Maybe

Emma looked over the couch in the corner of the billiard room where her mom lay passed out. The Vikings were all passed out on the floor surrounding her. Snow had beat them all at knife throwing AND pool, as well as shots of tequila. Though these men could put away their fair share of stout in their land, but tequila was unknown to them and landed them all in a pile of drunken Viking mess.

Every time one of them fell, Snow would yell out "Timber!" Followed by uncontrollable laughter. Regina and Emma had kept a watchful eye on her from the bar, and had even joined in a round of pool or two. Every time tequila knocked a man down, Emma and Regina would magic him to a spot on the floor on the far end of the room.

After the last man fell, Snow had begged Emma and Regina to place them in a pile on top of each other so she could take a warrior victory pose, one foot on top them, with their Viking helmet on her head.

"Please! Your father would get such a laugh out of it! He hated Vikings. Please, please, please."

Regina swore and quickly indulged her friend. Snow immediately took a seat on the couch with her propped up on them, and began sending the picture to every one of her contacts, every social media page she had, and any Vikings fan page she could find.

It was thirty minutes later that they found she had fallen asleep in that exact position. Emma snapped another picture for her mother, and magic'd the men apart. Making her mother comfortable on the couch, she turned to find a very amused Regina sitting on a barstool by a small table.

"She's going to be sorry tomorrow." Regina laughed, taking a dainty drink from her martini glass.

"How are you not with her? I've seen you drink at least five of those and a beer." Emma sat on the stool across from her.

"I'll let you in on a little secret." Regina slid her glass toward Emma, "Take a sip."

Emma took the offered drink and rolled her eyes. "Water? Really?"

Regina laughed. "I wanted to keep a clear head tonight."

"And what? Get me to become a drunken blubbering mess?" Emma downed the rest of her beer. She looked up and saw Regina's worried face. "I know, I know… you just wanted me to let go."

"Exactly. I didn't want to drink just in case things got… intense." Regina gave her a small lop-sided smile.

Emma let out a sigh of laughter, "You look so much like Henry when you do that."

"Do what?"

"Smile." Emma smiled back. "Thank you, Regina. I know what you guys were trying to do. I get it. Thank you for not letting me get too… intense."

"What are friends for?" Regina reached across the small table and squeezed Emma's hand. "Shot?"

"Yeah why not. I've been doing beer all night." Emma stood with Regina. She pointed at the table, "You wanna play a round?"

"Sure. You rack them, and I'll get us shots."

Regina walked away as Emma grabbed the triangle and began emptying the balls into it. As Emma leaned down to put them on their mark, Emma's eyes caught sight of Regina leaning over the bar to talk to the owner. Her eyes were level with her leather clad ass and hips. She let her eyes wonder down the woman's curves and back up again.

It wasn't until she saw those hips turn around and head back towards her that she shook her head and refocused on setting the table. Regina returned with a small tray of six shots. She placed them on the table and accepted a cue from Emma.

"Thank you. Do you want to break?" Regina reached for a chalk cube and began chalking the end of her cue.

"Nah, you go ahead." Emma took the cube from Regina and began doing the same.

"The owner's leaving. He said he trusts the town's Mayor and Sherriff won't let his new place burn to the ground. As long as we take the Vikings with us when we leave."

"Sounds like a plan." Emma said, "I didn't know you could play before tonight, by the way. Where'd you learn?"

Regina lined up her shot and hit, sending the colored balls flying in different directions, making two solids in. "I'm solids, you're stripes. And I picked it up after the first curse. I used to go down to the Rabbit Hole and play sometimes."

"The Regina Mills? Playing billiards in a small town dive bar? I don't believe it." Emma gasped in faux horror.

Regina laughed at her dig. "Well, I didn't always go in during regular hours. One undeniable truth in this world and any other, and that is that no woman can go into a bar alone, and not be harassed. Even in the most innocent and charming of ways."

Emma nodded in agreement. "Most of my bail arrests were in dive bars. Made it easier to cuff a guy after he pinches your ass."

Regina hit another ball in before missing. "Your turn."

"So what, you went in disguise or something?" Emma hit in one then missed. "Shit. OK maybe it's been a while for me."

"I can tell. Luckily we're not betting anything like your mother." Regina laughed and went to hit her next shot.

"So? Details, lady." Emma handed Regina a shot, they clinked glasses and threw them back.

"I used to go while they were closed. I didn't sleep a whole lot back then. It was before I had Henry. I had a lot of time on my own. Your turn."

Emma chalked her stick. "I hear that. After I got out of… well you know. I had a lot of alone time. I've always kind of had a lot of alone time. Looks like I will again."

