A/N: Hey! Here's chapter 3, I hope you all enjoy it. I'm going to be speeding up time a little bit after this chapter, so if it seems slow, it shouldn't for long. let me know what you think! Reviews give me life.

After a few more introductions, the group started to disperse as people made their way out to go to the baseball fields. Regina pulled her flip phone out of her purse and quickly sent a text to her mother-Any Given Sundae is pretty good. Heading to the game soon- and then she saw Neal and August start to leave and she got up to follow, but Emma grabbed her elbow and said, "I figured we'd walk. The fields aren't far and the sun is actually out today. Figured we could talk, get to know each other a bit more. I was kind of distracted by everyone in there." Regina found herself nodding and falling into step beside Emma.

"So," Emma began, "Lily told me you're a really good saxophone player. You should play for me sometime." Regina felt a blush heating her cheeks and she ducked her head. "Yeah, I've been playing since I was little. I still have a long way to go. What are your hobbies, besides softball?" she asked Emma, desperate to learn more about her new friend.

To her surprise, Emma seemed to shrink into herself, raising a hand to scratch absently at her neck. "Um, nothing really," she said shyly. "I'm not good at anything but softball."

"Well, even if you're not good at anything else, what are your other interests?"

Emma glanced at Regina's hopeful face and sighed in resignation. "Okay. Quid pro quo. I tell you a secret hobby, you tell me one. Okay?"

Regina nodded a little too quickly. "Okay."

Emma puffed out a laugh and linked her arm through Regina's as they walked. "I love to cook."

Regina was expecting probably anything else but that. Emma could have told her that she secretly loved to crochet sweaters for dogs and Regina would have been less surprised. "Really?" she said, almost disbelieving. "You were eating a peanut butter sandwich for lunch the other day." Emma giggled. "Well, I don't always like to eat what I cook, but I love to cook anyway. It started when I was about eight. My foster parents then were a real piece of work. The kind that only took the kids to get the money, then spent the money on everything but the kids. They'd leave for weeks at a time, I still don't know where they would go. Now that I'm older, I suspect they were on drugs. But anyway, there were four other kids in the home, all younger than me. I found this old cookbook that the 'mother' had tucked away in the kitchen and read it when I was bored. The recipes sounded fun, so I started to steal ingredients from gardens, grocery stores, et cetera. We were starving, you understand. I did what I had to. And I started cooking. I burned a lot of meals, but we ate them anyway."

Regina's heart was filling with sadness for her new friend. "Oh, Emma…"

Emma held up a hand. "No, don't you dare pity me. I found a passion and a little bit of skill in culinary arts. Everything I went through is the reason I am who I am today. My GPA is 3.9, and I'm about to raise it to a 4.0, get scholarships, and get myself through college. Plus, now I cook for the sheer fun of it instead of out of necessity. I work three evenings a week at Granny's Diner downtown, as a line cook. You should try it sometime, it's one of the best places in town to eat. Now, it's your turn."

"My turn?" asked Regina, having completely forgotten their deal. Emma raised her eyebrows at her. "Yeeahh. Quid pro quo. Tit for tat."

"Oh," Regina said, feeling stupid for forgetting. But could Emma really blame her? What a story… "I…have a lot of other hobbies. Or at least, I did in California. One of my favorite things to do is going snorkeling off the coast. Daddy took me scuba diving twice last summer, and it was amazing, and terrifying…I miss the Pacific ocean so much already."

"Hmm," said Emma, "I think I'd like to try that someday. Did you ever surf?"

"Ha! No. I've wake boarded a few times, but surfing is definitely not for me."

"Too much of a klutz?"

"Too scared of the gigantic waves that have the potential to break my neck."

"Fair enough."

They had arrived at the baseball fields, and Regina was amazed at the size of the crowd. "This must be the whole town," she said as she gawked. Emma chuckled and said, "You'd think, but no, not quite everyone." They purchased their tickets to the game and Emma quickly found her group of friends, leading Regina up the stands to two empty seats as the game began.

