Chapter 3

The snow was really coming down as Regina walked through Boston Commons, sipping from her large travel mug full of blood from The Blood Moon, the snow collecting in her long hair. It was nights like this that she was grateful that Vampires could not feel the cold, knowing she would have frozen to death long ago if she was still Human. She didn't need to wear a coat in the winter, but Regina still chose to, wanting desperately to blend in with those around her, not wanting anyone to suspect her true identity. Those who needed to know what she really was already did, but to strangers she worked hard to fade into the background. And tonight was no different.

She sipped her blood slowly to avoid spilling and thus revealing her true identity to those in the Commons that evening with her. She made her way to a nearby park bench, close enough to watch the people ice skating on the ice rink ahead of her, but far enough away to avoid being seen. She wasn't looking for any trouble tonight, just a quiet evening in the Commons, watching the happy Humans skating in circles for hours. She liked watching Humans sometimes; it helped her to remember what her life had been like before she became a Vampire, and allowed her to daydream about what her life might have been if she wasn't forced into the shadows after being changed.

Her eyes fell on a young couple skating hand-in-hand, clearly on their first date. She tried to remember the last time she was on a date, realizing it was probably close to thirty years ago. Regina was alright with that though. She was content being alone, accepting long ago that she would never find a mate. She did her best not to think about it, trying not to dwell on certain things. However, no matter how hard she tried, she often found herself dreaming of finding a mate and what it would be like to spend the rest of eternity together. Those were the nights she felt the most alone. She had woken up from one of those dreams, which was why she chose to spend the night in the Commons, hoping that being surrounded by strangers would help her feel less lonely.

Her mind had begun to wander when a flash of blonde hair passed in front of her a few yards away. She snapped out of her daze in time to see the familiar blonde hunter walk past her, her long blonde hair tucked under a black beanie, snow collecting on the curls not contained in her hat. Since the first night she spotted the blonde hunter in the cemetery three months ago, as she was turning her Fledgling to dust, she had seen her every single night. For the past three months straight, everywhere Regina went, the woman was there as well. Even when she attempted to avoid the woman, going out of her way to not go to the usual places she would see her, she would still manage to pass the woman on the sidewalk. No matter what she did, she couldn't steer clear of the beautiful blonde hunter. A few times she had even spotted the woman walking past her building when she happened to be looking out the window. They had exchanged glances and smiles as they began to recognize each other, eventually building up to a quick "hello" as they passed each other. Luckily for Regina, after years of practice blending in, Regina had grown accustomed to smiling and speaking with her mouth closed, concealing her fangs, so each time she encountered the blonde, she was able to interact without revealing her true self.

The woman smiled a wide smile and waved hello as she rushed past Regina sitting on the park bench, clearly in a hurry to get somewhere. Regina settled back into the bench as soon as the woman was out of view, taking another small sip of her rapidly cooling blood as she tried to focus on the ice skaters gliding around in circles. But her mind instantly began to wander to the blonde woman she just couldn't seem to shake. Of all the times she had seen her over the past three months, tonight felt different. Maybe it was the snow that clung to her hair or the way the light from the full moon made her hair glow. Or maybe it was the wide smile that reached all the way to her eyes. Whatever it is, tonight felt different to Regina. She tried to shake it off as she tried to focus on the people in front of her.

It was a cold night in January when Emma left her apartment for the night. The cold air burned her lungs slightly as she zipped up her heavy winter coat as she began to make her way to Boston Commons, her assignment for the night. At least I'm on Commons duty tonight, she thought to herself as she entered the train station, waiting on the cold platform for the next train to the Commons. There's usually more activity at the Commons, which means I can at least keep warm. The Commons was always busier than any of the other locations, mainly because it was larger and with more activities for Humans. But that also drew in more rogue Vampires, looking to attack and feed from Humans just living their lives. She could see her colleagues roaming around the Commons as well, the large area made it necessary for multiple hunters to patrol to ensure nothing fell through the cracks.

She did a quick sweep of the area, quickly identifying a Vampire off to the side by the skating rink, licking his lips each time someone skated past him. Emma knew instantly he was a hungry Vampire, looking for his next meal. She quickly sprang into action, making her way toward the Vampire as fast as she could without arousing suspicion.

She nearly tripped over her own feet when she saw her sitting on the bench ahead of her. The woman she saw every night. The woman whose eyes seemed to sparkle and shine every time they made eye contact. The woman who made her heart skip a beat everytime she said "Hello". The woman who made her forget how to breathe the first time she laid eyes on her. The most beautiful woman she had ever seen in her entire life. She didn't even know her name, or even spoken more than a few words to her, and yet she finds herself thinking of the mysterious woman who seems to live in her own quiet world. Even from afar, Emma could see a sadness in the woman's eyes as she sipped her coffee and watched the skaters drift around. Emma smiled wide and waved wildly as she rushed past the woman, a smile that was quickly returned, the sadness leaving the mysterious woman's bright brown eyes for just a moment as they locked with Emma's green. As much as she wanted to stop and finally talk to the woman, she knew she couldn't. She had a job to do, and she needed to focus on the mission ahead of her before someone got hurt.

