"I thought I was a twatwaffle," Regina said slowly, a smirk growing on her lips.

"You are," Emma said quickly. "But you're a sweet twatwaffle. Like, a candy twatwaffle."

"A candy twatwaffle…?"

Regina had to hold in her laughter.

"Yeah, man. Like a candy apple?"

"I've never had a candy apple before."

"Damn, girl. You've never lived."

"Yeah, I, uh…. I guess not…"

"Hey, kid," the blonde started softly. "Don't worry about it. It's over-rated."

"You just said I haven't lived because I haven't tried it."

Emma bit her lip, then said, "I was trying to make you feel better. They are really good."

"It's alright. There's a lot I haven't tried."

"What's the most daring thing you've ever done? Like, the craziest thing you can think of?"

"I kissed Belle French once," Regina confessed.

"You did what?" the blonde gasped. "Belle? Seriously? I thought she was straight!"

"She is. It was a dare. I chickened out of everything else, so they kind of made me do it."

"Wow, dude. Caving in to peer pressure doesn't really seem like you."

"I had a weak moment. Anyway, that's the answer."

"That's not really that crazy. I'm just surprised you kissed her."

"Yeah, well… Like I said, it was a dare. Nothing meaningful."

"Did you like it?"

Regina paused and looked up into Emma's eyes.

A flash of embarrassment spread through her as she replied, "Yes."

Emma smirked, taunting her, "Oh, yeah? She's pretty hot. You get any sexy tongue action?"

"Emma!" the girl gasped, covering her eyes with her hands. "That's-"

"Just asking!" When Regina, completely red in the face, didn't say anything else, Emma pressed, "So, did you?"

"Why do you care?" the brunette snapped, finally uncovering her eyes.

"I don't! I was just teasing!"

Sighing, the girl replied, "No, I didn't. I've never kissed anyone with tongue."

Suddenly, it was Emma's turn to blush as she looked down at her own lap. Without really intending to, her thoughts turned to her own tongue in Regina's mouth, and it made her heart race and her cheeks warm. She was only torn from these thoughts when the girl spoke again.

"Em? You okay?"

"Huh? Yeah! Yeah, fine."

"So what's it like?"

"What?"

"Kissing someone… you know… with tongue."

"Oh! Oh… Um… It's… It depends on who you're kissing, I guess. I've never really had anyone spectacular at it…"

"Have… Have you kissed a lot of people?"

"That's sort of an offensive question, don't you think?"

But Emma was more embarrassed than anything else. She certainly had kissed a few people, but none of it had been serious. She'd never really been in a committed relationship. Her trust issues had prevented that. Not to mention, she hadn't exactly been ready to settle down.

"I'm sorry… Shit… Em, I'm sorry… I didn't mean for it to come out like that... I was just…"

"It's fine," Emma said shortly, looking away. "I've kissed plenty of people. Nothing special."

"Emma…"

"What?"

"I didn't mean to offend you," Regina told her quietly, putting her hand on the girl's thigh. "I really am sorry."

The blonde's heart stopped when she felt the girl's touch, and she dropped her gaze to look at Regina's hand. Time seemed to stop as they sat in silence, until finally, Regina spoke again.

"You should sleep. I should really go home and-"

"Stay, Regina. You shouldn't be alone right now."

"I guess your right. Tonight was pretty shitty."

"I'm sorry, hun."

The brunette nodded her head and quietly finished her pancakes before letting out a long yawn.

"You tired, kiddo?" Emma asked, a small smile pulling at the corners of her lips.

"Yeah, kinda. Not gonna lie."

"I'll take your plate downstairs, then we can hit the sack."

"I can take my own-" Regina tried to protest, but Emma grabbed the plate away and was already half-way out the door.

"Shut up, punk," the blonde told her with a smirk, then hurried down the stairs to rinse the dishes and put them in the sink.

When she returned, Regina was laying beneath the covers, nearly asleep, with her eyes closed. Emma just smiled and slipped beneath the covers with her. As she slept, she ended up rolling onto her side, facing Regina, and the brunette ended up rolling backwards so that her back was leaning against Emma's chest. A few hours later, the blonde woke with her hand on Regina's hip. Blushing, she immediately removed it and leaned away, but as she moved backwards, Regina fell against her, and they ended up in the same position they'd started in. Since Emma didn't dare to move, she stayed still, but focused hard on keeping her hands to herself. As she fell back asleep, she felt her face grow hot with anxiety while thinking of the way the girl's hair smelled like apples.