Regina reached over and squeezed her arm. "You don't have to, Emma."

"Thanks." Emma put her hand over Regina and squeezed back. She released her to take her shot. "God, look at us. No more men. At least for a while."

"Ugh, I know. At this rate, I might just jump back to my female suitor days." Regina said simply, and watched as Emma shot the cue ball off the table, beaming one of the sleeping viking's head.

"What?!" Emma seemed to choke on nothing.

"Are you alright, dear?" Regina asked going to pick up the white ball.

"Did you just say female suitors?" Emma asked. "Plural?"

Regina laughed, "And?"

Emma just scrunched up her features, "I dunno… I guess I never pictured the Enchanted Forest being so… liberal."

"Well our world didn't have puritans ruining it for the rest of us." Regina shared the final shot with Emma.

"I can't believe I never thought about you being Bi before." Emma regarded her.

"And why would you ever ponder that, Miss Swan?" Regina teased as she went to sink another ball.

"I guess it would have been something else we had in common."

This time it was Regina who shot a ball off the table, Emma catching it easily.

"I take it I shocked you too." Emma laughed.

Regina took the ball from Emma, "You could say that. Although… you do seem to like leather a lot."

Emma' gasped and laughed, swatting Regina's arm, "Look who's talking Evil Princess of Leather and riding crops."

"Emma Swan!" Regina pretended to take offense. "I. Am a Queen. Remember that. You're the princess."

Emma laughed and bowed, "As you wish, 'highness. And don't call me that ever."

"What, Princess?" Regina teased as she sunk the eight ball, winning the game.

"Queenie." Emma shot back and they both laughed. "Ugh, ok I'm out of practice."

They sat back at their table.

Regina played with a napkin. "So… you've been… Sapphic?"

Emma laughed. "Yes. A couple of times. You?"

Regina tucked a curled hair behind her ear. "Yes. A couple of times as well."

Emma reached across the table and tucked another strand that had fallen, away from Regina's eyes. "I like your new hair cut by the way."

"Thank you. I missed having it short." Regina tried hard not to blush, internally chastising herself for reacting to her friend's attention.

"I always liked it short too." Emma flashed her dimples. "Where?"

"A few women in my Queen days. Mostly chambermaids. A couple here in Storybrooke." Regina avoided Emma's eyes.

"Before the curse broke?"

Regina nodded. "And after. Remember, some of those chambermaids are here." Regina blushed.

"Huh…" Emma thought about it, then gasped. "Not your assistant?"

Regina reddened more.

"Joy?" Emma laughed.

"I hardly think it's funny." Regina protested.

"It is when I slept with her too." Emma laughed again, this time Regina joined her.

"That didn't happen to be around the time we came back from Neverland, would it?" Regina asked, squinting.

"Yeah. Why?" Emma's eyebrow rose.

"Because I discovered a hickey on her that I know I did not put there." Regina laughed with Emma. "You were dinner dates?"

Emma laughed, "You were her lunch meetings?"

"Oh, God!" Regina wanted to be mortified but couldn't. "Wait then she put a stop to things very suddenly."

"Yeah with me too." Emma remembered.

They both looked at each other and instantly said, "Ruby."

"Yeah, I knew she ended up with Red after me, 'er, us. She broke poor Ruby's heart though." Emma saw Regina's questioning gaze. "She couldn't handle Wolfie. To her credit, she tried, but I think it was too much for her to understand. It wasn't too long after that Ruby took off to find her kind."

"I remember." Regina nodded.

"Say, did my mom or anyone ever tell you about Ruby?" Emma asked, smiling. Regina shook her head. "She found her true love… in Oz."

Regina's eyes shot up. "So help me, Emma. If you tell me she's having puppies with a flying monkey-"

"Eww, no way. She's in love with Dorothy Gale." Emma laughed.

"Dorothy? As in my sister's nemesis. She brook her curse?" Regina felt her heart tightened. "That's actually kind of beautiful."

"I know, right."

"I kind of hate her."

"I know, right."

The laughed again.

"Alright, it's decided. No more men. For completely opposite, but valid reasons, but no more. Who do we have to pick from?" Emma asked.

"Well Joy is now married to Stephanie the stable owner." Regina thought.

"Aww, really. That's actually really cute." Emma smiled. "What about Laura, the fisher?"

They both scrunched their noses and said, "Nah."

"There's always Granny. She's right up your alley. Feisty, knows how to wield a sword and shoot a crossbow." Regina teased, holding back a laugh.

"Fuck you." Emma threw her napkin at Regina. "Anyway she's already taken a liking to you."

Regina's laughter died, "What?"

