anne-Marie was right on the edge of Storybrooke. It's doors opened two years before and since then it became a popular hang-out for people from the next few towns over. They would pour in every weekend and fill the dance floor and the second story balcony, drink heavily, tip the dancers, then return to their little towns when the doors closed. That night it was packed, the dance floor constantly stuffed with gyrating bodies and flailing limbs. But Cora managed to lead her girls upstairs and snagged a table right up against the railing, overlooking the first floor. She was clutching two bottles of wine, both for her, and awkwardly nodding to the music. "I love this song!"

"Do you even know who sings this, Mother?" Regina settled daintily on the stool across from Cora, placing her own glass of wine on the table. She smoothed her blue dress, wishing she'd dressed down a bit more. But Kathryn and her mother were also well-dressed, so at least she wasn't alone.

"Inky Minaj-a-tois, yes?"

Kathryn choked into her beer, ducking under the table to compose herself.

Cora ignored her, glancing at the T.V.s that ran the length of the bar below. "Who's playing tonight? I can't quite see that far."

Regina squinted at the screens. "The Saints and the 49ers. Whoever they are."

"Whoo!" Cora cheered, throwing her arms in the air. "Go, 69ers! Go, 69ers!"

"49ers, Mother! I said 49ers!"

Cora chuckled darkly, leaning closer. "I bet they wish they were the 69ers." Her amusement was only heightened when her daughter's face burned red. She returned to cheering for her new favorite team.

Kathryn was still coughing to get the beer she'd inhaled out of her lungs, but she managed to swing an arm around Regina and motion to the dance floor below them. "Look at all the gorgeous women for you and all the sexy men for me! It must be our birthday!"

Regina rolled her eyes. "Please. Like I'm going to find someone in this kind of place. Most of these people are still children. Did you see the university bus outside? We're surrounded by fraternities and sororities."

Kathryn eyed the dancers on the bar. "Well, color me cougar, because some of these boys are yummy."

It seemed rolling her eyes was going to be the theme of the night. Regina sighed, sipping her wine.

XXXXXXX

"Oh, yeah! Take it off!" The tiny blonde at the bar cheered as the dancer in the white speedo rolled his hips for her. She waved another five in the air, rocking to the music.

Emma grabbed her friend, steering her back towards their table. "Tink, if you give him all your money you won't be able to get more alcohol."

"Emma!" Tink sighed, casting a longing glance over her shoulder. "I'm gonna marry that guy. Will you be my maid of honor?"

"Sure, Tink. Come on. Everyone else just got here and you're already drunk." They squeezed through the crowd to their table, where Emma sat Tink down between Mulan and Ruby.

Tink's eyes lit up when she saw the deputy. "Mulan! What are you doing here?"

Mulan blinked, spreading her hands. "Uh, I drove you here?"

"You did?" Tink's eyes filled with tears. "That's so sweet of you."

Emma carefully slipped Tink's wallet out of her handbag and into her own pocket. No more for the little blonde tonight. Then she noticed who was sitting next to Mulan. "Belle!"

The brunette wiggled her fingers in greeting, grinning her dimpled grin. Her ice blue eyes flickered to Tink, then back. "Having fun, Emma?" Her accent added a soft 'r' to the end of Emma's name and the sheriff loved it. Since the woman had moved to Storybrooke from Australia, Emma had enjoyed just hearing her speak.

"A blast," Emma laughed. "Who else is with you?"

"Oh, we all carpooled with Elsa. Anna, Ariel, and Aurora are also here. They're all getting drinks at the bar with Mary Margaret."

Mulan suddenly coughed into the root beer Emma had given her.

Emma quickly pulled off the red button-up, hanging it over Tink's chair, leaving her in her white tanktop. "Well, while they settle in," she held out a hand. "Care to dance?"

Belle hopped off her stool, accepting the hand. "I'd love to."

"Oooh, us too!" Ruby grabbed Mulan's hand, ignoring the deputy's blush.

Tink set her head on the table. "I'll just stay here 'til recess," she mumbled, not making sense to anyone.

