The next day, there seemed to be an awkward air between them as they practiced in class, neither of them speaking to each other while they did so. It was a successful class period, but neither of them made any comments before leaving the room.
It was only later that night that either of them said anything to each other.
"Hey, Emma?" Regina said after they'd practiced for a few minutes.
"Huh?"
"You'll find the right guy. Someone better than Robin. Just be patient."
"Uh… No offense, but who said I was looking for a guy?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I… Sorry?"
"I'm… uh… into girls."
"What? Really? I was just joking when I called you a lesbo the other day…"
"Yeah, really. Is it that surprising?"
"Well… No… I guess not. I just didn't really think anyone else-"
"What?"
"Nothing. We should practice."
Biting her lip, Emma nodded and proceeded to perform the routine, but in the back of her mind, she was stuck on what Regina had been about to say.
The next few days continued like that, with neither of them saying much but working hard to perform at their best. Regina rarely scolded Emma, mostly because she was getting better with each passing day, and Emma tried her hardest to keep it that way. Two weeks later, though, just as they were perfecting their routine, Regina showed up to their evening practice with what seemed to be the redness of a handprint on her cheek.
At first, Regina was silent and simply prepared to begin their practice session, but Emma stood staring, and finally, the brunette noticed.
"What?" she asked shortly, hands on her hips.
"Regina…"
"What?" the girl repeated.
"Your face."
"Gorgeous, I know. Let's get going. We really don't have a lot of time."
Just as Regina was about to start the music, Emma reached out and stopped her hand.
"That looks like it hurt."
"I'm fine," Regina responded, pushing the other girl's hand away.
"I don't think you're fine. I think he hurt you and you don't want to talk about it."
"I hit my cheek on the wall when I was drunk, and no, I don't want to talk about it."
Emma looked skeptical and said, "That's some bullshit if I've ever heard it. You can talk to me, you know. I'm not gonna tell anyone."
Regina paused and looked up at her dance partner.
"No one?"
"No one."
"Ever?"
"Never."
"He got pissed off at me, because he thinks I'm sleeping with Killian."
"What?" Emma gawked. "Seriously?"
"Seriously."
"You should leave him, Regina. You don't have to put up with that. There are other people who will treat you better and take care of you and support you."
The brunette hesitated, but turned and hit the play button on the stereo, starting the music. Emma stopped the sound as soon as it came through the speakers.
"Hey. Regina. Come on. I'm serious," the blonde protested.
"Look, I don't have anything else to say about it. I just want to get this done, alright?"
With a sigh, Emma nodded and hit play on the stereo, then got into the starting position for their routine.
This time, though, Emma was distracted, constantly glancing over at the mark on Regina's face.
"Hey! Watch it!" Regina cried as Emma lifted her.
But Emma was too slow to catch herself, and though she didn't completely drop Regina, the girl slid down until her feet touched the floor, Emma holding Regina's body against her own to keep her from falling. When she noticed how close together their lips were, she blushed and quickly let go, but Regina suddenly froze and stared at her.
"Hey," the brunette said. "Look at me." When Emma lifted her head, she added, "What was that?"
"That was… I was just…"
"I'm fine, Emma. I can tell that you're worried, though I really don't get why, but I'm fine."
"Regina-"
"Don't. I'm not weak. I'm not a victim."
"You don't have to be a victim. You can be a survivor. You can get out of this," Emma told her, very nearly pleading with the girl to understand.
"You… You really care about me, don't you?"
"I… I do."
"You're crazy."
This brought a smile to Emma's lips as she nodded her head.
"Yep. Pretty much. But it's not exactly sane to stay in an abusive relationship when you're insanely gorgeous and could have any guy in the school."
Regina's eyes widened at the comment.
"Who says I'm looking for a guy?"
Emma raised her eyebrows involuntarily and stared at the beautiful brunette, unsure of what to say.
"You know," Regina continued, "you're not so bad yourself." Then, after a pause, she added, "And you're not such a horrible dancer. Let's try it again."
Red in the face, Emma proceeded to practice their routine, but she slipped up once more during the next lift, and caught Regina in her arms again. For the second time, their bodies and lips were close together, but this time, Regina reached out and stroked the blonde's cheek, a small smile curling her lips.
"W-What are you d-doing?" Emma stammered, unable to tear her green eyes away from the brunette's brown ones.
"I don't know, honestly."
And with that, Regina pressed their lips together in a slow kiss as she slid her arms around the back of Emma's neck.
At first, Emma was too shocked to move, but when she found that Regina wasn't stopping, she gave in and moved their lips together, savoring the taste of the girl's strawberry Chapstick.
"I do care about you," Emma said softly when they finally pulled away from each other.
"I think you should know by now that I care about you too."
The two smiled at each other, knowing that working together was about to get a lot easier.
A/N: And that's where I'm cutting this one off! Hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing. Wish I had a little more to say about this one, but for now... I got nothin'. Sorry, guys! Hopefully it was an okay ride.