NEW CHAPTER!

I promised you a SQ focused chapter, and being your dutiful servant, have delivered. Enjoy!

10am

The morning after her infamous escapade, Emma was in the library studying. She was going over some notes for the Professor when her phone buzzed loudly on the table. She scrambled to pick it up and quickly read the message on the screen.

Hey. Where did you go? :(

It was from Ruby. Emma sighed. She really did not want to deal with this right now, but she felt bad about sneaking out of her room at 2 in the morning. She opened her phone and typed a quick response.

Sorry. Had some studying to do.

She hit send and a reply came through almost instantly.

Where are you? Can we talk?

Emma groaned quietly.

Busy. At the library, will text you later.

She replied. Receiving no response, she set her phone back down on the table and continued with her work. Half an hour later she had basically forgotten all about it, until she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders and someone leaning down beside her.

"Hey." Ruby whispered in her ear. Emma jumped.

"Jesus, Ruby. You scared the shit out of me." She exclaimed, a few people turned to look at them. Ruby giggled.

"Sorry." She smiled.

"What are you doing here?" Emma asked irritably.

"I wanted to talk to you." She shrugged, plopping herself down next to Emma.

"I told you I was busy." She snapped. Ruby frowned.

"Why did you leave without saying goodbye?" She asked, hurt evident in her voice. Emma looked up at her and sighed.

"I had things to do… I didn't want to wake you. And I told you I don't do sleepovers." She shrugged. Ruby winced.

"Didn't you have fun last night?" She asked, visibly upset. Emma instantly felt guilty.

"It's not that. It's just. I'm sorry, I've got so much stuff going on right now, I'm just feeling a little uptight." She said earnestly, hoping that would get her to back off. Ruby stood up and walked behind her, placing her hands on her shoulders. Emma stiffened at her touch, but relaxed slightly when the brunette began massaging her shoulders.

"I think you just need to relax." She whispered, bending down to her ear. "It seemed to really relax you last night when I did that thing with my ton-"

"Ruby!" Emma hissed, standing up suddenly. Ruby took a step back. Multiple heads turned to look at them. Emma pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Come with me." She said through gritted teeth, pulling her towards the doors.

"Where are we going?" She giggled. Emma ignored her, pulling her towards the alcoves. She rounded a corner and glanced around, making sure they were alone before tugging her into an alcove seat.

"Oh yes, this is much more private." Ruby whispered, fingering Emma's blouse.

"Ruby, stop." Emma snapped, pushing her hand away. Ruby looked up at her and frowned.

"What?" She half-shouted. "What is your problem?"

"Will you keep your voice down, please?" She hissed. Ruby folded her arms and huffed. Emma sucked in a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair.

"Ruby, look. What happened last night can not, will not happen again." She stated authoritatively, pausing when she noticed Ruby's eyes start to glisten.

"Why not?" She replied, choking back a sob. Jesus, what have I done? Emma thought. She grabbed onto Ruby's hands and held them in her lap.

"Ruby. Listen to me, please." She said softly. Ruby looked up at her sadly, wiping at her eyes. "You are a beautiful girl. Anyone can see that. But, sometimes, you come on a little strong." She said gently, trying to will all the compassion she could muster. "You have way more to offer than just sex. You don't need to give so much away to get people to like you." Ruby was staring at the floor. Emma reached a finger to her chin and pushed up gently so their eyes met. "Hey. Seriously Rubes, you're funny, talented, nice… sometimes." She smiled. Ruby laughed a little in response. "If you let people get to know you, the real you, they'll see what I see. Someone with so much more to give." She reckoned, smiling sincerely. Ruby smiled back.

"Thanks, Em." She said quietly, wiping the remaining tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry for, you know, basically jumping you last night." Emma chuckled lightly.

"It's okay. And I'm sorry if I led you on in any way. For what it's worth, I had a really good time." She admitted. Ruby grinned. She took a deep breath and stared at Emma with a serious expression.

