A/N: And we continue with the second season, this season becomes more about getting to know our Agent Mills... as much as we can anyway. We know how they feel about each other, mostly, but we see it more and more in Regina this season. enjoy~S.K.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith

Back at the Apple store, Emma hurried over to Mal, eager to discuss what she had just witnessed between Regina and Daniel. "Um, so what's the deal with the... with the mission tonight? Regina said you were working on the plan?"

Mal rolled her eyes, responding with sarcasm, "Yeah, we're making it airtight so even you can't screw it up."

Emma shot back with a hint of irritation, "Thanks for the vote of confidence." She then tried to steer the conversation to the topic that was really on her mind. "So what's the scoop with the... you know, the Smiths?"

Mal couldn't resist a teasing smirk, "Why, you worried Daniel is going to steal your girl?"

Emma held her palm up, defending herself, "Okay, you know what? First of all, Regina and I are purely professional, so I resent any accusation otherwise." She looked around, trying to change the subject quickly. "And second of all, I can't take an interest in my coworker's mission? I mean, I figure if I'm going to be stuck being a spy for a while now, I think, you know, I want to learn a little lesson from... the master."

Mal narrowed her eyes, a bit skeptical but willing to provide some information. "Hmm. All right, the microchip is stored inside a vault in Von Hayes' mansion. All Daniel and Regina need to do is slip out of the main ballroom and grab it."

Emma still had questions, though. "Well, aren't people going to be asking questions if they see them snooping around the house?"

Mal explained their strategy, "Daniel and Regina will be very affectionate. That way, no one will ask them any questions when they're looking for the vault. That's the beauty of PDA."

At the yogurt shop, Regina was meticulously wiping down the countertops, her thoughts consumed by Daniel's unexpected return. She was trying to figure out her feelings and how to navigate this situation. Daniel watched her closely, and he couldn't help but comment, "The company really knows how to put you into a cute outfit."

Regina rolled her eyes, maintaining her professionalism, and replied, "We're not undercover yet, Daniel."

Daniel smirked and took a step closer, teasing, "Well, you can't be too careful. You never know who's watching, Mrs. Smith."

Regina took a deep breath, trying to keep her emotions in check, and responded, "Yeah, uh... about the Smiths, I really think that we should keep it strictly a cover this time." She looked at Daniel with a hint of concern in her eyes. "Okay?"

Daniel furrowed his brows, sensing that something might be amiss. "Everything all right?"

Regina nodded quickly, offering a forced smile, "Yeah, it's just with Fulcrum getting closer and closer, we should be... focused." She moved to stand in front of Daniel, maintaining her composure but avoiding any intimate closeness. "You know, no distractions."

Daniel nodded slowly, still watching her closely. "You're right… Yeah... no distractions." He paused, studying Regina with a hint of disappointment. "I have to admit, though, it sure was fun while it lasted."

Regina couldn't help but feel a mixture of relief and sadness at Daniel's response. She knew that keeping a professional distance was the right decision, but it didn't make it any easier.

As Emma was preparing to leave work, she had a pleasantly unexpected visit from her sister, Kathryn. Emma greeted her with a warm smile and said, "Hey!"

Kathryn's response, however, was a bit more tentative, making Emma pause and inquire, "Hey, I was just on my way home. I got this thing to do with Regina. What's going on?"

Kathryn stopped in her tracks, her expression a mix of uncertainty and cheerfulness. She then explained, "I went by the Orange Orange to ask Regina to be a bridesmaid..."

Emma's smile grew wider at the sweet gesture, and she genuinely replied, "That is so sweet, Kathryn."

However, Kathryn continued, her tone changing, "Yeah. Um… Emma, when I got there, I saw her holding hands with some guy. I think it might be her ex."

The first thing Kathryn noticed in Emma's reaction was panic. Emma was quick to ask, "Really? Uh, did you, did you get a good look at him?"

Kathryn, somewhat surprised by her sister's reaction, answered, "Well, I couldn't, 'cause he was faced the other way, but, uh, dark hair, sort of classically handsome…"

In Emma's eyes, Kathryn observed a slight blush and a hint of jealousy, even though Emma was denying the man's handsomeness. Emma responded, "I don't know if I'd… I'd call him classically handsome. Maybe from like a weird angle or from really far away, maybe that… They were holding hands, huh?"

Kathryn then saw a sense of acceptance in Emma's response, as Emma said, "Yeah. I'm really sorry, Emma."

Emma shook her head, dismissing her feelings, and said, "Don't be… Don't be, Kath, why? Why be sorry? No, it's all good. She was probably just letting him down easy. Trust me, things have never been better between us." Despite her words, Kathryn couldn't help but sense that her sister's feelings were more complicated than she let on.

