Okay so!

I shifted my list of drabbles because it's the wonderful diana m hayle's birthday today [the 7th], so here we go! Go wish her a happy birthday! I alas had to remove the periods from her username because otherwise ff net treats it like a url.

I hope you enjoy it, my friend, and that your birthday is wonderful!

How You Get the Girl

Just Romance

Summary: Emma has often tried to tell Regina how she feels, but always clams up and gets cold feet. Tonight though, she's determined to get it out of her chest.

Prompted by: diana m hayle - drabble based on Taylor Swift's How You Get the Girl

Warnings/Notes: Nada! Would recommend on listening to the song. Apart from being catchy, it helps to understand the story better [though it's not required]. Some drama and flash forwards to keep in mind.

Regina made her way to the door. She wasn't expecting anyone, and it was pouring outside. Who in the world would want to come here in this weather?

Once she opened the door, she got her answer. Emma Swan. Standing soaked from head to toe, hair plastered to her face, her clothes clinging to her frame. But that smile. Regina was sure that any normal person would look angry at being caught in the rain - should they be dumb enough to venture into it - but the woman in front of her was grinning widely, despite her violent shivering. At what, and why though, she couldn't fathom.

"Are you insane? What are you doing out in the rain? Are you trying to catch pneumonia? Or freeze to death?" was the first thing out of Regina's mouth. No hello, no small talk. For what could she say?

"I wanted to talk to you," Emma explained, hands deep in her pockets. "It's been a while."

Yes it had. Something like 6 months, give or take. "It has."

"Can-" Emma faltered, and for the first time, Regina noticed that the blonde seemed nervous. "Can I come in?"

Although the rain didn't quite reach her while she was under the porch roof, there was a drafty breeze, a common occurrence in Maine during February, that probably was amplified with her soaked clothes.

"Yes, but first, you are not taking one step further and onto these steps behind me before you dry yourself." It was simple to fall back onto just commenting that she doesn't want her house ruined by Emma's clothes and hair dripping.

"Uh yeah, okay, sure."

Regina opens the door wider and then shuts it as soon as Emma is inside. She quickly goes upstairs to grab a towel, as well as some long-forgotten clothes that Emma kept there.

She made her way back down the stairs and practically shoved the towel onto the blonde. "You can dry yourself with that and once you're done, you can go to the bathroom to change. I've already left your clothes there."

Without waiting for a response, Regina went back to the living room, where she had comfortably been reading. Henry was over at a friend's, and she was enjoying the silence and being alone.

Well, not really.

"So you did frame it," A voice spoke out.

Regina looked up. She must've been left musing for a while, because Emma was now changed, towel resting over her shoulders as she gently rubbed the ends over her slowly drying hair.

"I beg your pardon?"

She pointed to the side table that was behind her from her side-position on the couch. Turning, she realized what Emma was referring to.

A picture from last summer. It had been a surprise shot at the end of August. They'd been out in Regina's backyard, Emma and Henry swimming in the pool while Regina was lounging and reading, letting her skin soak up some sun. She had briefly peered over her sunglasses to see that Henry and Emma were conspiring. She hadn't put much stock into their whispers, so she went back to reading.

Little did she know that Emma had quickly gotten out of the pool, and had made her way to the poolside table to grab her cellphone and tiptoe her way towards the unsuspecting queen.

Next thing Regina was aware of, Emma Swan was kissing her on the cheek. Rather than being horrified, the usually composed woman let out a squeal as fresh drops of pool water hit her skin and a laugh as she was kissed. The adorable selfie that Emma had timed just right had later been sent to both Millses, and subsequently forgotten as Emma and Regina had drifted apart after summer's end.

When Henry had told her that Regina had not only printed but also framed the picture, Emma had scoffed and said, with a small laugh, "Sure, whatever you say kid."

But there it was, plain as day.

"Yes well, what did you want to talk about so urgently? Surely you wouldn't have ventured in the middle of this dreadful rain storm for some silly reason?"