XXXXXXX

"So, then your father yelled, 'Cora! My jacket's in the door! Stop!'." The three women laughed, trying and failing to get back under control.

Finally, Kathryn choked out, "What did you do then?"

"Well, I kept driving, of course! He hadn't apologized yet!" The laughter started anew.

Regina could feel the slight humming in her veins that said the wine was working. The music changed to something a bit slower, and she was grateful. The pounding of the bass had been starting to annoy her and her cheeks still hurt from laughing. She sipped her wine, then refilled it from one of Cora's bottles.

"Hey," Kathryn said, leaning over the railing beside Regina. "Don't we know them?"

Cora and Regina followed the finger Kathryn was pointing at the crowd below.

Regina recognized the deputy first.

Mulan obviously wasn't one for dancing, but she shifted awkwardly, holding Ruby's hands as the brunette attempted to lead her to the beat. Ruby was laughing, not minding her partner's lack of skill. She made Mulan spin her, her red highlights swirling behind her. Beside them was a brunette that Regina didn't know, her hair done up in a messy bun, loose tendrils sticking to her neck in the heat of the club. Her blue sleeveless and backless top moved like silk as she danced, one hand holding her drink above her head. Her other forearm rested on the shoulder of a blonde that Regina immediately knew.

She twisted and turned, swinging her hips like she'd invented it. Her eyes were half-closed, her long hair swaying along her back, following the rolling of subtle curves and toned arms. Her painted-on jeans showed just how long her legs were, not leaving much to the imagination. A crooked grin played on her lips as she moved with the brunette. Others on the dance floor had slowed their own moves, watching the two women.

Regina quickly took a gulp of her wine, needing to clear the desert from her throat.

"Did I say all the gorgeous women were for you?" Kathryn said, lifting an eyebrow. "Can I take that back?"

"No, ma'am." Regina replied before she could think about it.

Cora grabbed her hand, eyes twinkling from either the wine or the pulsing lights of the club. "Let's go say hello, dear."

"Come on, Mother. They're having fun. I thought this was our night." She did not want to face the blonde sheriff right now.

"Our night can include our fellow Storybrooke citizens. Come along." And Cora latched onto the shoulder of a young man dancing towards the stairs, letting him lead her through the crowd. Kathryn grabbed Regina's arm and pulled her after.

XXXXXXX

Emma had switched dance partners, back to back with Ruby. Belle had taken over trying to teach Mulan to move. After realizing the poor deputy had no sense of beat, she decided it was time to bring out the big guns. She slipped one hand over Mulan's shoulder, crooking a finger at their table. When the pretty red head realized Belle was motioning to her, she set her drink down and hurried onto the dance floor.

"Aurora," Belle said, as if she was surprised to find her there. "Perfect timing. I need to get another drink and Mulan's actually starting to catch on. Think you could continue the lesson?"

Mulan's face was a deep red now, bordering on purple, and Belle wasn't sure she was breathing. She squeezed the deputy's shoulder.

Aurora smiled a dazzling smile. "Of course."

"Well, you'll probably get the best results-" Belle grabbed Aurora and turned her, pressing her back to Mulan's front. "Like this. Have fun!" And she wandered over to the bar.

Aurora giggled at how stiff Mulan had gotten. "Not a dancer?"

"Not at all."

"Well, it's easy. Here." She slipped her hands over Mulan's, tangling their fingers together. She pressed back against the deputy's strong chest and swayed slowly. "Just move with me. Forget everyone else is watching."

Aurora had no idea that Mulan had already forgotten where they were the second their hands touched.

Emma, noticing the switch in Mulan's dance tutors, grabbed Ruby and carefully danced her away. Back at the table, she allowed herself to laugh. "Poor Mulan. She looks like her head is about to explode."

"Did I just hear that we may lose one of our best deputies?"

Emma spun, finding Cora slipping into the seat next to Mary Margaret. "Madam Mayor," she greeted, smiling when she saw Kathryn and Regina joining them as well. She stepped closer to Regina. "Miss Mills."

