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They decided to go on their date that night, Emma too anxious to wait any longer and Regina, well, after their talk this morning, she was just as eager. She wanted to dress up for Emma, wanted to look good for her, and she felt confident, truly confident, and so she was looking forward to getting dressed up and seeing Emma's reaction to how she looked (for she knew now, truly felt that Emma's jaw would drop in reaction). So Regina was excited to go out, so excited in fact that she had kicked Emma out at three so that she could have a nap (she was tired all the time, even after a good night's sleep) so that she'd be able to stay out late and not need to come home early.

And Regina had slept, had had a nice nap and woke up rested. But she'd overslept, had remained horribly behind schedule, and now, twenty minutes before Emma was due to arrive, a harried Regina was still doing her make up and fixing her hair. Nude, in fact.

She had taken longer than expected in the shower (unused to shaving with a belly in the way. And while it was still fairly small, it was cumbersome and had often been in the way. She loved her unborn child, but she had missed her flat stomach dearly when she'd been trying to shave), which had delayed drying and styling her hair. She had thankfully painted her nails earlier in the day, when Emma had decided to rub her feet again, but now, with- Regina glanced at the clock- only seventeen minutes to spare, she was trying to rush as she applied a subtle layer of make-up. Which, of course, meant she unevenly applied her mascara, resulting in even more wasted time as she pulled out her make-up remover and restarted.

Regina took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

"Emma will wait for you," she told herself, staring in the mirror. "Stop rushing."

She took another deep breath before trying again, this time perfectly applying her mascara. She then went about adding eyeliner, a subtle coat of eye shadow, and touched up the foundation she had applied earlier. She finished up by adding a touch of lipstick, enough to draw attention but not so much that it looked garish.

Regina pulled back from the mirror and blinked, inspecting the final result and giving a small nod when she was satisfied. She then shoved her make up back into her make up bag and tossed it into a drawer under the sink, hurriedly making her way back into her bedroom. She glanced at the clock (nine minutes left), before walking over to the back of her door and pulling down her dress. She slid it over her head, tugging it over her breasts and then letting it fall around her waist.

Regina walked over to her mirror, flattening the material and giving a small frown as she looked at herself from the side. She was so used to smoothing a dress over a flat stomach, and now her hands were curving over a small (but still rounded) belly. She stared at herself, hands roaming over her stomach, until Emma's voice played over in her head.

The thought of you being seven or eight or nine months pregnant isn't a turn off, Regina. It's a turn on. A big one. Your belly is sexy.

Regina liked being pregnant, liked knowing that her child was growing inside of her, loved knowing that she was creating a human being, but it had been ingrained in her mind that to be thin was everything. You must never indulge too much, darling, lest you develop your grandmother's hips. Regina shook her head of her mother's voice, reminding herself of the way Emma had stared at her, had wanted her, the way she had felt how much Emma found her attractive. There was no faking that, and so Regina smiled at herself, tugging the dress a little more until it hung perfectly from her frame.

Emma jogged up the steps to the front door of the mansion, wiping her sweaty hands on her pants before ringing the doorbell. She was incredibly nervous, running her fingers through her loose curls before straightening. She pulled at her sleeves, fidgeting with the buttons of her suit jacket as she took a small step back, trying to catch a glimpse of herself in the reflection in the window.

She looked good. Or at least, she felt she looked good, but she was nervous about tonight. She was afraid something would go wrong, that Regina wouldn't enjoy herself, that Emma would spill her food down her white button down or that her tie would fall into her soup (after imagining this scenario, Emma decided she was definitely not ordering soup). She was worried, but she was eager, excited to see her date and for her date to see her as well. She knew Regina would like this outfit. It was she, after all, who insisted she wear it.

"So, about our date. What do you want me to wear-"

Without hesitation, Regina had responded : "The suit."

"Okay. I was just gonna say like, I can wear a dress if you want me-"

"Wear the suit, Emma. You look delicious in that suit. Besides, you loathe dresses."

