"Kid, for the last time no," her head was pounding with her son's incessant talking, the daunting pile of paperwork sat before her wasn't helping to alleviate her stress in the slightest.

"Why not?" he whined as he sat on the other side of the desk from her, it was 5pm and he had been at this since school had gotten out, luckily Regina was due to arrive at any moment to pick him up, she couldn't understand where this sudden idea had come from and she was slightly horrified that a 12 year old boy had picked up on things that she had only just come to terms with herself. "I mean, you like her right?" Was she really that obvious? She gave no indication as to her response but her silence spoke more than she ever could, he grinned in triumph, it was the first time she hadn't straight up deny his claims, "and I know she likes you too!"

This she rolled her eyes at, "kid, your Mom hates my guts, almost as much as she hates your Grandma's and that's saying something." She couldn't help the sinking feeling this was giving her as she spoke, every word to convince Henry that Regina didn't like Emma in that way was like a knife to her own heart, when had she fallen so deep?

"Nuh uh," was his mature response, "she doesn't even mention Grandma, like at all…" he furrowed his brow and looked at the ceiling as if it would give him the answer he sought, "actually, she hasn't talked about her since you came to town, now she doesn't stop going on about how much you irritate her."

"Gee, way to make a girl feel better huh?" she laughed but couldn't hide the hurt from her eyes.

He literally smacked a hand to his forehead in response at how dense she was being, "jeeze, adults really are stupid."

"Hey!" she protested but went no further as her heart plummeted when the sound of a familiar pair of killers heels clicking against the floor in the hallway sounded, Regina was here.

Henry looked towards the door as if it would tell him how much time he had left before turning to Emma once again, "it's tonight at 7, wear something pretty and come get her!"

Before Emma could protest once more, the woman in question appeared in the doorway and all speech seemed to fail her.

"Hey Mom," Henry called over to her with a smile, his little legs swinging back and forth on the seat as he showed no signs of moving, the brunette simply scowled towards the blonde before moving into the room to place a loving kiss on her son's forehead.

"Henry, I trust you've been behaving for Miss Swan?" she asked, Emma internally winced at the formal title, just once she wanted to hear her name rolling from those full lips she couldn't stop daydreaming about. When Henry nodded she merely smiled before turning to the blonde. "Well, I'll let you get on with your work Sherriff, thank you for taking him for a few hours." There was almost a smile, almost, "I assume you'll be by later to pick him up?"

She nodded in the affirmative, completely ignoring Henry's pleading eyes as he stood beside the brunette. She was far too captivated with the brown eyes that she simply wanted to drown in and never resurface, a flicker of something passed them as they remained on her own eyes but it was gone before she could decipher it.

"Okay, well I shall see you around 6 o'clock?" when Emma nodded again she gave one of her own in response and steered Henry towards the door.

She let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding upon hearing the fading heels on linoleum, why did she affect her so much after all this time? It was ridiculous but it was also unstoppable, there was nothing Emma could do about it. To avoid getting herself completely lost in thoughts of Regina, she immersed herself once more in paperwork knowing it was going to take twice the time now that she had seen the brunette in one of her form fitting power dresses, damn that woman and her incredible legs.

Henry had run to his room straight away upon arriving though it didn't hold the sting of rejection that it used to, he wasn't running to avoid spending time with her or read his book, he was following instructions to put away the things he had taken to Emma's the previous night and to school that morning, he was rushing in order to spend some time with his adoptive mother before she was to 'go out'.

He knew she wasn't, the mayor's ball was an annual even that took place every year just out of town and every year she would have someone babysit her son whilst she remained in the house drinking herself into a stupor in order to ignore the fact that she had no one and would most likely remain alone for the rest of her life. If only she knew what her son was planning.

Dinner was a pleasant affair for the mother and son as they spoke about his progress at school, Henry promising to show her the math problems he was currently stuck on when he returned home tomorrow evening. She spoke of his upcoming birthday and what he might like to do for it, a party was mentioned and if she really thought about it, there was no reason it couldn't be arranged – she wouldn't tell him that though, she knew how much her son loved surprises.

6pm came far too fast for her liking and as the doorbell rang signalling Emma's arrival, she found herself checking over her appearance in the mirror before the door for a reason she couldn't fathom, Henry had to supress his smirk at the bemused look on her face when she realized what she was doing, adults really were idiots.

"Right on time Miss-" but as she swung the door open, she found it wasn't Emma but her father, "David? Where's Emma?"