Emma arrived at Regina's hotel dressed in a feminine tuxedo vest and shirt, the uniform for wait staff at the party. She knocked on Regina's door, and when Daniel opened it, he looked her over and made a playful comment, "What, no rose for me this time, lover?"

Emma rolled her eyes, unamused by Daniel's remark. "Cute," she responded as she walked into the room. "We're just protecting our cover."

Daniel tried to make small talk, asking about sales at the Apple store, but Emma sensed his disinterest in the conversation and replied, "Yeah, as a matter of fact. The Apple Store is good. We just got a new MacBook SMC firmware update. So, you know, things are a little nutty."

"I can imagine," Daniel said, still showing minimal engagement.

As Emma finished putting on her bow tie, she asked him about staying with Regina, and Daniel casually replied, "Protecting our cover."

Emma couldn't help but reflect on her own situation with Regina, so she asked, "How are things between you guys?"

Emma answered, "They're good. Good, good, good… Solid." She was hesitant about any implication that she might be falling for Regina, the same situation she had been in when Daniel had stolen Jill away from her.

Daniel shared his concerns, saying, "It's just she's a beautiful girl pretending to be your girlfriend. I was afraid you'd let the lines get blurred and fall for her."

Emma scoffed at the idea of falling for Regina, brushing it off. "What? Me, fall for Regina? Please." She ran her hands through her blonde hair, trying to change the subject.

Regina entered the room, wearing a salmon-colored dress with a sexy cut that left Emma speechless. Her insides quaked at the sight of Regina, and she managed to stammer out a quick response, "Hey."

Regina asked for her opinion on her outfit, and Emma replied a little too quickly, "Good! Yeah, yeah, real good. Except Red is more my color, so… Or salmon or whatever that is," before quickly walking away, clearly flustered.

Emma seamlessly navigated the bustling party, her gaze constantly drawn to the conspicuous display of affection between Regina and Daniel, a torment she had to endure for the sake of the mission. The charismatic host, Von Hayes, delivered a charismatic speech, his white suit gleaming in the spotlight, and the crowd erupted in applause.

As Von Hayes continued his speech, Emma kept a watchful eye on the couple, her discomfort growing. "Hey, Swan," Mal's voice came through her earpiece. "Von Hayes is at table eight. Grab a bottle of wine, see if you flash on him."

Emma acknowledged the order with a smile and moved towards table eight. However, her attention was repeatedly diverted to the mesmerizing tango being performed by Regina and Daniel on the dance floor. Their graceful spins and the sensuous sway of Regina's hips left Emma momentarily entranced.

Mal's stern voice snapped her back to reality. "Hey, quit screwing around, Swan. And get close to Von Hayes."

Approaching Von Hayes' table, Emma began serving the guests, but her eyes involuntarily darted back to the alluring dance. In a moment of distraction, disaster struck as she accidentally spilled wine on Von Hayes' lap.

"Oh!" he shouted, taken aback by the mishap. Emma quickly reached for a napkin, attempting to rectify her mistake. "What the hell are you doing?" Von Hayes demanded.

Emma stammered, "I'm so- I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

Von Hayes, clearly irritated, swatted her hands away. "No, no, stop! Stop!"

In a flustered state, Emma muttered, "Okay, you know, I'll go- I'll get a fresh bottle- I'm so sorry, sir."

Von Hayes sighed, "You do that. Good help is so hard to find these days."

As Emma walked away, she whispered into her wrist communicator, "Mal, I didn't flash on anything."

Mal's voice crackled in her earpiece, "Keep looking, get your head in the game." Emma took a deep breath and returned her attention to the dance floor.

A fellow waiter joined her, his leer suggesting amusement at the intense tango. "Lambada!" he commented with a sly grin.

Emma replied in a daze, "The forbidden dance."

As the dance between Regina and Daniel escalated, the onlooking waiter remarked, "Get a room, right?"

Emma's distraction led to her fumbling, and she dropped a bottle she was holding. "Oh! Oh!"

Von Hayes approached her, livid. "Are you on drugs?"

Emma shook her head fervently. "No!"

Von Hayes scolded her for ruining an expensive bottle of wine, and Emma stammered, "I'm so very sorry, sir."

The supervisor arrived, concerned about the commotion. Von Hayes turned to him and berated Emma, exclaiming, "You have succeeded in hiring possibly the worst waiter in history!"

The supervisor firmly told Emma that she was fired and began to escort her out. She protested desperately, "No, no, no, no, no! I need this job! Please don't fire me. Have some compassion, some mercy!"

As she was being led away, Emma overheard a conversation between Von Hayes and a man who had approached him. The man inquired about a microchip, and Emma had a sudden realization, a flash of voice recognition. She heard the man say, "Perhaps... we could talk in private."

Desperate and unwilling to give up the mission, Emma implored, "Hey, ho, wait, no, no. Just let me finish my shift."