"I'd wear one for you."

Regina's eyes had softened then, and she'd shifted on the couch to look up at Emma.

"I want you to be comfortable, my love. And you won't be comfortable in a dress. I don't want you to change who you are for me, and you are not a woman who wears dresses. I promise you that if you wear the suit, my mind will be unable to keep from thinking impure thoughts of what you could possibly do to me while wearing that suit."

And so Emma had worn the suit, the same one she had worn at her parents' wedding vows renewal, where Regina had confessed she'd been unable to keep from staring at how edible (her words, not Emma's) she had looked.

The door swung open suddenly, stealing Emma's thoughts and breath in one go. She didn't know where to look first, her eyes drinking in the vision before her like a woman starved. Regina stood before her in a knee-length, cream coloured, short sleeved dress, her hair falling loose around her shoulders, one side pinned back with, well, Emma couldn't see with what right this minute. There was a thin, black belt cinched just beneath Regina's breasts, a little cream coloured bow adorning one side of it. The dress was tight at the bust, showing just enough cleavage to tease but not enough to be inappropriate, hanging loosely from her waist. Emma's eyes scanned up to Regina's face, noting that make up was light, subtle, but present enough that Emma could see the effort she had put into drawing attention to her eyes (not that Emma had any trouble staring into them), as well as to her lips.

Emma's eyes dropped to Regina's wrists, where she sported two gold bracelets, and then finally down her to her fingers (perfectly painted, of course) and to her toes, where the matching nude colour could be visibly seen on her bare feet. Regina wasn't wearing shoes. She was perfectly done up, not a hair out of place, wearing a dress that fit her like a dream, but she was barefoot and looking so feminine, and that did something to Emma.

Had Regina not been staring so intensely at Emma's outfit, she might have noticed the shift in the other woman's demeanour. But as it was, Regina was too busy calming her libido and controlling her breathing as she took in Emma in her black, fitted suit, her princess curls, her dark eyeliner and even darker lips. She was staring so intensely that when that suit suddenly got closer and she was abruptly pulled into a kiss, Regina could do nothing but squeak in surprise. She recovered quickly though, her hands coming to rest on Emma's biceps as she returned the eager kiss. It was over as quickly as it had started, Regina's eyes taking a second to focus through her haze of arousal. When they did, they instantly found Emma's eyes, seeing in them the same desire Regina herself felt.

"Hi," Emma finally breathed. "Sorry. I know I'm supposed to wait until after the date, but you just looked so fucking good I couldn't help myself."

Regina chuckled, taking a step back and wiping at Emma's slightly smudged lipstick.

"It's alright. I'm certainly not complaining. You look incredible, Emma."

"Thanks," Emma responded, a slight blush tinting her cheeks at the way Regina was looking at her. "You look amazing in that dress. Way better than anything I imagined today."

"Oh?" Regina asked lightly, stepping back so that Emma could finally enter. She then turned, looking for her flats. "You imagined what my dress might look like?"

"All day long."

"And? Which of the dresses that you imagined was your favourite?"

Emma waited until Regina had slipped on her shoes and was looking at her before she responded.

"The one that ended up on the floor."

Emma looked at her so intensely that Regina shivered (she actually shivered), clearing her throat before looking away to grab her keys. She needed to look away, because the heat that suddenly filled her belly was telling her to make this dress end up just like the one in Emma's fantasy.

"Shall we go?" Regina asked when she finally found her voice. "I don't want our table to be given away."

Emma agreed, following Regina's lead and ignoring the charged air between them. They needed to get out of this house and over to the restaurant where they would be unable to give into their libidos. Regina led the way out of the house, leaning into the warm hand at her back that guided her to the car. She smiled at Emma when the woman opened her car door, slipping inside and putting on her seatbelt. Emma then made her way to the driver's side, sliding inside before putting on her own seatbelt and putting the car in drive.