"You're so different from everyone else around here. There's no bullshit about you, you know? You're just… you. I really admire that. I think that's why I like you so much. Well, that and you're smoking hot." She grinned. Emma laughed.

"You're not so bad yourself, Rubes." She said, nudging her shoulder. Ruby smiled and took a deep breath.

"Okay, so I'm totally over this pity party." She said, standing up and brushing down her skirt. Emma chuckled. Ruby glanced up and held her gaze for a moment. "Thank you, for being honest with me." She said.

"Anytime, Rubes." She replied. Ruby's smile wavered slightly.

"Hey, this won't affect our tutoring thing, will it?" She asked seriously. "I really can not deal with another fail from The Evil Queen. That bitch has seriously got it in for me."

"Uh no, I can still tutor you. As long as you promise to keep the flirtatious comments to a minimum." She insisted.

"Hmm. I'll think about it." She grinned mischievously, before turning on her heel and sauntering off. "Bye, Em."

Emma sighed and let her body thump against the back of her seat.

"Evil Queen, huh? I haven't heard that one before." Emma froze. No fucking way. She thought. She slowly leaned forward and peered round into the alcove next to hers, and sure enough, there she was, feet up, reading through some papers, crunching down on a red apple.

"Are you serious?" She groaned, completely mortified.

"It seems, no matter how much I pray, I cannot escape you and Ms. Lucas." The professor mused, turning back to her papers. Emma felt her face flush.

"How much of that did you hear?" She asked, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Enough." She smirked

"Oh my god. Could this week get any worse?" She groaned.

"For you and me both it seems, Ms. Swan." She said. Emma stood up and walked over to face her. Glancing at her smooth legs, resting on the seat in front of her. Emma cleared her throat and folded her arms when she noticed the Professor looking at her.

"What's uh… What's going on with you?" She asked, trying desperately to change the subject.

"The usual, work, work and more work." She sighed, lifting up her papers.

"Would it make you feel better to know that I'm currently dying inside?" She attempted with a smile.

"A little." She smirked. "For what it's worth I think you handled it very well." Emma groaned again, but couldn't help the laugh that escaped her throat. She peered at the professor, who was watching her amusedly.

"You look like you could use a break." She said, gesturing to the papers she was holding.

"You're probably right." She sighed. Emma raised an eyebrow.

"You know, you still owe me that coffee date?" She quirked. The professor opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again.

"Emma, I don't…"

"Come on, it'll be fun. You said yourself you could use a break." She persuaded. The professor glanced down at her work and exhaled.

"All right then, I suppose a quick coffee won't hurt." She resigned, gathering up her things. Emma felt a triumphant smile creep across her face.

10.45am

They walked across campus together, discussing the project. Emma held the door open for Regina as they stepped into the coffee shop.

"What would you like? Go grab a seat, I'm buying."

"Emma, I couldn't possibly allow you t-"

"Regina." She interrupted "I forced you to get coffee with me, the least I can do is pay for it. Seriously, what do you want?" Regina raised an eyebrow, but a smile was tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Black americano please." She surrendered. "And you didn't force me." She added before turning to find a seat, selecting a cosy couch area by the window. Emma smiled to herself and wandered over to the counter.

Once they were ready, Emma picked up the coffee's from the end of the counter and turned around, coming face to face with Aurora.

"Hey, Em." She smiled flirtatiously.

"Hi, Aurora." Emma replied irritably.

"You look good today." She smirked, staring her up and down. "Not as good as you looked last night, though." She finished with a wink. Emma grimaced and went to move past her.

"So." Aurora began before she she could move. Emma closed her eyes.

"What do you want Aurora? I'm busy." She snapped. Aurora frowned.

"Are you here with Ruby?" She asked, looking around the room.

"No."