"Come on, haven't you noticed how she always has your coffee ready for you every morning. She asks you if you want your usual all the time, and knows exactly what that is depending on the time of day and what mood you're in." Emma was biting her lip for laughing out loud. Regina's face was a deep red.

"You're an asshole sometimes, Emma." Regina tried but ended up laughing with Emma.

"What about us?" Emma asked, still kind of laughing.

"What about us?" Regina said, brushing lint off her skirt and straightening up, not catching the meaning of Emma's question.

"Have you ever… thought about… you and me?" Emma asked, tearing apart a napkin nervously.

"You and me… you mean… together?" Regina asked, noticing her heart skipping. "Maybe… once or twice. You?"

"Maybe… once or twice." Emma smiled. "I won't lie. When I first came to Storybrooke, I thought you were hot."

Regina's lips quirked. "I also… may have thought you were… attractive."

"Yeah?" Emma beamed, delighted.

"Well, red is my favorite color." Regina shrugged.

"I thought you hated my jacket." Emma asked.

"I hated you, therefore, by extension, everything about you."

They laughed together again.

"Is that all." Emma sighed. "I thought you were gorgeous."

"Really?"

"Yes, but in my defense, I've always been into dominant women." Emma winked at her in jest, but it made Regina blush.

"As I have always loved a submissive shy one." Regina winked back and laughed at Emma's confused face.

"Did you just call me submissive and shy?"

"I was kidding, Emma. You are anything but. You are challenging, hard-working, caring, lovingly strong woman. I've never met someone so determined when it came to what she wanted, and blowing through anything that stood in her way."

"Like you?" Emma asked sincerely. "You've fought so hard all these years since I've known you to become who you are now. I'm so happy we're friends, Regina."

There was a heavy pause between them. Both fidgeted with their hand on the table top. Emma reached over and took Regina's hands in hers. She didn't look up to meet Regina's gaze, but she could tell she was being watched.

"I know right now, we're both hurting, Regina. I know we both have fresh wounds near the surface of our hearts. And what I'm about to say means many things, but it's something I want you to know."

Regina swallowed hard. She ran her thumbs over Emma's, wanting her to continue.

"I love you, Regina. We've been at each other's side through a lot. We've raised an amazing kid, together. Shot down many foes, together. Overcome our fears and challenges, and always side by side. You're my best friend."

"You're mine as well, Emma."

"And I want you to know that if things are ever at a point where we've both healed, and feel the same way… I wouldn't be opposed to us… trying."

"Trying?" Regina repeated. "To be… together?"

Emma just nodded. "Emma five years ago would have just jumped you by now on the rebound, but I'm not like that and you're too important to me now."

Regina's eyes shot up again in surprise. "Really?"

"Are you kidding me? That hair, that skirt. I'd of had you in the bathroom twice while my mother was out hear playing with knives." Emma laughed lightly.

Regina swallowed at the heat rising under her collar.

Emma took her hand again. "Don't think so hard. You might hurt yourself."

Regina laughed with a sigh. "Well, dear, you can't just unload that visual in my head and not expect a reaction."

They were silent for a moment.

"I love you too, Emma. I want to you to know that I can count on one hand the people that I've ever said that about before now. I've never had someone like you in my life… a true friend. Someone I don't even have to say a word to, but know exactly what I'm thinking. You're an amazing mother to Henry, and WE have done right by him together."

Emma's lips quirked and her dimples deepened.

"And for the record," Regina straightened into her signature royal poise. "The Queen would have had you kneeling naked in her chamber, awaiting instruction."

Emma's smile and jaw dropped.

"Don't drool, darling. It's very un-princess like." Regina flashed her a smile.

"Well thank you for that visual." Emma laughed.

They squeezed their hands together again.

"So what do you think?" Emma asked.

"About your proposition?" Regina asked, Emma nodded. "So if we both happen to be in a place and time where we could be together without it being an emotional rebound… Would you take it seriously?"

"Of course." Emma ensured.

"No running away or being insecure if my past comes back to haunt me?"

"Been there, done that. Still here." Emma smiled.

"Then… maybe." Regina answered.

"Maybe." Emma laughed in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Regina stood and rounded to Emma's side of the table. She cupped her cheeks and turned her towards her. Leaning in she kissed Emma on the lips gently. Emma turned her body and pulled Regina to stand between her legs, as she deepened their kiss. When Regina pulled away, she kept their foreheads connected.

"Maybe. When we've both gotten over our thieves, and we feel we can. Maybe." Regina kissed her one more time before grabbing her purse to walk away. "Goodnight, Emma."

"Goodnight, Regina."