Deflection, Regina Mills' number one tactic, was out and in full swing. Emma decided that she'd go with the flow, rather than call her out on it. "Yeah, I wanted to talk to you."

"You've said as much, but what specifically? I don't really have time for guessing games, Emma."

Emma went to sit across from her in the couch. "Us."

Well she had to give credit where credit was due, sometimes Emma could get to the point quite succinctly. It was lacking tact, but it was quick. "Oh?"

"I know that..I messed up. I'm honestly and truly sorry for that. This past summer has been so great, and I somehow managed to screw everything up." It was true, this past summer had been a huge step forward in their friendship. Emma had practically been living at the mansion, and Regina couldn't get over how wonderful the sounds were of Emma and Henry laughing and yelling as they goofed around the entire time. It was wonderful.

And then, as summer was about to end, Emma was finally going to admit her feelings to Regina. The latter could hazard what was going on, for she had similar feelings, but wasn't sure on taking the first step for fear they wouldn't be reciprocated. It also hadn't been the first time Emma had insinuated with wanting to talk to Regina about something 'important'. All of those previous times had been busts, with Emma changing the subject rapidly. When the time finally came that day, something happened, perhaps it was cold feet once again, or the crashing realization of whom exactly the blonde was crushing on, and all that Regina had done during her days as the Evil Queen, but that day, Emma ran.

"I must've lost my mind," Emma continued. "I promised myself that we'd talk, and you wanted to talk too, I'm sure of it. But instead, I left. I took us a hundred steps back and screwed everything up because I was a coward. And then I avoided you for so many months, making excuses. And when I finally did try again, you were angry at me, for good reason."

Regina had been devastated when she'd prepared dinner for two that night in the hopes they'd finally advance into something more than friends, and had been stood up. To her credit, Emma did call with some bogus excuse of not feeling well. But it still hurt.

For the next 3 months they hadn't talked apart from the necessary conversations on who would take Henry, and platitudes. When Thanksgiving had come around, Emma had attempted to try again. But Regina had had enough of trying to figure things half out. She desperately wanted Emma to say something. She was tired of the guessing game.

"I never told you why I left you. I was terrified that I would destroy all our progress, or that you wouldn't feel the same way, and like an idiot, I just ran, and did destroy everything. So here is what I should've told you so many months ago: I want you Regina. I know I've been an idiot, but if you'd give me a chance, I-"

Emma was interrupted by Regina surging forward and kissing her.

"Are you going to propose to her?" Henry asked excitedly once Emma showed him the ring.

Emma nodded. "Yep, you think she'll like this?"

"Pretty sure she'd be fine with anything mom," was Henry's cheeky answer.

She just stuck her tongue out before heading downstairs.

Regina was softly humming as she cooked, and for Emma, she couldn't look more perfect.

With a determined stride, she strode forward and pulled Regina to her, facing one another. The brunette let out a small yelp but smiled as she was pushed flush against Emma.

"Hey."

"Hey," Regina responded, meeting Emma's gaze. "Are you here to help or distract?"

They had started to gently sway on the spot, but neither of them minded.

"Both. But first, I have something important to do." Without moving from their positions, Emma pulled out the ring box and held it up for Regina. "I want to be with you Regina, forever. For worse and for better. I know that you've had your heart broken many times before, but I want to keep putting it back together."

By this point, Regina was nodding fervently, and cupped Emma's cheeks, kissing her as way of an answer.

"And that, Amy, is how it works," Emma finished triumphantly, poking the little girl's tummy, getting her to gurgle and giggle.

Regina came into the room with a smile on her face and sat down beside her wife. "That's how what works?"

Emma wrapped an arm around the brunette and kissed her on the cheek. "That's how I got the girl."

Awww adorable idiots aren't they?

Anyway! I hope everyone enjoyed this!

I tried to subtly put some of the words into their lines, not sure if it's obvious though...

As for Amy, their daughter, I dunno, you decide if she's a magic-baby or adopted.

Moving on! I'll be trying to update Welcome to Storybrooke later on today!