In the morning, Emma woke first again, in the exact same position they'd slept in. Regina was breathing deeply. Of course, Emma didn't want to wake the sleeping beauty, but given that she had to go to work, she gently pushed the brunette's shoulder forward to give herself enough space to slip out from under the covers. As she moved away, the girl slowly rolled until her back was against the mattress for the first time since she'd fallen asleep.

After getting ready for work, the blonde hesitated next to the bed, debating whether or not to wake the sleeping girl to say goodbye. Figuring that it would be slightly awkward to leave the girl alone without saying anything, but not wanting to disturb her, she decided to scribble down a quick note for her to wake up to.

Hey, Gina,

Had to go to work, but I can stop by your place to do some more yard work around two-thirty this afternoon. Job #2 didn't need me tonight, so I'll be free. Let me know if I shouldn't stop by. It's fine if you're not there. Help yourself to anything in the cupboards for breakfast. We've got bread, eggs, and cereal. Text me and let me know you got home okay? Hopefully, I'll see you later.

Emma

The girl blushed a little as she re-read her own words, pausing at, "Text me and let me know you got home okay?" What kind of request was that? It wasn't like Regina was her significant other or anything. It wasn't even like they were friends. Were they friends? They certainly spent enough time together, but when she thought about how different they were, it seemed so unlikely. In her wildest dreams, she never could have imagined being friends with Regina Mills, let alone sharing a bed with her. She couldn't help but look more than once when she saw her. (Oops.) The girl was beautiful. It was impossible to deny. But she was also rich and popular, which were some of the last traits Emma would ever expect to have in a friend, or even an acquaintance.

But there the girl was, sleeping in her bed, looking stunning in the morning light. With a sigh, Emma drew a tiny heart at the bottom corner of the paper and left it on the nightstand before leaving for work.

At first glance, upon waking up slowly and sleepily glancing at the note, Regina yawned and didn't think much of it. As she woke up a little more, though, and soaked in the words Emma had written on the page, her interest was heightened. When she saw the small heart down at the bottom corner, a blush rose to her cheeks. She's just being cute, she told herself. She didn't mean anything by it. But still, it seemed strange and out of place, and it made Regina's stomach flip.

After making her way downstairs and saying an awkward good morning to Emma's parents, the brunette sat down at the small kitchen table and had a bowl of plain, store-brand Cheerios. When she was finished, she sad a polite goodbye to the adults and left the apartment.

Once she'd arrived home and texted Emma that she was alright, she found herself sitting on the couch and continuing to stare at her phone as she waited for a response. She flicked on the television to the Animal Planet channel and absently let it play in the background. Unfortunately, her thoughts drifted to the horrible night she'd had with the young man her parents had set her up with, and her stomach began to turn from anxiety. She couldn't get the experience out of her head. All she could think about, other than the boy's hands gripping her wrists tightly, was the way Emma had held her closely while she'd cried right after it happened. Something about the girl's embrace had calmed her in a way no one else would have been able to.

Finally, around two-fifteen, Regina's phone buzzed, signaling that she had a new message. When she saw that it was from Emma, an effortless smile crossed her lips.

'Headed over now. Thanks for letting me know you got home okay.'

Twenty-five minutes later, Emma arrived at the house in her gardening clothes – denim shorts and a stained white tank top – and knocked at the door. Regina answered it quickly.

"You don't have to knock, you know," she laughed. "You can just come in."

"I figured the door would be locked."

"I'm gonna make you a key, in case we're not here and you need to get into the garage or something."

"Wow," Emma said, surprised at the gesture. "That's… That's very kind of you, but-"

"It's more convenient for us anyway. That way, we don't have to be around when you're working."

"Ahh, I get it. Don't wanna see me, huh?" the blonde joked with a smirk.

"No, Emma. That's not what I meant! I just meant that if we have to do something or we're out somewhere, it won't mean you can't work."

"Oh, right. Wouldn't wanna give me a break, would ya?"

With a wink, Emma shoved her hands into her pockets.

"Very funny," Regina said. "Come in and have a drink. You look exhausted and it's really hot outside. I don't want you to get dehydrated and pass out on my front lawn."

"Yeah, I'm pretty wiped. That five hour shift was surprisingly brutal." After drinking half the bottle of water she was handed, Emma announced, "Well, I should get to work. Don't wanna waste the sunlight, and gardens need to be watered."

