AN: Set before the curse breaks.

Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT, etc...

Emma was waiting for Ruby to finish her shift at the diner so they could go bowling. It had been a quiet week at the Sheriff's station so Graham had let her pack up early. Unfortunately Ruby was having the opposite problem. A dozen tables were calling for her attention and there was still no sign of her replacement, which meant that Granny wouldn't let her go yet.

Emma heard the sound of the bell over the front door and hoped it was the other waitress. She turned around to check and caught Regina's eye as the mayor headed towards the window table.

"Sorry Em." Ruby said walking past, carrying a stack of empty plates. "Perhaps we should cancel?"

"No, I can wait. Do you need a hand? I worked in a café as an after school job."

"Can you make the drinks? I can cover the till and the food orders. You're a lifesaver."

Emma slid off the barstool and headed behind the counter. She checked the buttons on the coffee machine, just in case there was anything she didn't recognise and began lining up some empty cups as Ruby passed over a few slips of paper from her notepad.

"I'll put the names on the paper instead of table numbers. Any questions?"

"I've watched you make drinks a thousand times, I think I know where everything is." Emma took off her jacket and folded it under the counter, out of the way.

"I owe you."

When Emma looked around Ruby had already disappeared back out into the busy diner. She looked at the drinks ordered written in Ruby's familiar handwriting and got to work. After a while she got into the routine of making the drinks and was able to take five minutes as she waited for Ruby to return with the next request.

"Coffee for Regina." Ruby told her when she finally returned. "I'd better make it, you know how she gets."

"Sure."

Emma stepped out the way and watched Ruby steadily pour the milk and hot water into the cup until it looked just right. Already Leroy was complaining about being kept waiting so Emma offered to take the coffee over while Ruby served him.

She carried it over to the mayor's table, nervously checking the floor in case there was a trip hazard. Regina was busy reading something, but Emma didn't want to spill the coffee or fall over. Sometimes gravity just seemed to have something against her and tried to make her look like an idiot so she carried it on a tray. That way if some of it spilled over the edge of the cup it wouldn't get on the floor and pose a danger for other people.

"There you go." Emma said, smiling in relief at she set the coffee on the table and hugging the tray to her chest.

Regina looked up from her book, surprised to see that Ruby wasn't bringing her drink over. "Miss Swan?"

"Just helping out a friend. Diner's busy today."

"I hadn't noticed."

"Good book?"

Regina shrugged as if the conversation didn't really interest her. "Shouldn't you be at work?"

"I've finished for the day. Storybrooke is a quiet town, there's not much to do. Is it always like this?"

"It's a small town." Regina looked at the coffee.

As if sensing her concern Emma laughed. "Don't worry, Ruby made it."

Regina took a tentative sip and nodded as if she could tell.

Emma lowered the tray and tucked it under her arm. "I guess I'll leave you to your book."

"Thank you." Regina looked up, and then stared at Emma.

"What? Did I spill something?" Emma looked down, but she couldn't see anything wrong.

"Nothing Miss Swan." Regina shook her head and picked up her book.

Emma double-checked her t-shirt. Still nothing wrong with it. She shrugged and headed back to the counter.

It wasn't until later that evening as she looked in the mirror that something occurred to her. In all the time she had been in Storybrooke, the mayor tried to spend as little time as possible looking at her. Clearly this t-shirt with it's bright colours and humorous cartoon had caught her attention. For a moment she even suspected Regina was going to talk to her. Part of her wanted Regina to notice her. There was something about the mayor, maybe because she seemed so mysterious and aloof from everyone else, maybe because she was the most gorgeous woman Emma had ever met. When she smiled at Henry, she became the hottest woman on the planet.

Control the crush, Emma mentally scolded herself.

Unrequited crushes were the quickest way to get hurt. Unless… but no, Regina would have to know she existed first. Well, other than as Henry's birth mother. The animosity… no the tension, she corrected herself, over that was just the first obstacle. She took another look at the t-shirt and had an idea.