If he noticed the use of his daughter's first name when Regina realized she wasn't there, he didn't say anything. He merely smiled before giving a quick wave to Henry, "you ready to go kid?" when he nodded and moved to grab his overnight bag, David turned to Regina, "she…uh, she had a lot of paperwork to finish so…yeah" she frowned at his reply but all thoughts of suspicion were erased from her mind when Henry leaned up to kiss her on the cheek.

"Have a good time Mom, love you" he called as he ran towards David's truck.

"I love you too Henry, be good for your grandparents!" she responded and returned David's polite smile as he turned and left.

Closing the door she allowed herself to lean against it heavily, that time of year again. As she turned to walk into her office and begin the annual pity party she threw herself, she was stopped by another knock at the door…who could that be?

Opening it once again she furrowed her brow at the person she was met with, "I hear a certain Queen is needed at a ball tonight?" her mouth hung open slightly as the person brushed passed her and stepped into the mansion, "I'm no fairy godmother so I suggest you get moving and get yourself dressed."

She could only nod in response as she climbed the stairs to her room in a sort of trance, someone had come for her, and someone wanted to take her to the ball.

Her palms sweated as she looked herself over once more, she had chosen a black pantsuit over a crisp white shirt and matching black tie with her most killer heels and her hair pulled back into a high ponytail, the front braided across her hairline in order to keep it off her face. She looked pretty good, now if only she felt the same. The door shutting downstairs alerted her to her son's arrival and seconds later he was bounding up the stairs and into the room.

"Woah!" came his exclamation, "Emma, you look awesome!" she smiled despite the nerves she was feeling and allowed a shaky exhale. "So you're gonna do it?"

She nodded before words came back to her, "yeah kid, I am" it was more of a confirmation for herself than it was for her son but he grinned all the same before looking at the time.

"You gotta get going if you wanna make it for 7," he told her and she rolled her eyes at his authoritative tone, one that he most definitely got from his brunette mother.

Her parents weren't too pleased with her decision, especially since she had coerced David into lying for her, but they had accepted that she was a grown woman and Regina had been trying extremely hard lately. She gave them one more nervous smile before grabbing the bouquet of flowers she had picked up earlier and heading out of the apartment and climbing into her bug.

She gave herself one more look in the mirror, the mayor's ball wasn't exactly the Oscars but everyone strived to look their best, Regina was no exception. Having not planned an outfit, she had to make do with one of her older dresses that she hadn't wore since her first few years in the town. Graham had taken her on a couple of dates here and there meaning she had to have an appropriate outfit in order to keep him interested. She had long since replaced his heart after the casting of the curse but the advantage of his lost memories allowed her to successfully seduce the Sherriff.

She had chosen a simple black dress that clung to her toned thighs midway and showed her curves in all of the right places. Her eyes make up was simple due to the lashings of red lipstick she favoured, it wouldn't do to have too much on, the drama of it always seemed to remind her of her days as the Evil Queen, a time she never wanted to go back to.

Regina had given her hair soft curls and swept her fringe over to the left side of her face, she looked damn good if she did say so herself. She just wished it was the woman she wanted waiting for her downstairs, the blonde curls remained but they weren't the same. The green eyes that shone with intrigue and something Regina had never been able to place were replaced with that of a mischievous green, the shade too light to pretend they belonged to her blonde.

Tinkerbell looked up and smiled as she descended the stairway onto the ground floor, "you look beautiful Regina," she complemented as she held out her arm, "you ready to go?"

Regina took a deep breath before deciding, this was her chance to just forget it all and follow through with her plans of drinking herself to oblivion for one night but what would that give her? A night full of tears and a hell of a hangover? At least this way she could drink herself to oblivion with a friend by her side. Smiling once more, she threaded her arm through the fairy's and nodded.

"Lead the way,"

Her hands trembled as she fumbled with the keys to her car, she had turned the engine off and parked a little way away from the mansion. She would arrange for a cab to take them once Regina's shock had worn off and she had convinced her to allow the blonde to take her to the ball.

The air outside was slightly icy as the evening began it's slow descend, it allowed her to gain some clarity, why was she so afraid? She knew this was what she wanted and the worst Regina could say was no and they would go back to their old exchanges with Emma longing from afar. She could do this, she nodded to herself as her pace picked up, the mansion now in sight…with a cab already outside and Regina on someone else's arm…she looked absolutely breath taking, stunning and she was laughing like Emma hadn't heard since the times in Neverland where she would allow herself to let go and truly interact with the blonde. Times Emma treasured but were now becoming tainted with the same laugh directed at someone that wasn't her.