Regina was actually kind of impressed. Neal Cassidy did seem to be the star player for the varsity baseball team, and he had this contagious energy about him that the whole team seemed to leech from. Regina found herself completely focusing on the game, until Emma's soft laughter graced her ears. "You really do like baseball, don't you?" the blonde asked, leaning close so Regina could hear her over the noise of the crowd. Regina smiled shyly, not taking her eyes off the game. "I've watched baseball since I was a baby," Regina answered.

"What's your favorite team?"

"Philadelphia Phillies, of course," Regina grinned.

"Whaaaat?" Emma squawked. "Come on, the Boston Red Sox have won six World Series championships…how can you be a fan of a team that only won one…in 1980?"

Regina sniffed, finally looking away from the game and sending Emma a mock-glare. "Maybe I enjoy that they play with their whole hearts and keep going even when they don't win World Series championships. They're a great team."

"Whew, Regina, don't ever tell anyone but me what team you root for. Believe me, I'm saving your hide here." Regina stuck her tongue out at Emma and they both laughed before turning back to the game.

Storybrooke's varsity baseball team won the game against the neighboring town with an impressive score of 13-4, and by the end of it all Regina was slightly sun-burnt and filled to bursting after sharing nachos, pretzels and a large soda with Emma. They parted ways with the group of Emma's friends and began their walk back to Mifflin street.

"Thanks for inviting me," Regina said to Emma as they fell into step with each other once again. "I had fun." She smiled at Emma and the blonde grinned back. "No problem, Gina."

Regina was about to set Emma straight over the repeat of that hideous nickname, until she realized that Emma was really sun burnt. "Oh, Emma!" She gasped. "You burned…" Emma glanced down at her red arms and touched her shiny red face gingerly. "Oh, yeah," she said. "That does hurt a bit. I forgot to put on sun block this morning." Registering Regina's concerned face, she reached over and poked her in the arm. "It's fine, worry wart. It'll be a tan by tomorrow morning."

Regina was not convinced, but she let the blonde off the hook. "Whatever you say."

"So, do you have any plans for tonight?" Emma asked out of the blue a few seconds later. Regina's brow furrowed. "I…don't think so, why?"

"Well, everyone always celebrates on the beach after the last game of the year. They get a bonfire going, play some volleyball, it's a lot of fun. You could come with me."

Honestly, Emma had Regina at the words "bonfire" and "volleyball", but in an attempt not to seem too eager, Regina shrugged. "I'll ask my parents and let you know. Do you have a cell phone?" Emma nodded and pulled a Razr out of her back pocket. "Sure do. What's your number?"

They exchanged phone numbers and, as they turned onto Mifflin street, Emma waved goodbye with a "Let me know! They start when the sun goes down!" and darted into her house.

Regina walked the rest of the way to her house, unable to get the smile off of her face. Her first weekend amongst her new friends and classmates really wasn't so bad. She'd had a lot of fun, and she owed Emma for that. Opening the front door of her home, she yelled out, "Mother! Daddy! I'm home!" and was greeted with silence. Puzzled, she pulled out her cell phone to see if her mother had texted her back. Sure enough, she had one message from Cora: Your father and I are going to dinner and a movie. We'll be back late.

Quickly, she texted back. Sorry if I'm interrupting dinner, but Emma invited me to go to a bonfire down at the beach tonight. May I?

She waited impatiently for the return text, reminding herself that her parents were enjoying themselves at dinner and probably wouldn't constantly have their cell phones out. She put her phone down and got into the shower, running cool water over her overheated skin to alleviate some of the stinging from her burn. When she finished, she dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a loose, flowing blouse that felt like heaven against her tender skin…just in case she got to go to the bonfire. She reached for her phone and saw that her mother had replied. Flipping the phone open with excitement, she read, Ah, I remember those parties. Yes. Check in often.

There was also a message from her father: Have fun. Make good choices.

Shaking her head with a chuckle, she pulled up Emma's number and sent her a quick text. Parents said yes.

It was less than a minute later that her phone rang. Seeing Emma's name on the screen, she answered immediately. "Hey," she greeted.

"Hey. So, I wasn't going to take no for an answer, and since it took you so long to text me, I'm kind of hanging out in your back yard, ready to jailbreak you if need be."