The ride to the restaurant was quiet, Emma too busy thinking about how to properly gut a fish, how to change a lock on a door, how to change a faulty fuel line on a vehicle, anything to draw attention away from the way Regina's dress rode up as she had gotten into the vehicle, exposing part of her thigh, or the way that she had gotten an eyeful when Regina had sat down. God, her tits looked so good. So full, and soft, and- no! So, after removing the carpet from a floor, you need to then grab a hammer, and something to help lift the wood nailed into the floor along the floorboards. Like a flathead screwdriver. Then, you angle the screwdriver…

Regina glanced over and saw the way Emma was clutching the steering wheel as though she were hanging on for dear life, her jaw working as she focused straight ahead. She looked intensely focused on something, and Regina wasn't exactly sure what.

"Something on your mind?"

You and your fucking amazing tits.

"No," Emma said, clearing her throat. "Just focusing on the restaurant, sorry. Have you been before?"

"No. But I've been looking forward to going. I left Henry some money for pizza and-"

"Woah, woah. No talking about work or the kid on date night."

"Date night?"

"Yeah. Tonight is date night and it's just about you and me. So. Only stuff related to us." Silence reigned in the vehicle. "Read any good books lately?"

Regina chuckled. She reached over and laced her fingers with Emma's right hand, smiling at her.

"You look lovely tonight, Emma."

"Thanks. You look hot. Like, gonna-have-a-hard-time-looking-at-your-face hot."

Regina laughed, shaking her head.

"You flatter me."

"Is it flattering to undress you with my eyes or is that like, a skeezy perv move?"

"Perhaps if the attention were unwanted…"

Emma grinned, though her stomach burned with desire.

"And Emma?" Regina waited until Emma glanced over. "It is far from unwanted."

Emma's throat dried instantly, unable to say anything more. She was grateful when they finally pulled into the restaurant parking lot, needing to step out into the fresh air to stop her raging libido. She'd been unable to concentrate on anything but the sound of Regina's voice, the way her eyelids had lowered seductively when she'd spoken those words, it is far from unwanted. God, that woman did not play fairly.

Regina, who knew exactly what her comment had done to the other woman, simply smirked to herself. She liked knowing she could silence Emma with just one simple (but truthful) sentence like that. She grinned up at Emma when she opened the door for her and helped her out, leaning into her as they made the short walk together to the front door. Emma opened it (Regina thanking her), and the women made their way inside. Regina's eyebrows rose when she entered the beautifully decorated establishment, incredibly impressed at the décor.

"It's nice, isn't it? They did a good job."

Regina nodded in agreement. She loved the earthy paint colours on the walls and she admired the small glass wall, which mimicked a waterfall, that separated the entrance and the dining room.

"For two?"

"Yes. Reservation for Emma."

The hostess smiled and grabbed two menus, asking the women to follow her. They did as requested, Emma's hand falling to the middle of Regina's back as they walked. She pulled out Regina's seat before sitting down, thanking the hostess for the menu she was handed.

"Can we get you ladies anything to drink tonight?"

"I'll take a water, please."

"I'll get a Coke," Emma answered, smiling at the hostess.

"Perfect. I'll just let your waitress know to bring you those drinks. She'll be right with you."

Regina glanced around the room, taking in the rest of the décor, before looking back at Emma.

"This was an excellent choice. It's beautiful here."

"Much better than the tire store they had here before."

Regina chuckled.

"Much better. So," Regina said, flipping open the menu, "I'm quite hungry. Shall we order an appetizer to start?"

Emma nodded.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you want."

Their waitress (Kayla) took their orders when she brought over their drinks, freeing the women to talk uninterrupted.

"You look amazing tonight, Regina. Seriously. I can't stop staring at you."

A small blush crept up her neck, but Regina fought it. Instead, she smiled and told Emma the same.

"I do so love that suit."

Emma chuckled.

"Yeah, I figured by the way you enthusiastically 'asked' me to wear it."

