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As promised, this chapter is the gala. Enjoy!

8.35pm

Ruby looked up upon hearing the clack of high heels on tarmac and her mouth instantly fell open at the sight before her.

"Holy fucking shit." She breathed. Emma paused, looking down at herself.

"What?" She asked.

"You look… I mean you always look… But tonight you look…" She trailed off, her eyes running over Emma's form in wonder.

"Thanks… I think?" Emma grinned.

"Seriously, Em. I'm struggling not to rip your clothes off right now."

"Please don't, it took me forever to get ready." Emma joked, giving Ruby a once over. She too, was wearing a tight fitting dress with a plunging neckline. Hers, however, was red, far too short, and the amount of cleavage that was on display was most definitely not appropriate for a University charity event.

"Did you get lost on your way to your shift at The Playboy Club?" Emma mocked.

"Fuck you." Ruby laughed, pushing Emma lightly on the shoulder, glancing down at her outfit. "Too much?" She asked.

"Maybe a little."

"Oh well." Ruby shrugged. "If you've got it, flaunt it, right?" She grinned. Emma laughed and grabbed her hand.

"Come on Jenna Jameson, lets get inside." She said, pulling her towards the entrance.

The two girls wandered into the St. Clair Hall, glancing around the room, which was filled with groups of students and faculty talking and laughing in small groups. Waiters were weaving in and around the guests, serving canapés and glasses of champagne.

"Damn, this shit is fancy." Ruby whistled.

"I know right." Emma whispered, not quite believing it herself. The St. Clair Hall was known for being the oldest, and certainly most beautiful place on campus. Emma had never actually been inside. Her eyes wandered around the room, taking in the rich tapestries and gold gilt framed portraits that adorned the deep mahogany walls. In one corner of the room was a beautiful, black grand piano, which the University had hired someone to play for the evening. Large panelled windows to the right side of the room, draped in plush green curtains, revealed beautiful gardens.

"Champagne, ladies?" A waiter asked, holding up a silver tray in front of them.

"Hell yes." Ruby smiled, grabbing two flutes for her and Emma.

"Cheers." Emma smiled, holding up her glass and clinking it against Ruby's. Ruby glanced over Emma's shoulder.

"Damn. The Evil Queen looks hot tonight. If I wasn't so terrified of her, I might actually go flirt a little." She grinned appreciatively. Emma turned to where Ruby was looking.

The entire room came to a grinding halt, the voices around her muffled and incoherent. Her heart skipped mercilessly in her chest, her mouth hanging open as her eyes fell upon the brunette. There she was, talking to the head of the Art History department, Regina. Dressed in a beautiful, long, black gown, with a slit up one side, reaching just above her knee. An elegant neckline revealed a subtle amount of cleavage, complimented by a thick gold necklace and a pair of gold drop earrings. Her silky hair fell just below her shoulders, which she pushed back in a slow motion sweep. She turned slightly, her eyes catching Emma's. Dark chocolate eyes ran down the length of Emma's body and back up to her green eyes, slightly widened. Emma gave her a small smile and slight nod, which the Professor returned, before turning back to her conversation.

"Hello, earth to Emma!?" Ruby called from behind her. Emma snapped out of her daze and turned to face the brunette.

"What are you staring at?" She asked suspiciously. Emma cleared her throat awkwardly.

"Uh. Nothing. Come on, let's go get some free alcohol." She replied, necking the rest of her champagne and pulling Ruby towards the bar.

"Now you're talking." She grinned.

9pm

The two girls had been by the bar, drinking and laughing for almost half an hour. Emma had been stealing glances at Regina every so often. She was with a man that Emma had never seen before. He was handsome, Emma thought. But he wasn't being subtle about the way he stared at Regina's chest. The brunette showed little interest in him, instead talking to other members of faculty, which pleased Emma greatly.

"So, you're telling me, you've never even seen a real life dick?" Ruby half shouted. Emma shushed her after noticing several people glance in their direction.

"No." Emma laughed, wrinkling her nose.

"That's insane." She replied, shaking her head.

"Maybe to you, slut." Emma mocked.

"Fuck you." Ruby laughed. "So you'd never sleep with a dude?"

"That's pretty much what lesbian means, Rubes." Emma replied sarcastically.