Regina rushed downstairs and to the window that overlooked the dead garden, seeing Emma sitting on an old rickety bench swing toward the back of the gate. She hung up the phone and ran out the back door, instantly entering the garden. "That's a little stalkerish, I must say," she joked as she approached Emma. Emma shrugged. She was still dressed in her clothes from earlier, with the addition of a long, soft-looking green cardigan thrown over her shoulders. She had taken her hair down from its bun and it was flying around her shoulders and face in wild, gorgeous disarray. The cardigan emphasized her glowing green eyes, and for a moment, Regina was stunned by her. "What can I say?" Emma said, snapping her back into focus. "I'm not ready for the day to end. You're starting to be fun, loosen up…you've smiled more today than I've seen so far. You have a beautiful smile, you know?"

Regina folded her hands in front of her self-consciously. "Um, thank you."

The setting sun was shining through the trees and casting waves of shadow and golden light over the garden. Emma's skin was still red, but her eyes shone bright and her smile was contagious. Regina found herself smiling back at her hesitantly, and they were both locked in a strange kind of staring contest. Emma's eyes drifted down to Regina's outfit, and Regina felt a strange sensation in her stomach under the scrutiny…almost like a flip and flutter. Emma's eyes moved down to linger on her feet before she busted out laughing, ruining the moment. "Are you planning on going barefoot?" she asked. Regina glanced down at her bare feet and groaned. "You know, I would have put on shoes, but I was made aware of a stalker in my garden."

Emma stood up from the old swing carefully and said, "Well, let's go get you some shoes on. Are your parents in there?" Regina shook her head and explained that her parents were at dinner, and Emma began bouncing on her toes. "Excellent. Wasn't quite ready to meet the parents, especially not looking like a lobster."

Meet the parents? That kind of sounded like…was this a…a date?

Was Emma gay, like Ruby and Lily? Did she think Regina was? Regina didn't even know if Regina was gay. She'd never had boyfriends, never had any interest in them. But was she gay? She'd never even entertained the idea of romance, let alone tried to figure out which sex she was attracted to. But hell, she was sixteen now…it was probably time to start thinking about that sort of thing. "Um, meet the parents?" she asked, hoping that Emma would clarify without further questions.

Emma delivered, and her answer was…disappointing? "Yeah, I mean, I'm your first friend in this town, right? Your mom is this renowned fashion designer. I'm not dressed to the nines tonight. And your dad? Don't ever tell him this, but I own like every single one of his books…whoa."

They'd entered the house through the back door and Emma was now staring in awe at the immaculate, large kitchen. Regina hummed in amusement and led Emma through the sitting room, into the foyer and up the stairs, trying not to laugh out loud at Emma's constant "Wow"s and "Holy shit"s in regards to the décor and size as they made their way up to Regina's room. Once inside, Emma's jaw seemed to unhinge. She took in Regina's cherry wood canopy bed, the matching vanity that housed Regina's makeup and hair products, and the string of white lights that Regina had hung all around the top of her walls. "You live like a princess," Emma gasped.

Regina chuckled uncomfortably. "I guess." she reached into her closet for a pair of sandals. Slipping them on, she turned to see that Emma was staring at a corkboard on her wall that housed about a dozen photographs, all of Regina and her friends in California. Emma reached out and touched one picture, and Regina saw that it was one that was taken of her underwater, wearing scuba gear and waving at the underwater camera. There were a multitude of colorful fish around her, and beautiful white sand at the bottom of the frame. "Wow," Emma breathed. "You lived a fun life. I can see why you aren't so happy here."

Regina didn't say anything for a long moment, and Emma's gaze never left the pictures until Regina blurted out, "I have an idea!" she rushed over to her small desk and pulled a Polaroid camera out of one of the drawers. She rushed back to Emma and pulled her close, holding the camera facing them. "Say cheese!"

"Gina, I look like a tomato. And who even owns Polaroids anymore? Digital cameras are now a thing."

"Don't call me Gina," Regina finally said, "and say cheese."