"I did not 'ask'. I asked."

"With no room for a negative response."

"As I do for any of my requests of you, Sheriff. You ought to be used to it by now."

Emma laughed, reaching out and grabbing Regina's hand. She squeezed her fingers, smiling when she felt answering pressure.

"Who knew we'd end up dating after our tumultuous start, huh?"

Regina's eyebrow shot up.

"Tumultuous? That is a rather big word, Miss Swan. I'm impressed."

"I gotta woo you with my big words. We are on a date, you know. I'm still trying to figure out how I can manipulate the conversation to use the word 'quintessential' later."

Regina chuckled, shaking her head.

"It's a surprising twist of events. But, I already know you're bright. It's part of why I became attracted to you. I may have better academic skills, but I cannot fix a vehicle, change a tire, install new flooring, change the shingles on a roof… or complete any number of other manual jobs that you can."

"Yeah but you can make fireballs and there's nothing cooler than that."

"Touché."

The women pulled apart when Kayla returned with their drinks, Regina reaching out with her foot (after kicking off her shoe, of course) to stroke along Emma's ankle and calf.

"Madame Mayor," Emma began, after the waitress left, "are you playing footsies with me?"

Regina smirked, reaching out for her glass of water rather than responding.

The conversation flowed easily throughout the evening, the women discussing stories of their favourite childhood games, the less-than-legal activities Emma had participated in in her teens (Regina was scandalised but no less amused), the changes that were to occur at town hall, the location for the new library Belle had asked for, the rumours surrounding Zelena and Mulan, which was a topic Emma was particularly interested in.

"I can just imagine mother's face if she had learnt that both of her daughters were more interested in the company of women than of men."

"Would it look something like this?" Emma feigned pain, clutching her jaw. "Cause I'm pretty sure that would be her reaction after I punched her in the face."

Regina snorted.

"Not every problem is solved with violence."

"Says the woman who has like a hundred different ideas for killing my mom."

"It was closer to a thousand, thank you."

"Did you count?!"

"Well, there wasn't very much to do while waiting for someone to divulge her whereabouts. I needed to do something to occupy my time."

Emma laughed, shaking her head.

"Dark. That's why I like you. But seriously, do you know anything? I've been trying to get information out of Mulan but every time I bring up Zelena, she just goes red and suddenly has to do something."

"Well, that is rather telling then, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but she also turns red whenever I bring up sex, point to a pretty lady- namely you, ask her if she's ever bought a vibrator… It's kind of turned into a game when I'm bored, trying to think of things to make Mulan blush. Eventually, I'm gonna corrupt that girl."

"Remind me to send her a fruit basket for putting up with you."

"Better make it two. And we should go visit your sister unexpectedly and see if we can catch them together. Then at least I won't be wondering whether or not they're actually together."

"Emma, we are not going to ruin what could be a budding relationship. They could be good for one another. Or rather, Mulan would be very good for my sister. And we are not going to interfere, we are going to quietly encourage them, because if they begin dating it means Zelena's attention will be focused away from me for a while. She's exhausting."

"She does have a lot of personality. But then again, so do you."

"Not quite as much as her."

Emma didn't disagree, because it was true. They lingered for a while longer, neither one quite wanting to end the night. But when Regina began shifting (her back was getting sore) and attempting to stifle yawns, Emma finally, reluctantly, called it a night. She paid for their meal before taking Regina's hand in her own, leading the way to the car in silence.

Regina smiled gratefully when Emma helped her in, putting on her seatbelt and watching as the other woman made her way around the vehicle and then inside. She too buckled up before driving away, her hand migrating to Regina's side of the vehicle and holding her hand.

"I had a really nice time tonight. You're a good date."

"You must be relieved given that I'm already carrying your child."

Emma laughed.

"No. That was just a security thing. You know, like how you put a deposit on a car so that nobody else buys it cause you know it's a really good car?"

"You did not just compare me to a vehicle."