"Yeah but I mean, like, aren't you a little curious?" She asked interestedly. Emma sipped on her third glass of champagne.

"Not really. I mean, maybe a little, but not enough to let a guy fuck me." She shrugged.

"You're missing out." Ruby stated. Emma narrowed her eyes.

"You think guys are better in bed than girls?"

"I never said that. It depends on the person, and what kind of sex you want. Girls are sexy, sensual, soft. Guys are rough, hard, fun. I like a bit of both." Ruby grinned mischievously. Emma laughed, pausing to glance at Ruby for a moment.

"What about me?" She asked flirtatiously. Ruby narrowed her darkening eyes and leant in to Emma's ear.

"You made me come harder than anyone ever has in my life." She whispered. Emma swallowed thickly.

"Emma!" Called a voice behind her. She glanced at Ruby, who was leaning back in her stool triumphantly, regarding her with a hungry smirk whilst sipping her champagne. Emma turned round and saw Mulan heading towards her.

"Hey Mulan." She smiled warmly. Standing up to give her a hug. Mulan looked Emma over and started to blush.

"Wow, Emma, you look… Amazing." She breathed.

"Thanks Mulan, you don't look so bad yourself." Emma replied with a smile, glancing over Mulan. She did look really good. She was wearing a deep emerald, strapless gown. Her long, thick black hair, parted down the middle, fell in loose waves, framing her beautiful face. She regarded the blonde with a shy smile. Emma turned to Ruby.

"Ruby, this is Mulan. Mulan, Ruby." She said, introducing the two girls. Ruby extended a hand and gave Mulan a once over.

"Pleasure." She drawled. Emma gave her a pointed look.

"How do you guys know each other?" Mulan asked. Ruby grinned. Emma interrupted her before she had a chance to say anything.

"We have class together." She blurted. Ruby raised an eyebrow at her.

"Among other extracurricular activities." She added with a suggestive smile. Mulan's face fell slightly, aware of the insinuation behind Ruby's words. Emma glared at Ruby, who just continued to smile at her like nothing was wrong.

"Oh, okay. Well, uh. I should probably leave you guys to it, August will be pissed if I leave him for too long." She said awkwardly. "Bye, Em. Nice to meet you Ruby." She finished before wandering off.

"Bye." Emma and Ruby both said at the same time, Ruby added a sarcastic wave to her farewell.

"Seriously?" Emma turned to Ruby with a glower.

"Oh, come on. It was too easy, I couldn't help myself." She grinned. Emma sighed and sat back in her stool.

"You're a real asshole sometimes, Ruby. You know that, right?" She snapped.

"Yeah. But you love it." She whispered, laughing and taking another sip of her champagne.

9.30

Emma was wandering around the hall, sipping from her flute and looking for something to eat. She was feeling quite peckish after her fourth glass of champagne. Luckily, she had a pretty high tolerance level for alcohol and wasn't feeling too drunk yet. Ruby, on the other hand, was already slurring her words and hitting on every attractive person in the room. Emma had left her with another guy from her research project, Neal, whom Ruby had been flirting shamelessly with. He certainly didn't seem to mind when Emma excused herself. She had stopped by one of the extravagant panelled windows and was looking out over the gardens when she heard her name.

"Ms. Swan, I'm glad you could make it." Came that husky voice that Emma dreamed of so often. Emma turned, her heart pounding in her chest when she saw the Professor up close and just how beautiful she looked, her eyes dropping to her full, red lips, which retained a hint of their usual smirk. Emma couldn't help it as her eyes wandered down over Regina's body.

"Regina, you look… Stunning." She breathed, her eyes glancing back up into Regina's dark chocolate pools, she felt her legs melting at the sight of them.

"Thank you. You look very lovely yourself." Regina smiled, taking in Emma's appearance. Emma was trying to calm the butterflies in her stomach, but the close proximity of Regina's body caused her palms to sweat and her mouth to run dry.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Regina asked. Emma nodded.

"It's really beautiful in here." She breathed, glancing around the room, her eyes quickly pulled back by the brunettes.

"It is, rather. Have you seen the portraits in the hallway?" She asked.

"No, I'm afraid I've been rather distracted. There are lots of beautiful things in here tonight." Emma smiled flirtatiously. Regina smiled back, a hint of a blush found it's way up her neck.