She checked that Emma was smiling and she pressed her face in close, snapping a quick photo. The photo paper printed out immediately and Regina grabbed it, waving it into the air to help it develop quicker. When her own face and Emma's beet red one was smiling back at her, she grinned triumphantly and grabbed a push pin, sticking the photo onto the corkboard and stepping back to admire her handiwork. "There," she stated. Emma stepped over to her to look at the picture, bringing her hand up to rest on her chin as she studied it. When she didn't say anything for a long moment, Regina took a deep breath and attempted to fill the silence. "I think I could make some new memories here. Starting with you, tomato-face," she joked. Emma seemed to start slightly, for some reason, before turning to face Regina. "I like it. I'm happy to be in your first picture here."

They looked at each other for a moment, both smiling awkwardly, before a car horn was heard from somewhere on the street and Emma glanced away and at the clock on the wall. "Oh, hey, it's eight thirty. The bonfire should be starting soon. That's probably Neal and August, they're our ride for tonight. Grab a jacket and let's go!"

Regina quickly grabbed her favorite light denim jacket and led Emma back downstairs and out into the rapidly cooling evening, where they were greeted by the now-familiar red car sitting outside of Emma's house.

Upon first sight of the bonfire, Regina was elated. The fire was roaring, people were standing all around, a few people were already involved in an intense game of volleyball…it looked so much like home. After pulling out her phone and letting her mother know she'd made it safely to the bonfire, she looked back at the ocean and felt a pang of immense sadness fill her. This wasn't the Pacific ocean, and she didn't know very many of these people.

Emma saw her face go from excited to sad in that split second, and she reached out and took her hand. "Hey," she said. "It's not California, but that doesn't mean it's not a hell of a good time. Come on, we'll give you the whole Storybrooke experience."

Regina tucked a stray strand of hair that had fallen out of her braid behind her ear and nodded, ready to try and have fun again. Emma's warm fingers squeezed her own tightly and then let go. "First thing's first," Emma said, going to the trunk of the car and pulling out a large cooler. "You need to loosen up, and we have just the thing."

Regina was stunned as Emma pried off the lid to reveal that the cooler was full of beer. "Emma!" she gasped. "We're sixteen!"

Neal appeared beside her, leaning over to nudge her with his shoulder. "We won't tell if you don't," he said with what he probably thought was a charming wink. He leaned down and grabbed a cold can of beer, popping it open and chugging it down in a matter of seconds. Emma grabbed one of her own and held another out to Regina, who refused with a wave of her hand.

"Never done any actual partying, have you, Regina?" Emma asked as she opened her beer. Neal and August replaced the lid on the cooler before each grabbing a handle and carrying it down closer to the shore to share it with the group.

"N-no."

Emma sipped her beer and said, "I don't like getting drunk, but I do like how a couple of beers relaxes me. Want to taste? It's not all that bad." She handed the can to Regina who took it reluctantly and lifted it to her lips for a sip. She immediately grimaced as the bitter taste spread over her tongue and down her throat. "Oh, that's definitely bad," she choked out as she handed the can back to Emma, who was laughing at her. "Oh well, at least you tried it. Come on, let's play some volleyball."

Regina gladly joined the game of volleyball and within ten minutes, a circle had formed around the players and Regina was a sudden star. She was a mediocre player at best, but for some reason her peers seemed to love watching her play.

There was nothing to drink at the bonfire but an assortment of beers and a few stray bottles of liquor, so Regina, overheated and sweaty, gave in and opened a can of her own after the game. A can soon turned into three as she grew accustomed to the taste, and before she knew it she had lost Emma somewhere and was dancing in a circle around the large fire with a handful of other people, Lily and Ruby included, feeling more relaxed and free than she ever had as someone blasted popular hits from their car speakers.

Her peers whooped and yelled and sang along, Lily grabbed Regina's hands and spun her around, and when Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" came on the radio, Regina found herself singing along loudly while attempting to shake her hips with the rest of the crowd and ending up sandwiched between the two resident lesbians.

She was having fun. She didn't feel like an outsider, not right now, not with everyone so happy and the atmosphere so welcoming. She danced with people she'd only seen in the hallways at school, she danced with people she'd never seen before.

And eventually, sometime after her fifth or ninth beer, she supposed, she found herself standing where the sand met the ocean and staring into the blackness, her blurry gaze on the stars as she took her sandals off and waded up to her ankles in the water. It was cold, too cold for her liking, but she was sweaty and dirty and smelled strongly of beer, and before she knew it she was peeling her jeans and jacket off.