"Alright. I'll be inside if you need anything. Thank you, Emma."

So the girl nodded her head and headed for the back yard. When she turned the hose on, though, only a trickle of water came out.

"Hmm," she said thoughtfully, examining the end of the hose.

She walked to the house where the handle for the water pressure control was and attempted to twist it to the left, but found that it was all the way on already. After dragging her hand along half the length of the hose, checking for kinks and folds that might stop the flow of the water, she found the culprit of the low pressure. There was a large hole and several bite marks where the water was pouring out onto the ground.

"Ah-ha!" she sad triumphantly, happy to have found an explanation for the problem.

Then, realizing that she had no way to water the garden at that point, she frowned. Knowing that the hose needed to be replaced, she walked back into the house and found Regina at the kitchen table work, pouring over paperwork.

"Hey," she said quietly. "Um…"

"What's up, Em?" the girl asked, lifting her head.

"I think a fox or an opossum or some other animal got ahold of the hose. There's a big hole in it and a bunch of bite marks. All the water's pouring out the sides. I'm gonna need to replace it, so I gotta run to the hardware store."

"Em, you don't have to do that. Why don't you just work on something else, and I'll worry about that later? I'll have Dad pick one up on the way home from work."

"The gardens really need to be watered. The rain wasn't enough. The ground's still pretty dry."

"Emma, you don't have to-"

"No, really. It's fine. I'll be back in a bit, okay?"

"I'm coming with you," Regina announced, standing up.

"Wait, why?"

"Well, I'm certainly not going to let you pay for the hose. Besides, I need to make a spare key for you anyway, so it's actually pretty convenient. It's also not exactly walking distance, so you'll need me to drive you."

"Ehh…" Emma sighed. "I guess you've got a point. You ready to go?"

"Mhmm. Lemme grab my keys and we're outta here."

So the two left in Regina's car and arrived at the hardware store a few minutes later. As they stepped inside the shop, though, Regina froze.

"What?" Emma asked, noting that the girl had stopped walking. "What's the matter?"

"That's… That's the guy that… that…"

Emma's eyes flashed and scanned the room. Upon seeing the only young man in the vicinity, her eyes narrowed.

"That fucker?" she asked quickly, nodding in the boy's direction. "That guy, right there?"

When Regina nodded, Emma stomped off like a shot, advancing on the boy with incredible speed. She didn't hesitate before grabbing him by the collar of his light blue polo shirt and slamming him into the shelves of paint in the isle where he was standing.

"Hey, fuckface," she hissed. "You don't know me, but I know who the fuck you are, and I think you owe someone and apology."

By this time, Regina had hurried to the girl's side and had her hand on the blonde's shoulder and was protesting, "Emma, don't!"

When the boy's eyes shot over to Regina and he recognized her, a look of horror fell over his face.

"Hey, man," he said, his voice shaking, "Get your fuckin' hands off me."

Luckily for Emma, no one – including the employees – was looking as she spat, "Apologize to this beautiful young woman right now, or God help me, I will make you sorry."

"No way, bitch. She's a-"

"Alright. Have it your way."

Again without hesitation, Emma cocked her arm back, then sent her fist flying forward into the young man's face. Instantly, blood poured down over his mouth, began to drip from his chin, and dribbled all over his carefully ironed shirt.

As he dropped to the floor from the surprising force of the blow, Emma laughed and said, "Hope you learned your lesson, mother fucker. Keep your goddam hands off women until they give you permission."

Just for good measure, Emma kicked him in the gut, causing him to cough and cry out. Regina stared at the blonde as she backed away from the groaning boy, who was cursing at them between labored breaths.

"Fuck you, bitch," he managed to choke out.

After moving back in and kicking him in the jaw, Emma turned and walked away, leaving her companion to follow her into the next isle over, completely stunned.

"Dude," the girl finally breathed. "You can't freaking do that."

"I just did," Emma told her nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders as she continued walking to the back of the store, where she quickly grabbed a long garden hose off the hanger on the wall, then turned back around to make her way to key copying station.

When Regina followed her, but simply stared as she stopped in front of the desk, Emma turned to her and ordered, "Give him your key, Regina."

The girl fumbled in her purse for the object, then began to struggle to key it off of the key ring. After a few moments of this, Emma grabbed the handful of keys from the brunette and quickly pulled it off the ring, then handed it to the young man behind the counter.