"I agree." She replied, staring at Emma, who swallowed thickly. "I have something for you." Regina began.

"Oh?"

"A book."

"Oh." Emma replied disappointedly.

"I was hoping you might read some of it before Monday's meeting, I would be interested to hear your thoughts." Emma nodded.

"Sure, do you need me to pick it up from somewhere?"

"Actually, I'll be on campus tomorrow, so if you like I can drop it by your dorm room?"

"You don't have to do that, Regina."

"It's really no trouble."

"Okay then, thanks."

"I'll bring it over before midday."

"I'll start reading tomorrow, it'll be the perfect hangover cure." Emma smiled, lifting her champagne glass. Regina laughed.

"Ah yes, I noticed you and Ms. Lucas taking advantage of the open bar." She smirked. Emma laughed.

"Typical freshmen." She smiled. Regina narrowed her eyes.

"I'd hardly call you a typical freshman, Ms. Swan." She said playfully. Emma grinned.

"Well, you're certainly not an average Professor." She replied coyly. The smirk on Regina's face grew wider.

"Oh, Ms. Swan. What am I going to do with you?" She quipped. Emma leaned in closer, their faces mere inches from each other.

"I don't know, but I hope I find out." She said suggestively, her eyes darkening. Regina raised an eyebrow, but she couldn't ignore the rush of desire that pooled in her stomach.

"So." Emma continued, sipping on her champagne. "Did you manage to score a date?" She mused.

"I suppose. Though I would hardly call it a date." Regina sighed.

"That bad, huh?" Emma grinned.

"My friend set me up with him. God knows why, he's not exactly to my taste." She grimaced. Regina glanced across the room. Emma followed her gaze. Sure enough, there he was, flirting with a young student and staring blatantly at her chest. Emma snorted.

"Classy." She remarked. Regina regarded her with a small smirk.

"Rather her than me." She mused. Emma laughed.

"You should have taken up my offer."

"I would hardly call 'need a date?' An offer, Ms. Swan." She retorted.

"Should I have courted you with roses and chocolates? A flash dance perhaps?"

"It certainly wouldn't have hurt your chances."

"I'll remember that for next time, then."

"Next time." Regina smiled.

"Hello ladies." Regina and Emma both frowned at the intrusion. Turning their gazes to meet that of the man they had just been mocking. Emma heard Regina groan quietly, then suck in a long breath.

"Dr. Whale, this is one of my most promising students, Emma Swan." She said, attempting a smile. The doctor looked her up and down with an appreciative grin, pausing, of course, to stare at her cleavage a moment longer than appropriate.

"Up here, doc." Emma said sarcastically, the doctor met her gaze, unashamed by her comment. Regina bit her lip, suppressing a laugh.

"Please, call me Victor." He said with a flirtatious wink, holding out his hand. Emma took it, trying her best to give a convincing smile. Regina rolled her eyes.

"So, Regina is your Professor? What's that like?" He asked, glancing between the two women, obviously thinking something inappropriate.

"It has it's moments." Emma mused. Regina cocked an eyebrow at her.

"I bet." Victor retorted. Emma grimaced at the obvious suggestion in his tone.

"Victor." Regina snapped, her face quickly softening into a sickly smile. "Would you be a dear and fetch Emma and I some more champagne?" She asked. Victor glanced between the two women.

"Sure." He nodded. "Anything for the two most beautiful women in the room." He finished with a wink, wandering off in search of a waiter. Emma and Regina both looked at each other and erupted into a short bout of laughter.

"Wow." Emma stated. "He's a keeper."

"Oh god, he's awful." Regina groaned. "What was Katherine thinking?" She wondered aloud.

"He was right about one thing, though." Emma smiled. Regina looked at her curiously.

"What's that?" She asked. Emma leaned in, slowly, Regina's hair lightly brushing her cheek. She smelt of spiced apples. Emma breathed in deeply, the aroma filling her head and making it spin, it was intoxicating, like everything else about the brunette.

"You are definitely the most beautiful woman in the room." She whispered. Regina closed her eyes. Emma stepped back, dark brown eyes met green. For a moment it was just the two of them, everything and everyone else disappeared. Regina looked like she wanted to say something, but was holding back. Emma gazed forlornly at the beautiful brunette, the moment lost in words that were not said.