She couldn't swallow down the lump in her throat or hide her tears as the car pulled away and Regina left with Tinkerbell, the flowers in her hand felt like a lead weight yet she still moved down the path and placed them on Regina's doorstep, if things would have gone differently the woman would have received them in a different context but Emma had bought them for her, what was the point in letting them go to waste?

She couldn't help but choke out a sob as she piled back into her car and pulled away to return to her apartment and into her room to truly allow herself to feel the emotions threatening to drown her.

The ball was already in full swing as they arrived; many couples filled the dance floor and seemed to be enjoying the band playing. Tables lined the edges of the room filled with some sort of upscale buffet with many leaning against walls talking and eating whilst engaging in friendly conversation. The first thing that caught Regina's eye however was the bar, Tinkerbell laughed out loud as she was pulled directly to sit in a stool and given a dry martini to drink.

She eyed the brunette carefully as she sipped her drink, it was clear the woman had so much on her mind already and Tink would be damned if she let another love slip away. "So how long have you been in love with Emma Swan?" if it weren't for the seriousness of the question, she would have laughed at the comical way Regina choked on her drink and almost inhaled her olive, she gave a pat on the back to aid her but continued to smile knowingly at her, "don't even bother denying it Regina."

The Mayor could do nothing but look out at the couples circling the dance floor, she didn't know how long, she had only recently realized it herself. But what was the use, she was the daughter of her greatest enemy, the birth mother of her son whom she had practically gone to war with, she'd never feel that way about Regina, never. "I…I can't stop thinking about the idiot!"

The fairy did laugh this time but placed a comforting hand on Regina's forearm, "don't allow yourself to lose someone else Regina, be strong, take the chance, let your guard down for once," she watched the woman's internal battle raging within, a rogue tear escaped and trailed down her cheek but Tink caught it before it left her face causing the brunette to look at her with the same set of vulnerable brown eyes that had burned into her so many years before. "Don't let your fear of falling stop you from flying…"

Her head was burrowed into her pillow as her body shook with her cries, why was she mourning something she never had in the first place?...because she wanted it so much. She had never felt this way about anyone and now that stupid fucking fairy had to swoop in and rescue Regina like she always had, it made her sick.

Henry's wide eyes had filled with disappointment at the look on Emma's face, he had moved to comfort her when she walked in but one look from his Grandparents told him to stay put as she walked across the apartment silently and headed straight for the stairs.

"She'll tell us when she's ready."

So this is where she lay now, like a stupid, love sick teenager pining after someone she could never had, it hurt so much and she was sure the ache in her chest wasn't going to stop anytime soon…little did she know, a certain brunette was currently clamouring out of a taxi across town and picking up a little surprise on her doorstep.

Regina,

I hope I can make this night as special for you as what you are to me…

Yours, Emma x

Her heart pounded against her chest as she read the card over and over again, was she reading it right? Was that really Emma's name signed at the bottom of the card? She looked out towards the street ready to hail the cab she had just climbed out of but it was already gone, her car keys were in her house but her brain wouldn't allow her to make the choice to open the door, instead her legs simply began carrying her back along the garden path and out into the street where she began running as fast as her killer heeled feet could carry her.

"What do you think happened?" Henry asked, it had been a while since Emma had returned now and not a sound could be heard from the upper floor. He suspected she may have fallen asleep, that was much nicer than the alternative of her just lying and crying into her pillow all night.

Snow sighed deeply as she looked to her husband for help but neither knew what to do, this was all so new for them. Their relationship with their daughter had always remained more on the friendship side of things and whilst they would give her advice on things such as parenting Henry or problems in the town, her love life was not something she often spoke to them about. They were very surprised she had even come to them considering who it was she was falling for. "I don't know Henry, all I know is that when Emma does decide to come back downstairs, we need to let her speak okay? No questions asked."

He nodded in understanding and turned his gaze back towards the television, a small part of him felt guilty for planting the idea in Emma's head and nagging her so much. He was so sure that Regina liked her back, she never stopped talking about his birth mother, maybe it was simply what Emma thought, Regina actually did hate her…

All three almost shot out of their seats at the frantic pounding that began on the thick wooden door, whoever was knocking was doing it with some force, Henry couldn't help but smile…it was Regina.