She shook her head slightly, trying to get the thoughts of the woman out of her mind as she approached her target, tapping him on the shoulder. She could see dried blood on the corners of his mouth, and by the looks of it, the blood was a few days old. Clearly, not all Vampires cared about their appearance. She flirted with the filthy man for a few minutes, eventually convincing him to follow her to a more discreet location, not wanting to make a scene. As soon as Emma's back hit a tree several yards away from the crowd, the Vampire leaned in for a kiss. He smelled horrible, and Emma nearly threw up at the thought of that man's tongue in her mouth. Luckily, he was too wrapped in seducing her to see her pull the wooden stake from the sleeve of her jacket and drive it deep in his chest. His body instantly turned to dust, the slight breeze blowing his remains toward her, covering her clothes in a thin layer of Vampire dust. Emma huffed as she quickly brushed off her red leather jacket and shook out her hair, making sure every speck of the disgusting man was gone, holding back a gag when she thought of how disgusting he had been.

The rest of the night was fairly uneventful, only one more incident that required Emma's attention, but ended with the Vampire in question leaving the Commons without the need for violence. Emma was doing one final round before calling it a night, when she noticed the woman was still sitting in the same spot, her body so still. Emma's heart stopped for a second when she thought the worst-case scenario, that she had missed a Vampire and the woman was a victim of a Vampire attack. She rushed toward the bench, ready to spring into action and take life saving measures if necessary. She was only a few feet away when she saw the woman shift slightly, brushing off a small pile of snow that had accumulated in her lap. Emma stopped dead in her tracks and released a breath she didn't know she was holding, relief spreading through her body. The woman was alright, just freakishly still. Taking this as a sign, Emma slowly made her way to the bench.

"Hi, uh…is this seat taken?" Emma asked, instantly regretting the cheesy opening line.

"Uh…oh…n-n-no go ahead…" the woman said, her back stiffening even more as she snatched the now empty travel mug, making more room for Emma to sit down. Emma quickly brushed off the snow that had accumulated on the bench before taking a seat next to the woman.

"I'm Emma, by the way. Emma Swan," Emma said, pulling off her glove and extending her hand to greet the woman.

"Regina…Mills…" she said. She hesitated at first before taking Emma's hand and shaking it.

"Gosh. Your hands are freezing!" Emma said, pulling off her other glove, offering them to the woman.

"It's okay. The cold doesn't bother me much these days," Regina said, folding her cold hands in her lap. "Besides, don't you need your gloves?"

"I always carry a spare." Emma smiled, pulling a spare set of gloves out of her jacket pocket. "I'm not as tough as you." Emma laughed. Regina smiled and took the gloves, slipping them onto her cold hands.

"Thank you," she said, smiling a little wider.

"You're out here late. Is everything alright?" Emma asked, suddenly regretting asking the question. "Sorry, that's really personal."

"It's alright. I'm more of a night owl these days," Regina answered, a slight chuckle in her voice.

"Yeah, me too." They fell into a slightly uncomfortable silence for a few minutes before Emma started fidgeting slightly, clearing her voice. "I hope you don't think I'm being too forward, but I've seen you almost every night for the past three or so months. And I've decided to take this as a sign from the Universe to ask if you would like to join me for a cup of coffee?" Emma asked, clearly nervous.

"I think it's a little late for coffee, don't you think?" Regina asked, half laughing.

"Oh, I didn't mean right now. It is kinda late. I meant another day. Maybe we could meet for coffee sometime…like…as a date…" Emma said. She was thankful that the cold air had already turned her pale skin red, as it gave her an excuse to hide the deep blush spreading across her face.

"Oh…well…I…umm…" Regina stuttered, trying to find her words.

"Oh hey, no it's okay. I understand. It was just a thought. No worries," Emma said, trying to hide her disappointment.

"No, it's not that…it's just…it's been quite a long time since I have…dated someone. I'm afraid I might not be as exciting of a person as you're used to," Regina said, her voice sounding vulnerable.

"I'm not that exciting either." Emma laughed. "And it's just coffee, I'm not asking you to move in with me."

"Touche," Regina said, feeling a little less nervous.

"Listen…" Emma said, reaching into her pocket for a scrap of paper and a pen, scribbling something on it before handing it to Regina. "…here's my cell number. Think about it and get back to me. No pressure." Regina took the paper, looking at it for a second before folding it and stuffing it in her pocket.

"I will."

"Great. Listen, I'm freezing, and it actually is getting late. I'm going to head home. You probably should too."

"I'm leaving shortly myself," Regina said, sensing that sunrise was near.

"Have a great night, Regina. I hope to hear from you soon," Emma said, standing from the bench.

"Wait, your gloves!" Regina said, swiftly pulling the borrowed items off her hands.

"Keep them. Maybe that'll persuade you to meet me for coffee." Emma smiled. "Good night, Regina," she added, turning and walking toward the exit to the Commons. She could feel Regina's eyes on her as she walked away, smiling at the attention.

Regina sat on the bench for a few more minutes, trying to process what just happened. She eventually made her way out of the Commons, taking the same path Emma had just taken, her hands planted deeply inside her coat, each one firmly grasping one of Emma's gloves.

She made a quick stop at The Blood Moon to fill up her usual glass bottle of blood before going home for the day. The entire time, all she could think about was Emma's invitation to join her for coffee. She was right; it had been a long time since she was in a relationship, many decades to be honest. But there was something about the blonde that intrigued her. Something about her that infiltrated Regina's thoughts and wouldn't let go. She didn't know what it was, but she knew this woman was someone special. She fell asleep that morning to the thoughts of the blonde hunter, dreaming about what it might be like to court the young woman.

The first thing she did when she woke up the following evening was send Emma a text message, letting her know she would be delighted to meet her for coffee whenever it was good for her.