"I'd better get back to my date." Emma said quietly. Regina nodded, disappointment flooding through her.

"Enjoy the rest of your evening, Ms. Swan." She replied with a small smile.

"You too, Regina." The blonde finished, casting one last glance at the beautiful woman before turning around and waking off to find Ruby, leaving Regina to stare after her.

10.30pm

Emma wandered down the hallway, pausing to look at the portraits which adorned the walls. Her eyes were glazing over a particularly beautiful painting when she heard footsteps approaching, she turned to find Robin stumbling in her direction.

"Well, if it isn't little miss perfect." He slurred. He was clearly drunk. Emma frowned.

"What do you want, Robin?" She asked.

"Just to bask in your presence. You are a genius after all." He replied nastily. Emma raised an eyebrow.

"If you're lucky, maybe some of it will rub off on you." She smiled sweetly.

"Like I need your help, Swan." He scoffed.

"I'm sure Professor Mills would disagree." She stared. The tips of Robin's ears turned pink.

"Oh please, you're just the flavour of the month." He sneered.

"Sure." She smiled, completely unfazed by his drunken insults. Robin blinked, his lips curling into a hateful smirk.

"I saw you with Ruby Lucas, my girlfriend told me you guys are fucking. I've gotta say, she seems a little beneath you, Swan. But then again, with tits like that, I guess it does't really matter what comes out of her mouth." He smiled nastily.

"Don't fucking talk about…" She snarled, pausing for a moment and frowning. "Who's your girlfriend?"

"Aurora Rose" He slurred. Emma snorted.

"What's so god damn funny?" He snapped. Emma leaned in, regarding Robin with a nasty smile.

"Well, Robin, I assumed any girlfriend of yours would be into cunts, but I don't think you know just how much." She spat. Robin turned a deep shade of crimson, his head looked like it was about to explode.

"What the fuck do you mean by that? You fucking DYKE!" He shouted, reaching out to grab Emma, who stepped back before he could.

"MR. HOOD" A voice bellowed at them. They both turned round to find Regina marching towards them, her black dress trailing gracefully behind her, a look of pure fury on her face. Emma heard Robin swallow. She was trying to focus on anything but the way the slit in her dress revealed an expanse of thigh with every step. The brunette quickly reached them, her thunderous gaze boring into Robin, who shuffled awkwardly.

"I suggest you leave immediately, Mr. Hood. I will not tolerate that kind of discrimination at a University event, or at all for that matter." She snapped. Robin mumbled an apology and began to walk away, Regina turned after him.

"After you apologise to Ms. Swan." She finished. Robin glared at her, then at Emma.

"Sorry." He said through gritted teeth. Emma raised an eyebrow.

"And you can consider yourself removed from the project, effective immediately." Regina said harshly. Robin's head snapped up.

"What?" He said incredulously.

"I think that's more than befitting, considering your recent lack of useful contribution, combined with the events that occurred moments ago." Regina stated. Robin stared between the two women, an evil smirk forming on his lips.

"Oh, I get it. You two are fucking. Dyke's stick together, right?" He spat. Regina stared him down with a look of pure contempt, but even Emma could see the fire in her eyes. Robin's eyes widened when he noticed the look the Professor was giving him. She leaned in slowly, purposefully.

"I don't think you know just who you're talking to, Mr. Hood. Unless you want to see yourself failing your senior year, or better yet, expelled, I would stay out of my sight for the next 5 months. In fact, for the rest of your pitiful life." She sneered, her eyes burning into him. He took a step back, quickly turned on his heel and rushed off down the hall. The two women stared after him as he disappeared out of sight.

"Damn." Emma breathed "That was awesome." She said, turning to look at Regina, who was glancing at her worriedly.

"Are you alright, Emma?" She asked. "He didn't..?" Emma shook her head.

"No, he didn't touch me." She replied. Regina nodded.

"What happened?" She asked.

"I may have insinuated that his girlfriend is gay." Emma grinned. Regina looked at her with a raised brow, then let out a throaty laugh.

"Is she?" She asked. Emma shrugged.

"Either that, or she's bored of his two inch dick." Regina laughed even harder. Emma stared at her, captivated by her beauty, she couldn't keep her eyes off her, the way her eyes shone when she laughed, her full lips when she smiled. Emma ran a hand through her hair.