"Whoa, Regina, what are you doing?!" came Emma's shriek from somewhere in the distance. Regina turned around, spotting the blonde running toward her. She felt a grin split her face and she took her hair down from her braid, shaking it out and letting it fall down to her hips in waves. "I'm going for a swim, Emma," she shouted, seconds before running out into deeper water and diving right in.

The icy sting of water stole her breath, and she heard the roar of the waves in her ears as she submerged herself. But oh, this was heaven. She was surrounded by darkness and the muffled sound of the ocean, and felt totally at peace.

Until something brushed her leg.

Regina broke the surface, screaming, adrenaline pumping, before a pair of thin, strong arms wrapped around her. "Whoa!" Emma yelled. "I got you. It's just me. Jesus, Regina, you are crazy!"

Regina brushed her hair out of her face and gasped, "I thought you were a shark!"

"I might have been! Why are you swimming in the ocean in the dark? God, it's freezing in here!"

Regina looked down and saw that Emma had stripped her jacket and shirt off and was standing in waist-deep water in only her bra and shorts. Goosebumps raised on her chest and stomach, and Regina's head felt even fuzzier at the sight. She started to apologize, but then a rush of sound and motion caught her attention.

Apparently, her crazy antics had earned her a few followers. About twenty teenagers were now stripping down and jumping into the water, screaming at the chill and laughing as they splashed each other.

"There are definitely not going to be sharks now," she said to Emma, her teeth starting to chatter.

God, Emma looked beautiful. The moon was shining down on her wet skin, her hair was slicked back away from her face, and the look of worry was now replaced by a look of amusement. "Okay, Miss Popular," Emma said, grabbing Regina's hand and hoisting her out of the water, "You've had a few too many and don't need to be in the water this far out. Or at all. Damn, it's cold. Let's go back to the fire."

They collected their clothes and the others followed suit, everyone gathering close to the fire to dry off and get warm.

Eventually, everyone was dry and the fire was dying, and Regina felt herself drifting off where she was leaning against a log. Emma disappeared for a moment, and Regina felt too heavy to ask where she was going or follow her, but she soon came back with a pile of blankets that she'd gotten from somewhere, laying them out on the sand for multiple people to use. "We've all been drinking, no one needs to drive," she announced softly to Regina, who nodded in understanding, moving to claim one of the blankets. Emma laid a second blanket out and then a large one over both of them, and Regina could hear her saying something that sounded like "Beautiful, amazing, and insane" but was already drifting into a heavy, dreamless sleep.

"Regina."

Regina opened her eyes and immediately regretted it, as her eyes were quite frankly shanked by the sunlight. Wrenching her eyes closed again, she tried to go back to sleep.

"No, Regina, you have to get up. Come on."

Emma. That was Emma's voice. Regina opened her eyes again and, despite the burning pain that brought on, focused on the figure sitting next to her. Emma had packed up her blanket and was holding out a bottle of water and two white pills. "Come on, Gina. Sit up and take these."

With Emma's help, Regina got herself into a sitting position and groaned as her head and stomach protested. "What the…what is wrong with me?" she moaned as she took a sip of the blessedly cool water.

"You have a hangover. You had like ten beers or something last night, you were keeping up with the jocks like a pro…" Emma shoved the pills into Regina's hand and repeated, "Take these. They'll help. It's just aspirin."

Regina did as she was told, but gagged a little as the pills slid down her throat. "No, no no no," Emma coaxed, rubbing a hand down Regina's back. "Don't you dare throw up. Come on."

Fighting back the urge to vomit, Regina drew her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, leaning her head down on her knees. "Oh, God. I'm such an idiot."

Regina vaguely registered the sounds of car doors closing and engines starting and assumed that people were waking up and going home. "What time is it?" She asked, her voice muffled by her cocoon of bodily misery.

"About, oh, noon?"

"What?" Regina exclaimed, jumping up and ignoring the pounding in her head. "Oh, God, my parents are going to kill me! The last thing I texted them was that I was here, I never told them I wasn't going to come home, they're probably furious-"

"Whoa, Gina," Emma coaxed, having jumped to her feet with Regina. "No, they're fine. I texted them last night for you."