"I did not. I just compared our situation to a vehicle purchase," Emma teased.

"Well, as long as you don't sell me then."

"Pfft, nobody could afford you."

"I have become accustomed to a life of luxury, one which I expect my rich baby daddy to uphold."

Emma burst out laughing, the words 'baby daddy' far too funny coming from Regina's lips. She was encouraged when she heard Regina's laugh as well, the women giggling as they made their way back to the mansion. After she parked the car in the driveway, Emma hopped out of the vehicle and made her way to Regina's side, taking her hand as they walked up the front steps. They paused at the door, Regina taking a step forward and cupping Emma's cheek as she smiled at her.

"I had a wonderful time tonight, Emma. You're a lovely date."

Emma slid her hand around Regina's waist, pulling her close. There was no doubt in Emma's mind that she'd receive a kiss goodnight (even if there had been, the fact that Regina kept glancing down at her mouth would have put an end to that), so she pulled the woman close before dipping down and pressing their lips together. Regina eagerly returned the kiss, fingers moving up to dive into blonde curls, scratching at the sensitive scalp in the way she knew Emma loved.

When a warm tongue slid along her lower lip, Regina moaned, automatically opening her mouth. Their tongues met, the slippery muscles dancing, stroking, and pressing into one another, sending shivers down Regina's spine and making her stomach clench with desire. She grew wet between her thighs, her clit swelling as Emma stepped closer, pressing their pelvises together. She could feel the beginning of Emma's hard-on and it turned her on immensely. Regina's hand drifted down to clutch at Emma's hip, squeezing it as she parted her thighs. Her hand moved further inward, but its progress was halted by Emma's hand.

"Wait, wait, wait," Emma panted, pulling away from Regina's lips.

"No," Regina protested, her voice sounding suspiciously like a whine.

Emma chuckled, pressing a soft kiss against her lips.

"I know, but I agreed to drop you off at your door and then go home. If we continue kissing like this, I'm not going to be able to stick to my plan to be a perfect gentleman tonight."

"And if I don't want you to be?"

Emma groaned.

"Don't tempt me. But I want you to have this memory," Emma said softly, looking into Regina's eyes. "I want you to have this memory of me picking you up, taking you to dinner, you having a good time I hope (Regina nodded), and then you being dropped off at home. I want you to feel like you were treated like lady."

Damn Emma and her need to be chivalrous. And damn herself for agreeing to stick to a traditional date.

"This is the best date I've ever been on."

"This is the only date you've ever been on."

Regina gave her a smirk.

"It's still the best one."

Emma reached up and stroked her cheek, leaning forward and kissing her softly.

"I want you to have this memory, Regina. Of being wined and dined, you know, without the alcohol, and then to lie down afterwards and think about what a good time we had. I want you to have the experience of being taken on a first date and for us to go our separate ways, and you agreed you wanted that for yourself too."

Regina sighed. She did want that for herself as well. She did understand Emma's intentions, what she wanted to give her, but unfortunately Emma's chivalry only made her want her all the more.

"Fine. We will stick to our plan to end things far sooner than my body would have liked."

Emma laughed, leaning forward and kissing her again. They kissed for several minutes, neither one making a move to deepen it, and when they pulled back, they smiled at one another. Regina's stomach clenched with desire as she watched Emma unlocked her door (she had given her a key months ago), wanting desperately to push the woman inside and drag her upstairs into her bedroom. She wanted to show Emma how much she liked her in that suit, wanted to slowly peel off that jacket before she got to her knees and thanked Emma for the perfect date in a way she knew the other woman would love.

Emma stepped back, a sucker punch of arousal hitting her square in the gut the second she looked over at Regina. She knew that look, knew exactly what the woman was thinking about, and it took every ounce of her restraint to back away from the door and not pull Regina inside. But they had agreed, so Emma took a step back and smiled at Regina, watching as she slowly made her way inside, lingering against the door for a moment (and demanding one last kiss) before she finally closed the door.