"Good. You can do better. Speaking of…" She stepped forward, leaning in. "My boyfriend is going to be out all night on Friday, I was wondering if you wanted to come over?" She smiled suggestively. Emma raised an eyebrow, struggling to suppress a snort.

"No, thank you." She replied dismissively. Aurora took a step back, her eyebrows narrowed.

"Why not?" She asked offendedly.

"Because I'm not interested." Emma smiled, brushing past her, leaving Aurora to stare after her open mouthed. Her eyes caught Regina's, who was regarding her with a curious smirk. Emma rolled her eyes and sat down in the chair opposite.

"Dare I ask?" She quipped. Emma sighed.

"Girls equal drama, is the short version."

"Do you leave a trail of broken hearts wherever you go, Ms. Swan?" She mused. Emma snorted.

"What can I say?" She replied sarcastically with a sheepish grin. Regina chuckled.

"So." Emma began, sliding Regina's coffee towards her. "Where are you from?" She asked, taking a sip of her latte.

"New York." Regina replied, sipping her own coffee. Emma grinned.

"I knew it." She concluded. Regina gave her a challenging look. "You're a total Upper East Sider. I knew it from our first class." Emma smiled.

"What gave it away?" Regina smirked.

"Well, you're always very well put together, professional yet elegant, chic." She began. Regina raised an eyebrow. "Sometimes you come across a little uppity, so I assumed you were from privilege." Regina's brow raised even further. "And that Evil Queen demeanour is definitely something I've grown accustomed to on the streets of Manhattan." Emma smirked. Regina paused, about to sip on her coffee, to let out a throaty laugh. Emma peered at her over the top of her cup. She liked seeing the Professor like this. Relaxed, enjoying herself. When she laughed her beauty radiated across the room, it took Emma's breath away.

"Well, you're certainly very observant, Ms. Swan." Regina retorted, still chuckling to herself. "Let me guess, Brooklyn?" She asked.

"Actually no." Emma replied, placing her coffee back on the table. "Maine."

"Oh, now that is surprising." Regina replied with a raised brow. "You hardly seem like the beach going, Ralph Lauren wearing, prep school type." She mocked. Emma laughed.

"Well, I like the beach, but I certainly don't own any Ralph Lauren, and I didn't go to prep school." She paused. "I was born in Manhattan and my mother is from Manhattan, but she spent every summer of her childhood in Maine. She talks about those summers all the time. She told me that she always wanted to move out there when she had a family of her own, and when her parents died there was nothing attaching her to Manhattan anymore, so we moved to Storybrooke. I was around 5 I think." Emma finished.

"I see. Did she not find it rather limiting? I can't imagine there's much of an art scene in… where was it again?" She asked.

"Storybooke. It's a really small town. And no, you're right there's not much of an art scene, there's not much of anything really, but my mom has built a pretty nice business for herself there, her exhibitions always attract a lot of attention. She has a well known reputation for being an excellent and innovative curator, so lots of dealers and collectors fly in when she has a big exhibition on, which is great for local business'. My mom's pretty popular around town." Emma grinned. Regina was looking at her curiously.

"What's your mothers name?" She asked.

"Mary Margaret Blanchard." Emma replied. Regina's eyes widened.

"Blanchard?" As in Eva and Leopold Blanchard?" She asked surprisedly.

"The very same. You know of them?" Emma asked. She wasn't surprised that Regina had heard of her grandparents, they were famous Manhattan art dealers in the '60s, supporting some of the most famous artists of the time. Their Warhol exhibition in 1962 was what launched him into stardom.

"How could I not?" She answered, surprise still evident on her face. "I had no idea you were related. The Blanchard's were actually close friends with my father." She noted. Now it was Emma's turn to be surprised.

"Really?" She asked. "What's your fathers name?"

"His name was Henry. Henry Mills" Regina replied. Emma detected a hint of sadness in her voice.

"He passed away?" She asked. Regina's face dropped, she gazed into her coffee and cleared her throat.