"Huh?"

Regina lifted her bleary eyes to Emma's face, taking a moment to admire the fact that the red skin had faded into a beautiful golden tan already-hmm, she wasn't lying, the burn did become a tan by morning-and then asked, "What do you mean you texted them for me?"

Emma gave her a guilty grin and said, "I took your phone out of your pocket when you fell asleep and found your contacts, and texted your mom. I told her who I was and that you had fallen asleep on a blanket on the beach and would be home sometime in the morning. She thanked me for letting her know."

"Oh," Regina breathed. "Thank you." She was extremely relieved that Emma had thought of contacting her parents when it had slipped her inebriated mind. "You didn't tell them I was drinking, did you?" she asked, suddenly paranoid. Emma laughed. "Regina, all of our parents know we drink at these things. As long as we don't stumble into the house at three in the morning after doing some drunk cruising, they don't give us too much shit about it."

"Oh."

It was about one in the afternoon when Regina finally entered her home, desperate for a shower. Her skin was stiff and itchy from the salty ocean water and the sand that had wedged into extremely uncomfortable places in the night. "Hey, I'm home," she called weakly upon entering the foyer.

"In here, Regina," came her father's voice from the sitting room.

Uh oh.

Regina walked into the room to find her father and mother sitting on the couch, watching a baseball game on the TV. "Uh, hey," Regina said, moving to stand behind a chair as if it would protect her from her parents' wrath. "I'm sorry I didn't text you last night…"

Cora waved a nonchalant hand. "Your friend Emma is a very considerate girl. Your father and I were up late waiting for you to get home when we received the text. At least she cared to let us know that you hadn't drowned in the ocean."

Regina hung her head. "I'm sorry, Mother," she apologized softly. "It won't happen again."

"You bet it won't," Cora confirmed in clipped tones.

"Daddy?" Regina asked, scared of what he would say as he had been staring at the screen the whole time. He finally looked at her and, to her surprise, burst out laughing. "You look like a drowned cat, princesa," he ground out through his laughter. "Did you learn any important lessons last night?" he asked once he had calmed, wiping tears from his eyes before pinning her with a knowing look. Regina felt her face heat up and she nodded quickly. "Yes, Daddy. I definitely learned a couple of things."

"Good," Cora and Henry said together, before Cora said, "Go take a shower before you get sand all over the house. When you're done, I managed to make eggs and bacon this morning, they weren't too bad. You'll feel better with some food in your stomach." And with that, she turned back to the television and waved dismissively in Regina's direction.

Dazed, Regina made her way up to her room, wondering how in the hell she'd gotten away with underage drinking at a bonfire.

Halfway through her shower, the water turned ice cold and she shrieked, the pounding in her head intensifying as she scrambled to rinse off and get out from under the water. Dressing quickly in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, she made her way downstairs to get some food. Her mother was right, her attempt at breakfast wasn't too bad. The eggs were burnt and the bacon was nearly black, but it was better than anything else Cora had made since they'd moved. She rinsed down the burnt taste with a glass of orange juice and rinsed off her dishes before attempting go to upstairs, thinking she'd love to sleep some more…but was blocked by her mother, holding the handle of their vacuum. "Today is your chore day, Regina," Cora said, a mocking smirk playing at her lips. "You're going to vacuum every room, dust the fans and the shelves, sweep and mop the kitchen, do the dishes, and then you're going to help your father paint the guest room. After that, you'll help me cook dinner."

In that moment, Regina realized: "You turned off the hot water heater while I was in the shower, didn't you?"

Cora's smirk widened to a full, slightly evil-looking grin. "You haven't learned your lesson well enough yet, I don't think," she stated before pushing the vacuum into Regina's hands and leaving the room.

Regina, standing in the middle of the kitchen with the vacuum in hand, stunned as she realized she had not, in fact, gotten away with anything.

A/N: I am aware that the Boston Red Sox have won eight World Championship Series games, and that the Philadelphia Phillies have won two, but I've chosen to have this story take place in 2006, so I had to adjust the numbers to the year. And since Lana's father used to play for the the Phillies, I put that in as a nod to him, having them be Regina's favorite team. Let me know what you think!