"Just one copy, please," she told him, forcing a smile.

Regina was still staring as the boy, looking a little confused by her demeanor, used the machine to copy the key. When he was finished, the brunette extended her credit card with a shaking hand and waited for him to ring them out. Once she'd signed the receipt, she continued to stand there, holding the two keys in her hand. Emma rolled her eyes when she saw that the girl wasn't about to make a move, then snatched the newer key from her palm.

"Let's go," she said firmly, gently taking Regina's arm and leading her back out of the store, making sure to walk down a different isle than the one where the nasty boy was no doubt still sitting on the floor, whimpering like a small child.

Once outside, Regina stopped in her tracks again and said, "Emma."

Finally, the blonde stopped and turned to look at her, answering, "What?"

"You can't just go around hitting people!" the brunette cried, exasperated by the girl's carefree, unfazed attitude.

"You can't just go around forcing yourself on people," Emma shot back. "And yes I can."

When the blonde turned back around and made her way to the car, Regina had no choice but to follow, still in shock. They drove in silence all the way back to the Mills residence, where Emma grabbed the large bag with the hose and got out of the car. Without saying anything else, she made her way to the back yard, hooked up the new tool, and proceeded to water the gardens, leaving the brunette to go back into the house.

The more she thought about it, the more flattered Regina felt by Emma's actions. She could have gotten caught. The employees could have called the cops and gotten her arrested for assault. Worse, the boy could have managed to hit her back and severely hurt her. But as the brunette replayed the scene in her mind, she realized that the girl had had the situation completely under control, and that she was obviously more than capable of holding her own. She'd dropped the boy to the ground like a falling anvil, as though it were nothing. And the boy wasn't exactly scrawny. He was buff. In fact, Regina was increasingly surprised that she herself had been able to get away from his forceful grasp. She supposed she'd just gotten lucky. Emma, on the other hand, had been skilled.

But why had she taken the risk in the first place? The brunette tried to wrap her head around it, but found herself unable to do so. Why had she been so aggressive? Sure, the guy deserved it, but why had Emma taken it upon herself to be the one to deliver the karma he surely had coming to him? With a sigh, Regina leaned back on the couch and let her head fall to the cushion as she shut her eyes.

A few hours later, as it started to get dark, Emma appeared in the living room and found the girl fast asleep, with her brow scrunched uncomfortably. Concerned that she was having a bad dream, the blonde stepped over to her and put her hand on her shoulder, shaking the girl slightly to wake her from her slumber.

"Huh?" Regina muttered as she stirred awake, her brow still furrowed with anxiety. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing, hun," Emma told her. "I think you were having a bad dream."

"I was, but…"

"But?"

"But you saved me."

"Huh?"

"He was on me… shoving me onto the couch and pinning me down… but you dragged him off of me and… and…"

"And what, honey?" Emma asked, kneeling down beside the couch.

Honey? she silently scolded herself. Really, Emma? You're gonna keep calling her honey? Ridiculous. She's gonna think you're crazy.

"You beat the shit out of him."

At this, the gardener smiled, then replied, "As I should have."

"Emma…"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you do that? You could've gotten caught and gotten in serious trouble…"

"I walk on the wild side, remember?" the blonde laughed. "It's what I do. I live for danger."

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

"Emma, come on. You didn't have to hurt him, but you did. We could've just walked out."

"No way was I gonna let him get away with hurting you."

"He didn't hurt me, he just…"

"You're anxious all the time now. I know it's weighing you down. I know what that's like, and I wasn't going to let him off the hook. I'm glad I had a chance to do what I did."

"Emma…"

"Why do you keep saying my name like that?"

"You really shouldn't have done that…"

"Well, I did, so you should probably just get over it."

"Hey, come on. Don't get pissy."

"I'm not. I'm just saying I don't regret it. If we hadn't been in a hardware store, I would have beaten him until he begged for mercy like a cowardly dog."

"Emma!"

"You know I'm not kidding."

"I know, and that's why it's horrible!"

"I know part of you is glad that he got what was coming to him."

"But why did it have to be you?"

"Because I felt the need and desire to defend your honor, m'lady,' Emma said, smirking proudly and bowing her head.

Rather than laugh and write the comment off as empty flirtation, as she might have just after they'd met, Regina blushed. Emma might be the type to tease, but there was some other sound in her voice that sounded like sincerity and sweetness, and it made the brunette's stomach flip painfully.