Emma stood just outside the mansion, facing the surveillance camera, and waved in a mocking gesture. "Moron," Mal muttered with a shake of her head. "Daniel and Regina are at the vault; come back to the van."

Emma shook her head. "No... I flashed on a FULCRUM agent, but I didn't see her face."

Mal insisted, "Wait, wait, wait, we need to know what she looks like. Go back inside and get me a real I.D."

"I'm locked out," Emma replied to the camera.

Mal, with a few keystrokes, connected to the security system. "Yeah, well, since I'm not a complete idiot, like a certain someone, by which I mean you, I tapped into the security system. Try it now."

"Pretty impressive, Mal," Emma said as she walked back through the door.

Mal instructed her, "All right, just get in there and find the FULCRUM agent. You got five minutes. Go!"

Emma proceeded into the dining room and took cover as Von Hayes and the female agent brought him there for a conversation. "You promised us the decrypted chip two weeks ago, and instead, you're throwing a party."

"Well, what's the point of being rich if you can't have a little fun?" Von Hayes stalled nervously.

The agent pressed, "You have decrypted the information on the chip?"

"Yes, yes, it's all finished," Von Hayes stammered, clearly shaken. "The, um, question is where's my fee?"

"Forget the 15 million," the agent said and shot the man behind Hayes, causing him to panic.

"Oh, my God!" Von Hayes was now trembling, and Emma remained hidden beneath the table, staring into the dead man's eyes.

The agent continued, "I think I'll just take my chip," leveling her gun at Von Hayes.

"It's in my vault," Hayes fumbled with his keys, dropping them on the ground. "Um... I'll take you r... I'll take you right there."

Emma noticed the chip on the keychain and immediately flashed on it. Suppressing her excitement, she observed Hayes leading the agent to the vault. "Oh, Mal, Mal," she said hurriedly, "the microchip is not in the vault. It is on Von Hayes' keychain. And I also got a really good look at the FULCRUM agent."

Mal asked, "What'd she look like?"

Emma began to describe her but was suddenly interrupted by the unmistakable click of a pistol being cocked, the cold metal of the gun now pointed directly at her face.

"Did you say FULCRUM?" the agent inquired, her voice dripping with menace.

On the other end of the mansion, Regina and Daniel were informed that the chip was not in the vault. Regina swiftly responded, "Talk to me, Mal. What's going on?"

"Von Hayes is on the move," Mal reported.

"Where?" Regina asked, with Daniel now standing beside her, both ready for action.

"He's headed for the front," Mal continued. "He's got the chip."

Without hesitation, they turned and spotted Hayes at the mansion's front door. "Freeze! Federal agents!" Daniel shouted. Hayes made a run for it, and Regina and Daniel gave chase. But then, Mal's voice came over the comm.

"Hey, FULCRUM agent has Emma," Mal informed Regina. "She's leaving out the back door." Regina froze, her heart pounding.

"She's what?" Regina's voice was filled with alarm.

"She's in danger," Mal emphasized. "That FULCRUM agent will kill her if we don't act..."

Regina couldn't wait. "No, our covers are on that microchip," Daniel interjected urgently. "If we don't get it, all of us get killed."

Regina hesitated for a moment, torn between the mission and Emma's safety. She then made a split-second decision and turned to go after Emma. "Regina!"

Daniel called after her, but Regina was determined to rescue Emma.

Out back, Emma found herself at gunpoint with the FULCRUM agent. She tried to talk her way out of the situation, her hands raised in a sign of surrender. "You gotta believe me! The whole creepy elfin thing was a compliment, I swear!" Emma babbled, being pushed forward by the statuesque woman. "Ever since my 6th-grade librarian introduced me to The Hobbit, I've been hooked on 'em. I don't know if it's the eyes or the ears..."

"Shut up, Georgie!" the agent snapped, clearly uninterested in her ramblings.

Emma was silenced, and they continued moving.

Then, a shout from behind interrupted the tense situation. "Emma, duck and cover!"

Heeding the warning, Emma quickly dropped to the ground as shots were fired over her head. She covered her ears and stayed low until the FULCRUM agent moved away.

As Regina rushed toward Emma, concern in her eyes, she asked, "Emma! You okay?"

Emma slowly got to her feet, checking herself for any injuries. "Hey," she replied, trying to shake off the shock, "I'm, uh... yeah, yeah."

Regina's relief was evident as she said, "Yeah. Okay..." However, their moment of relief was short-lived when they heard a ticking sound. They looked down and saw an explosive device on the ground. Panic set in.

"Run!" Regina yelled, and both women sprinted for cover behind a nearby car. Just as they reached safety, the explosive device detonated. But in the chaos, Regina was thrown by the blast, hitting her head and falling unconscious.

"Regina!" Emma cried out in desperation.