"My senior year in college." She said quietly.

"I'm sorry, Regina." Emma said, reaching out a hand and placing it over the brunettes, who looked up and smiled at her sadly in response. "You were close?" She asked.

"Incredibly. I took it pretty hard when he passed, he was my favourite person in the world. A wonderful man, inside and out. His passion for art and literature was what led me down this path. Much like your mother, I suppose." She said, glancing at Emma's hand, which was still laid over her own. Emma, slightly embarrassed that she may have over-stepped, awkwardly pulled her hand away.

"I'm really sorry to hear that Regina, truly, I can't imagine a life without my mother." She said, the thought filling her with sadness.

"It's quite alright Emma, you weren't to know." She said, giving her a sad smile. "What about your father?" She asked, sipping on her coffee.

"Oh." Emma paused, clearing her throat. "My father died just after I was born so…" She trailed off, Regina looked horrified.

"I'm so sorry, I had no-"

"Regina." Emma interrupted. "It's cool, I made peace with it when I was a kid. My mom and I were so close that I never really felt like I was missing out on anything." She said plainly.

"And your mother… I'm sorry, I hope you don't think my questions are too personal?" She asked suddenly. Emma shook her head.

"Not at all, ask away." The professor held her gaze for a moment.

"Your mother, how did she deal with that? You know, raising you alone." She asked.

"Oh, she was great, really, the way she handled being a single mom, especially when her parents died… it's one of the reasons I admire her so much. She's a total trooper, you know? I was a pretty easy going kid to be fair, but she never let it overwhelm her. She loved my Dad, of course, and it was awful for her when he died, but she had me to get her through it. I think that's why we're so close, I sort of became her rock, and she's always been mine. We'd do everything together. She took me with her whenever she went away for work or whatever reason, even if it was just for a weekend, we spent most of our weekends in various cities, actually. New York, Boston, Paris… It's safe to say I matured pretty quickly, being around all that. But honestly, I couldn't have asked for a better childhood. She was protective, but she never smothered me, she let me be my own person, carve out my own path, make my own decisions. And when she talks about my Dad, it never really feels sad… I mean, it is, of course, there's always an underlying sadness there, but whenever she talks about him it's like she lights up, there's so much love and fondness in her voice, never focusing on the bad, just the good times. It almost felt like he was always there, in spirit, watching over us or something." Emma finished. Regina was smiling warmly at her.

"She sounds like a wonderful woman." She said.

"She is." Emma smiled back.

"How did she feel about you moving across the country for college?" Regina asked.

"Oh, she was pretty upset that I wouldn't be close to home. I got into Williams and Amherst and I think she really wanted me to go to Williams, but she was ridiculously proud that I got into CAU. She knew it was my first choice and totally supported that, but I think she misses me a lot. I felt pretty guilty about leaving, but CAU has the best Art History programme in the country and I've always dreamed of going here, so, I couldn't pass up the opportunity." Emma shrugged.

"Of course not." Regina shook her head. "And I'm sure your mother completely understands that."

"Yeah." Emma sighed. "Besides, I love the weather." She smiled.

"Yes, that is one bonus." Regina agreed.

"What about you, why did you move out here?" Emma asked, sipping her coffee.

"Well, I was offered a job here and I took it."

"How long have you lived here?"

"10 years."

Emma pondered for a moment. "But I thought you only started teaching here a few years ago?" She asked confusedly.

"Yes, that's correct."

"So, what did you do before CAU?"

"I was a curator at the Belgarve Gallery, before that I was an assistant to one of the curator's at the Oakland Museum."

"So, you moved out here for the assistant job?" Emma asked. The professor paused.

'Not exactly." She trailed off. Emma raised an eyebrow. "It's a long story." Regina sighed.

"I've got time." Emma smiled. Regina chuckled lightly.

"Alright then." She began. "I was married once before." Emma nearly choked on her coffee.