"Thank you. For you know, saving me." She smiled.

"Something tells me you would have done alright on your own." Regina mused.

"Probably, but it's nice to know I have a knight in shining armour somewhere out there." She grinned. Regina chuckled. "But instead of armour, can you wear that dress whenever you save me?" She flirted, her eyes gazing over the brunette's body. Regina raised an eyebrow.

"Only if you wear that dress whenever you need saving." She flirted back, a glint in her eye. The two women stared at each other for several moments. Emma could feel the butterflies dancing in her stomach. Her eyes roamed over Regina's face, glancing over perfectly arched brows, captivating brown eyes and high cheekbones before settling on her lips. Fuck it. She thought, stepping forward and reaching out a hand to Regina's neck. She didn't think, couldn't think, her eyes focused on Regina's inviting mouth. She leaned in, her eyes closing. She felt their lips brush ever so slightly before Regina took a step back.

"Emma… I." She breathed. Emma's eyes shot open, her hand falling to her side. The butterflies in her stomach were overtaken by a gripping panic. She glanced up at Regina, who was regarding her with an apologetic expression.

"Oh. Oh my god." Emma said, shaking her head, mortification filling her entire body. "I'm so sorry. I thought-"

"No, it's not-" Regina began.

"No, no. Please, that was my fault. I'm just going to-" Emma stammered, humiliated. She turned on her heel and rushed out of the hallway as fast as her heels would carry her.

"Emma" Regina called after her, but she didn't look back, couldn't look back. She pushed through the throngs of people, heading for the bar, her head swimming. She needed to find Ruby and get the hell out of there. What had she done? She had just kissed Regina, and Regina had rejected her. Would she be kicked off the project? Probably. She had been totally inappropriate. She didn't think she could ever face Regina again. But... She thought she had seen something in the Professors eyes before she kissed her, the same want she felt, reflected back at her. She swore she saw it... No. She was just seeing what she wanted to see. Regina was her teacher, her Professor, of course she wouldn't get involved with a student, a freshman at that. She should have figured that out when she saw her reject Robin. But then, they had gone for coffee, hadn't they? They had talked and flirted. Emma knew Regina had flirted back, so she hadn't acted totally out of the blue, but still the Professor had backed away. Emma had pushed too much, too soon, she resigned. She glanced around the room, looking for Ruby, but couldn't see her anywhere. She reached the bar and noticed Mulan sitting alone on one of the stools, nursing a bourbon. Emma tried to push the kiss to the back of her mind as she approached the brunette.

"Hey." She said, touching Mulan's arm. "Have you seen Ruby?" She asked. Mulan turned to her with a sad look.

"Oh. Yeah, actually. I saw her leave about 15 minutes ago with Neal." She replied. Emma sighed and plopped down on the barstool next to Mulan, running a hand through her hair. Fucking Ruby. She thought.

"You okay?" She asked, staring at her.

"Yeah, sorry. It's just been a shitty night." She sighed. Mulan nodded and raised her glass.

"For you and me both." She agreed. Emma looked at her.

"What happened?"

"Ran into my ex with her new girlfriend, who is totally gorgeous, and then August ditched me for some blonde." She said miserably. August was another guy in their group for Professor Mills' project.

"August?" Emma asked. "Are you guys..?" She trailed off. Mulan snorted.

"No. I'm gay." She replied.

"Cheers to that." Emma said, grabbing Mulan's bourbon and taking a big sip, who laughed softly in response. "Sorry about your ex. That sucks." Emma continued, regarding her with a sad smile.

"Yep. And August knew I was upset about it, but that didn't stop him from leaving me here alone so he could bang some slutty sorority girl." She snapped. "He can be a real asshole sometimes." She sighed.

"Well, you're not alone now." Emma smiled, nudging her shoulder. Mulan smiled back. Emma glanced around, saw no one was looking in their direction and turned to Mulan with a mischievous smile.

"Wanna get out of here?" She asked, leaning over the bar counter and grabbing a bottle of tequila, holding it up tauntingly. Mulan stared after her open mouthed, her lips quickly curling upwards into a wide grin.

"Let's do it."

I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! :) Thank you again for all your follows/faves and lovely words. Keep 'em coming!

Stay tuned for Chapter 8! :)