"Regina, I think," the brunette corrected her. "This place calls for the informality, Miss Swan."

"Emma, then," Emma said. "Care to dance, Regina?"

Regina curled a lip at the gyrating bodies on the floor. "I don't dance like that."

Emma nodded, turning to scan the crowd. Then she spotted who she was looking for. "Right. I'll be back in a minute." She ducked off through the dancers.

Ruby offered the seat next to her and Regina sat gracefully, pushing her hair behind her ears. "Having fun?" Ruby called over the music.

"A bit, yes." Regina answered honestly. She eyed the still form of Tink. "Is she okay?"

Ruby shrugged. "Let's check." She thrust out a finger, poking the blonde. Tink groaned, lifting her head. "Hey, Tink. What's your motto in life?"

The blonde blinked at them for a moment, bleary-eyed. Then she slurred, "Life and beer are very similar: Chill for best results." Then her head dropped back to the table and Ruby burst into laughter.

"Yeah, she's fine."

XXXXXXX

Emma caught the arm of a tall, brown-haired man near the bar. "Charlie!"

Charlie, the owner of the Anne-Marie, glanced down at her. Then he broke into a large, toothy grin. "Emma! Waddua ya know, waddua ya say?"

"I say I need a change in music for a little bit."

Charlie pursed his lips, glancing up at the D.J. box in the corner. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a thick, gold pocketwatch. He flipped it open, checked it, then nodded, slipping it back into it's pocket. "Shift change just happened. King'll be running the booth now. He likes you, so no problem. Let's go. Oh, hang on. Itchy!" The bartender with the red baseball cap looked up. "A beer for your boss, bud!"

"Right at ya, Charlie."

When Charlie had his beer, he led her over to the box and knocked on the door. It cracked open a moment later and a large dark-skinned man peeked through. When he saw who it was, he stepped out of the way, a smile spreading across his face. "Heya, boss. What can I do you for?"

"Hey! I know we're all dead up here, but so's the music. How about heating it up?" Charlie jerked a thumb at Emma. "The lady wants a shift in tune, King."

The large man settled into his chair before the large computer and turn tables. He waved one large hand over the equipment. "Well, tell me what you want, baby. Let's make music together!"

XXXXXXX

The music slowed down quite a bit, softening and easing the pulsating of the crowd. A large chunk of the dancers took this break to return to the bar for another few rounds. Regina was chatting with the two redheads left at the table, Ariel and Anna, and didn't notice Emma's return until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"So," the sheriff said. "How about that dance now?"

Regina glanced at the dance floor. There was no longer any gyrating or thrusting going on. Instead, there were couples everywhere, swaying together. Mulan and the third redhead were still on the floor, facing each other now, the girl's head resting on the deputy's shoulder as they moved. Regina felt a bit of heat touch her cheeks, but Kathryn kicked her under the table. So she nodded and allowed Emma to pull her away from the table.

Emma politely offered her hand and Regina slipped her own into it, ignoring how well they fit together. Emma's other hand went to Regina's waist and the brunette draped her free hand over the sheriff's shoulder. She felt for a few moments like she was back in private school, dancing at one of the mandatory dances. The thought made her smile.

"Are you liking Storybrooke?" Emma asked, head bent to catch Regina's answer over the music. Even in heels, Regina was shorter.

"I am," Regina replied. "Besides the fire thing, it's really been great to be back. I missed my parents a lot."

Emma nodded, pausing to spin Regina quickly, taking the brunette by surprise. She grinned at the laugh that slipped from Regina's lips as she came back from the spin, unconciously moving closer than before. "How's Pops holding up? Didn't you move back home to take care of him?"

"Yes, but he's doing very well. I've rarely had to help him the last few days. He's still quite stubborn and I let him get away with it until it's obvious that he really needs help." The music and alcohol were working on her body, relaxing her. She had to fight to resist laying her head on the shoulder before her. She searched for words to distract her from the soft skin the white tanktop did nothing to hide. "While we're on the topic, I wanted to ask you. Why is your son named after my father?"