"Oh." She spluttered. Regina narrowed her eyes with a small smile.

"Are you alright, Emma?" She mused.

"Yes, sorry. Continue." She replied, trying to appear casual, nonchalant. Though she felt weirdly jealous.

"His name was Archie. We met my senior year in college. He was a lovely man, talented, sensitive, a painter… We dated for the entirety of our senior year. He was there for me when my dad died, which was a very difficult time, and I found myself leaning on him a lot. Our last summer in college, he proposed. He wanted to move to California, open up an art gallery, start a new life. He made it sound very convincing, so I accepted, but for all the wrong reasons. He was very much in love with me, that was obvious. And though I loved him too, I was never truly in love with him." She trailed off. Emma was listening intently.

"So, why did you say yes?" She asked. Regina looked at her with a sad smile.

"Because of my mother." She admitted. Emma narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"Your mother?"

Regina sucked in a deep breath.

"I was furious with her for how she'd handled my fathers death. He'd had a heart attack, you see, and was kept in the hospital for a couple of days so they could monitor him." She paused, sighing. "On the third night he had another heart attack in his sleep and died. My mother never called me after his first attack, never told me what had happened, even though she knew it wasn't looking good. She told me she didn't think it was anything to worry about. But I knew she didn't tell me because she resented me, she resented that my father loved me more than he ever loved her. So I never got to say goodbye to him, never got to tell him I loved him one last time..." Regina's eyes swam with tears. Emma didn't know what to do, she sat there in stunned silence, wanting desperately to hold Regina and tell her it was going to be okay, but instead she did the only thing she could, and listened. "When she told me he had died, it broke me. All the pent up anger I felt towards her throughout my life, I let it all go. I screamed, cried, let her know exactly what I thought of her. She just hung up, didn't say a thing. I had to call my aunt to find out about the funeral arrangements. My mother didn't even look at me throughout the entire service. And I knew then, we were over." She finished, a few tears spilling down her cheeks, which she quickly wiped away. She looked up at Emma with a sad smile and ran a hand through her hair, sighing.

"Jesus, I'm sorry for going on. You must think I'm emotionally unstable." Emma reached out a hand and grabbed Regina's, who's eyes widened in surprise.

"Not at all. Please don't ever think that. I'm so sorry… For everything. Truly, that sounds…"

"Awful?" Regina finished for her. Emma shook her head and exhaled. "I promise I don't usually cry in front of my students." She smiled. Emma squeezed her hand.

"You know you can talk to me right, Regina? I know I'm your student and whatever, but I also know how lonely life can be sometimes. If you ever need a person to talk to, or just someone to sit and listen, which we all do, no matter how guarded we pretend to be. I may not be your first choice of friend, but I'm here nonetheless." Emma offered. Regina glanced up at her with a warm smile, her expression one of shy gratitude.

"Thank you, Emma." She said softly.

"Anytime." Emma replied, giving her hand another squeeze before slowly removing it. Regina glanced down as Emma's hand retracted, watching it slide back to her coffee cup, which she picked up and sipped from, smiling.

"So, what does your mom have to do with why you married your ex-husband?" She asked curiously.

"Oh, yes of course." Regina began. "So, yes I resented my mother and wanted to get back at her any way possible. I knew she would be furious if she found out I was marrying some hippie artist and running off into the California sunset. She had always wanted me to marry someone she approved of, you know? Live in Manhattan, become the wife of some aristocrat, go for brunch with heinous socialites, plan gala's and charity balls. Live her life basically. And I would rather have died than do anything of those things. So I accepted Archie's proposal and moved as far away from that life as I possibly could." She finished.

"Good for you." Emma grinned. "So, then what happened?" Regina sighed.

