AN: If you're all lucky, updates might come a little faster nowadays since I have two weeks off from everything ;) I never plan for there to be so much time between updates at times, but alas, real life does have an annoying habit of getting in the way.

It is official. At some point soon she's going to have to start trying to come to terms with the fact she really likes Emma Swan. Especially on account of these dreams she keeps having that seems content to escalate and keep appearing.

Regina sighs as she takes a sip of the coffee she's nursing in the kitchen, having cleaned up after breakfast earlier and now finding herself with little to do to pass the time until the sheriff returns, but contemplate their…relationship.

Quite frankly, just admitting to herself in the solitude of her mind that there is indeed something between them, is terrifying. But she can't deny that there's chemistry between them. Or that she wasn't happy when the blonde was off in New York. And not just because it made Henry miserable and made him go back to the rudeness she had gotten so used to after the curse broke – something that really irks her by the way, that it's come so far that her son needs his birth mother present just as much as he used to need her. She's really trying to come to terms with having to share him, even if her jealousy and possessiveness does shine through every once in a while.

No, it would be easy to say it was just for Henry, but it would be a lie. She had missed Emma's presence, her scowls, the princess curls, her hideous red leather jacket that she secretly kind of liked and that death trap she called a car. But most of all she had missed their interactions and what she has come to think of as playful banter.

Sure, to most it seems like they can't stand each other and are constantly throwing scathing remarks to try and hurt the other. But somewhere during all the chaos of the savior riding into town, trying to take her son, and breaking the curse, their encounters stopped being about scorn and hate. Instead their remarks started turning into suggestive jabs that made her feel alive again. And that is the simple and scary truth. Emma Swan makes her feel alive.

She can barely remember the last time she allowed herself to rely on and trust someone other than herself, and it frightens her how much she craves the blonde's company; how she makes her feel happy. It feels good to be near the sheriff, to tease her, to kiss her, to just spend time with her like on their 'date' yesterday. And that's part of the problem isn't it? When has anything that has made her feel like that ever ended positively?

She knows she's being a coward, something she's always loathed in others. But who can blame her after all the heartbreak and sorrow she has experienced? Still, she can't deny that she craves it, longs for it, like a man wishing for water in the desert.

The only thing she knows for sure right now is that if this thing between Emma and herself is ever going to stand a chance at surviving and evolving, she can't just sit around and wait for something that can defeat her mother. She can't put her faith in Snow White again. She's going to have to search for alternatives herself.

And why the hell isn't Emma Swan back yet?

Emma perks quickly in her chair as the telltale clicking of heels enter the station and she fumbles with some forms on her desk, trying to appear busy and not like she was half asleep only seconds ago daydreaming about a certain former Mayor and the dream she had the night before. It felt so real and even though she knows they're not at a stage to do things like that she's still allowed to fantasize about the time they will be, right?

When the former Mayor rounds the corner and comes into view, she glances up briefly before going back to her 'work' with the papers. She frowns at what she saw during her look, knowing from the woman's stony face and brisk walking that she's not pleased with something. And so she deliberately keeps from looking up, trying to prolong what she's sure will be an uncomfortable encounter.

Regina clears her throat in annoyance when it becomes clear that the blonde is avoiding acknowledging her on purpose and she watches with growing agitation as the woman slowly puts down her pen and leans back in her seat casually. How dare that, that girl ignore her. She is not some peasant like most of the rest of town.

"What can I do for you Regina?" Emma questions, her tone neutral, or at least as much as it can be when she knows the brunette is about to agitate her like she seems to be so good at. Not that the ability doesn't seem mutual.

For a moment, the former Mayor's eyes flash dangerously and she braces herself for a tirade. But then the woman seems to change her mind and her stance softens ever so slightly as her brows furrow and her mouth falls into a pout that shouldn't look quite as adorable to her as it does.

"Why didn't you come back?"

Wait, she's pissed because of that? She was only trying to be nice and give her some space. "Oh, I just assumed-"

"With you that's never a good thing," Regina cuts off, raising her brow in challenge as the sheriff opens her mouth to retort. The blonde closes her mouth with a grumble, crossing her arms and scowling at the woman who smirk pleased back at her.

Right. An offended Regina is a mean Regina. For a moment there she forgot that little tidbit. "What do you want?"

The brunette inhales and glances around casually, like she's bored and is seriously considering not telling on account of Emma's lack of manners when addressing her, and the blonde releases a low growl of impatience. "Regina," she warns, voice low and eyes blazing with annoyance.

"Oh, fine," the former Mayor replies with a sigh as she primly takes a seat, crossing one leg over the other, making her skirt slide a little further up to reveal just that little bit more skin. She smirks when the other woman's eyes quickly glances down before focusing back on her face, the blonde releasing a huff at how she's being deliberately infuriating. "I just thought you'd be interested in taking a little trip with me down to Rumpelstiltskin's shop to see if we find anything interesting."

"Why?" Emma asks skeptically, not a big fan of the gleaming white teeth and politician smile the other woman adapts. Nothing good has ever come from that particular look.

"Well, we can't wait around forever for your dear mother Snow to persuade Rumpel to give up the location of his dagger. We should look for something alternative; a back-up plan if you will."

"Are you sure that's all you want?" the sheriff asks with a frown, noting the silky smoothness of the other woman's voice, something she's come to think of as a hint that something isn't as it seems.

Regina drops her smile immediately, her brows furrowing in displeasure as her voice grows harder. "All I want is to make sure we get rid of my mother so Henry is safe. I wasn't aware that was a bad thing."