The blonde didn't answer right away, softly swaying. Then, "When I was younger, just before Henry was born, I got into some trouble. Your father helped me out immensely. I wouldn't even have the kid without Pops."

"Wait a second," Regina said, pulling back to look into the sheriff's green eyes. "My father said something similar, but I didn't assume it had something to do with his job. But...was my father..."

"My parole officer. Yes." Emma gave a tight smile, not really meeting her gaze. "I got caught with a load of stolen watches and ended up in jail for eleven months. Had Henry while I was in." Her mouth snapped shut after that, realizing she'd revealed quite a bit more than she meant to.

"Were you-"

"Yeah, I was stealing them. But..." Emma pulled her closer. "I'll tell you the full story some other time. This stuff is too heavy for girls' night."

Regina nodded, a hundred questions swirling on her tongue, but she let it drop. Obviously there was more to the sheriff than she ever expected. And since the woman was sheriff, after all, it must be in the past. Maybe it was the wine, but she didn't care so much at that moment. So she let Emma pull her in, giving in to the urge to rest her chin on the taller woman's shoulder.

XXXXXXX

One of Cora's friends showed up to drive them home. Regina found herself giggling in the backseat with Kathryn while her mother sat up front and serenaded their driver. By the time they reached 108, the giggles had become full-blown laughter. Cora spent ten minutes trying to get her door open, batting away any attempts to help.

Finally, they managed to carry Cora up into the house. Regina was struggling to pull her heels off as Cora crawled her way up the stairs, whispering loudly that they needed to be quiet before they woke everyone. Kathryn was hanging onto the doorway to the kitchen, cackling as quietly as she could, which was not quietly. After a few minutes of uncontrollably laughing at Cora's assurances that she could get to bed on her own, though she was only four stairs up, David appeared from the living room, rubbing his eyes. He kindly offered to help and Cora gave in, letting the deputy half-carry her up to her room. Kathryn was already dozing against the kitchen door, waking every few moments to giggle. Regina forced her into one of the guest bedrooms, putting her to bed. Then she followed her mother upstairs, passing David on the way.

Her room was at the end of the hall. She passed her parents' room, hearing her mother giggling inside. The bathroom light was on, so she reached in and flipped it off automatically, wishing the hallway didn't look so tilted suddenly. But before she could open her door, she heard rustling in the only guest room on the second floor. She reached out, pushing the door open.

She hadn't thought to look in here since she'd moved in. But now she could see that it wasn't really a guest room. Instead of the muted colors and empty shelves of their other guest rooms, this one had baseball gloves on the dresser, video games in the corner by the T.V, and clothes in the not quite closed drawers. There wasn't a lot of stuff, but it was obviously a little boy's room. And the gray and red stripped bedspread was bunched at the bottom of the bed, not covering the small body splayed over the mattress. His face was relaxed, a small smile on his lips. Regina felt her chest tighten at the sight illuminated by the hall light.

Careful not to make noise, she slipped into the room and pulled the bedspread back up, tucking it lightly around Henry's sleeping form. Then she smoothed a hand over his tousled hair, smiling as he mumbled in his sleep. For a few moments, she just watched him sleep. Then she shook herself and hurried from the room, not wanting to scare him if he woke.

When his door clicked shut, Henry opened one sleep crusted eye, blinking at the door. He wasn't sure, but it felt like someone had just been in the room with him. Stretching to the bedside table, he picked up his phone to check the time. He rubbed his eyes when he saw he had two texts from Cora.

The first made him grin. It was a picture of Regina dancing in the arms of someone with an unmistakeable mane of golden hair. Under the picture, Cora had typed, Leander's in the water! He saved it to his phone, then flipped to the second message.

He rolled his eyes at the picture of Cora sticking a straw into a boozy Ariel's nose, chuckling. But he saved that picture as well before burrowing back into his blankets.

Kailor: Thank you all for the reviews! More would be appreciated and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter gets darker.