"I knew I didn't love him the way I was supposed to. I told him how I felt, that we weren't right for each other. He was heartbroken, of course. But he accepted my decision and we went our separate ways. For supposedly one of the most stressful events of a persons life, my divorce was probably the least dramatic thing that's ever happened to me." Regina and Emma both laughed, then paused, holding each others gaze for a moment. Emma felt herself falling into those dark chocolate eyes. She was completely drawn in by Regina, she couldn't tear herself away. It was scary but also thrilling at the same time. She knew she wanted the brunette, badly. But she didn't know how far she could push it. She could never quite figure out how Regina felt.

"So." Emma said, clearing her throat. "Did you ever hear from your mother again?"

Regina sighed. "She called me after she found out I'd gotten married and moved here. I didn't answer so she left a voicemail telling me never to contact her again, so I didn't, and I haven't to this day." She shrugged.

"Wow. That's intense." Emma breathed. "Would you ever..?"

"No. Not unless she reached out to me first. And even then, probably not." Emma nodded in understanding.

"You're kind of bad ass Regina." Emma grinned. The professor raised an eyebrow, the corners of her lips tugging upwards.

"I thought I was an Evil Queen?" She smirked. Emma laughed.

"Nah, not to me. You're a hardass, but I like that." She smiled flirtatiously. The professor met her gaze.

"Maybe I'm a little too soft on you, I'll have to start being tougher. Wouldn't want to ruin my reputation, after all." She retorted.

"Ah, but how can you be tough on your most perfect student." Emma mused.

"Well, you just admitted that you like it when I'm a hardass." She answered levelly, her eyes never leaving Emma's. Emma held her breath and felt her stomach flip over. Okay, she is definitely flirting. She thought, registering the glint in Regina's eyes, daring her to continue.

"I like a lot of things about you." Emma replied suggestively. Regina's smirk grew even wider.

"Pray tell."

Emma took a sip of her coffee, peering at the professor over the top of the cup.

"What's not to like? You're smart, funny, beautiful." She replied coolly. The professor raised an eyebrow. "You've got more than a few things going for you." She added coyly. The professor cocked her head.

"You're certainly not shy, are you Ms. Swan?"

"Shy is an attitude reserved for people who don't know what they want. I know what I want." Emma replied levelly, her eyes boring into Regina's, who leaned forward and placed her chin on her knuckles with a small smile.

"And what do you want, Ms. Swan?" She breathed. Emma felt her heart pound in her chest. She too leaned in.

"Well, if I told you that I'd be giving away all my secrets." She said with a small smile. The two women gazed at each other for several moments, but were interrupted by Emma's phone buzzing loudly on the table between them. Emma jumped slightly and snatched up her phone.

Can we hang tonight? - B

Emma sighed. "Sorry" she murmured, placing her phone back on the table.

"Not at all. I actually best be going. I still have lots of work to do." Regina replied, finishing off her coffee and gathering up her coat and bag.

"Oh, sure." Emma said, trying to hide her disappointment. Regina pulled on her coat and manoeuvred herself round the table so she was standing above Emma.

"Thank you. For the coffee, and the pleasant conversation. I've rather enjoyed myself." She said with a knowing smile.

"Me too." Emma smiled warmly, their gazes held for a moment.

"I'll see you on Friday, Ms. Swan?" Regina asked.

"I'm looking forward to it." Emma replied. Regina regarded her with her famous smirk and a small nod before sauntering out of the coffee shop. Emma stared after her, exhaling loudly. Her palms were sweating slightly. She wiped them on her jeans and glanced around the room. She found herself utterly perplexed by the brunette, she made her feel bold and nervous at the same time, it was a feeling she was completely unfamiliar with. She hoped she wasn't too obvious about her attraction to the older woman, but she couldn't help herself around the Professor, the suggestion just seeped out with her words, like she had no filter. She ran a hand through her hair and picked up her phone.

Sure, come over around 7? - E

Sounds good to me! :)

The anticipation grows! Let me know what you think, beautiful people! :) Stay tuned for Chapter 6.