The blonde raises her hands in surrender. "Of course not, it's just, you had that look and that voice and it usually comes with ulterior motives," she tries to deflect, groaning silently at the way the other woman's eyes narrow dangerously at her. God, can she just one time manage to not rile up the former Mayor?

"I'm sorry dear, I wasn't aware," the brunette lies smoothly, both women knowing that's far from the truth. If there's one thing Regina is good at, it's manipulating others and getting her way. Emma chooses, perhaps wisely, to keep quiet. She's just going to have to pay extra close attention to what the other woman is up to.

"So what exactly is it we're searching for?" Emma questions as she look around at the endless trinkets and objects in Mr. Gold's shop.

She's purposefully choosing to avoid the topic of how the other woman used magic to get inside, knowing it will most likely only end in an argument over her promise to their son of not using magic and how it's more or less needed now that Cora is here.

A part of her is worried that Regina might be using it more often than she lets on and that the power might tempt her back to someone she used to be in the past. But the other part knows that she's stronger than that and that her need to prove herself to and regain her son is more important than magic. The woman is, luckily, not like her mother in that aspect.

"I'm not sure, I need to look around and see if – that sneaky bastard," the brunette exclaims angrily, making Emma jump and watch confused as she strides over to something large covered by a blanket that the blonde knows weren't there the last time she was here.

"What is it?" she asks curiously as she hurries over, only to inhale a large amount of dust as the other woman tears the blanket away, leaving her in a fit of coughs. She splutters for a few moments before she looks up and sees the frame of what is supposed to be a large mirror, the glass it encased obviously broken a long time ago.

"It's a portal."

"A what now?" Emma retorts immediately, doing a double take at what she knows shouldn't be possible except she keeps forgetting that magic is something real in Storybrooke now, not just something to be read in books, and watching Regina huff in annoyance at having to explain something so simple.

"Before it broke it was a window between two realms. It's how I got rid of my mother the first time."

She perks up at the woman's explanation. "Awesome! So then we fix it and we can get rid of her again."

Regina shoots her a thoroughly unimpressed look at that. "Do you really think it's that easy to make it work again? And even if it was, it would be foolish to think Cora will fall for the same thing twice." After all, she didn't. That's the problems when villains aren't all black. They learn from their mistakes, they evolve, making it that much harder to get rid of them again.

The blonde sags in defeat at being shot down so efficiently and so quickly. "But we could at least try right?" she offers sheepishly, but the former Mayor simply purses her lips and moves away from the mirror frame to search for anything else that can be of significance. Emma tries her best to keep an eye on the other woman and feign interest in the things around her, but every so often her gaze keeps wandering back to the broken mirror.

Eventually the brunette releases a sigh as she moves to stand in front of the empty frame once more, and she doesn't need to speak for the blonde to know that she found nothing else of relevance.

She watches intrigued as Regina gingerly moves her hand to the frame, stroking it almost reverently, like a child would an old toy being rediscovered after many years. She doesn't know why or how, but something is drawing her towards the broken mirror, tempting her, silently whispering for her to stand next to the other woman. Slowly, Emma moves her hand to mirror that of the brunette's on the other side of the frame.

The former Mayor's head snaps to the side to look at her in confusion, but before she can so much as open her mouth to ask what the other woman is doing, they both shudder and release a gasp.

The feeling she's currently experiencing is not something Emma has ever felt before. The best description she can think of is like something is being sucked right out of her. But where she expects pain there is none. Just the growing sense of…tiredness. She tries to pull her hand away, but finds herself unable to, like something invisible has taken hold of her and refuses to release her.

Suddenly terrified, she looks over to the other woman, hoping to find reassurance, but finding only brown pools mirroring her own fear. She opens her mouth to speak, to scream, to do something, anything, but before she can do any of those things a flash of blinding light bursts forth from the broken mirror. Emma closes her eyes automatically to protect her retina as she is propelled backwards by an invisible force. Her back hits something sharp and she cries out as pain shoots straight up her spine before her head impacts with something solid.

For a long moment everything is black and the sheriff has half a mind to wonder if she's lost consciousness, before she realizes she wouldn't feel like she might throw up if she did. Somewhere far off, her name is being called and she blinks rapidly, trying to make the black dots that fill her vision disappear. It takes a few seconds and a lot of concentration, but slowly she's able to focus on the worried face of Regina Mills bending over her.

She tries to move and releases a groan as jolts of pain shoot up her back once more. "What the hell just happened?" she demands groggily, watching the brunette release a relieved breath that she appears to be more or less okay.

"It was…Magic," the former Mayor breathes, voice filled with awe and confusion, and Emma turns her head just slightly so she can look behind the woman. And she sees it then, what Regina is talking about. Where there was previously just an empty frame, there's now unmarred glass.

"Did we fix it?" she asks, feeling stupid once the words leave her mouth because of course they did. Why else would she be flung backwards by something intangible and feel so drained, and a non-broken mirror standing before them?

The brunette simply laughs and reaches her hand down for the other woman to take, which she does with gratitude, leaning heavily on the counter she was apparently just thrown against.

"I feel so…exhausted."

"Magic does that when one is as inexperienced as you," Regina snarks, but there's no hiding the wonder on her face at what just transpired.

The blonde winces as she stands, knowing she's gonna get a hell of a bruise on her back. And then her legs threaten to give out completely as an arm encircles her waist and pulls her tightly and securely against the former Mayor in support. Maybe she needs to get hurt more often.