"Oh uhm…" she looked shocked that she was even here, her hair was dishevelled slightly by the icy winds that had blown during her run over here, her breaths were coming in fast pants due to the exertion. "Is…Mi- Emma here?"

Snow's brow furrowed as she took in the usually well put together mayor, she was about to give the woman an earful about hurting her daughter when she noticed the flowers in her hand.

"Mom!" Henry shouted as he jumped from his place on the sofa and moved to wrap his arms around the, still panting, brunette, "what happened? What did you say to Emma?" he backed away with anger in his eyes now as if he had only just remembered the blonde upstairs.

"I…what?" she shook her head slightly in confusion, why did he look so upset with her?

"Emma, she went to take you to the ball but when she came home she was crying," Henry explained, his angry resolve faltering as he watched the shock wash over his mother.

"She…what?"

"You didn't know?" he asked again, now confused also, "she came to surprise you and take you to the ball…she didn't get there in time did she?" the puzzle pieces were falling into place now as realization hit Snow and David.

"Oh god…" Regina groaned as she covered her face with her free hand, "she must have seen me leave with Tinkerbell."

"Why would you go with her?!" Henry asked incredulously.

Regina instantly began shaking her head and placed a hand on her son's shoulder, the flowers still clutched possessively in her other hand. "No, Henry…I mentioned it to her a few days earlier and she wanted to take me as a friend…she…encouraged me to come here actually, I wasn't going to come but then…well, then I found these," she held up the familiar bouquet and Snow couldn't help but smile before speaking.

"Regina, did you run here?" David asked, he could still hear her laboured breaths from within the apartment and noticed the red blotches covering her neck as he rounded the door.

She looked down nodding sheepishly, she wasn't used to feeling this vulnerable, especially not in front of her greatest enemy and her husband. "I couldn't find my car keys…"

"EMMA!" they all jumped at Henry's sudden shout, Regina's face drained of colour, she didn't know if she was ready for this, "EMMA!" The sudden sound of slow footsteps made the choice for her, it was now or never.

"Jesus kid, where's the fi-" she stopped on the bottom step as her eyes locked with Regina's, if it wasn't for the rise and fall of her chest then she would be assumed frozen. "Regina…" she breathed. "What are you doing here?" there was no discreet way of wiping her tear stained face so instead she settled for allowing the woman to see the tracks that had been created.

There may as well have been no one but Emma in the apartment now for that was all Regina saw as she moved across the floor to stand in front of her. "I..."

Emma smiled nervously as she noticed the flowers in her hands, she also noticed the redness colouring the woman's cheeks and the heaviness of her breathing, "why are you panting?" it was tactless, it was to the point, it was Emma Swan.

Regina laughed despite herself, "I've been running…"

"Did…did you have fun?" it was the only other thing she could think to ask though she wasn't sure she actually wanted an answer, the brunette could see the pain behind the question instantly as Emma's eyes flicked to the floor by her feet.

"I didn't stay long enough to find out," Regina explained, still watching Emma's face as she worried her bottom lip. Her stomach clenched with nerves, anticipation and something else she couldn't quite name.

"Why not?"

"You weren't there with me."

Green eyes instantly snapped up to brown, neither heard the gasp from Snow White or the whispered 'yesssss', from their son as he pumped his fist out in delight.

"Emma…did you really mean that?" she held forward the note that had been attached to the flowers, the note slightly crumpled from the tight grip she'd had on it when running.

The blonde brushed profusely but didn't take her eyes away from brown as she nodded slowly, "every word," she breathed out; she had taken the last step down and was now practically toe to toe with Regina, she could feel every laboured breath as it washed over her face. "You…I don't know why and I don't know when it happened Regina but, you mean everything to me…I wake up in the morning with you on my mind. I feel like I can smell you everywhere, when something happens in the day I have to stop myself from picking up the phone and bother you with idiotic stuff just to hear the sound of your voice. I can't stop thinking about you, I feel like I'm going insane and…it physically hurt when I watched you getting into that cab with Tinkerbell today, I felt like I had lost you without ever having you…"

A tear slid from Regina's eye as she stepped forward into Emma's personal space, their mouths millimetres apart as a delicate hand came to push golden curls behind the younger woman's ear as she studied her eyes. Letting out a shaky breath, she allowed her eyes to drop to the pink lips before her.

"You've always had me Emma Swan." And with that, she closed the distance between them, the distance between their mouths and their hearts. As arms wrapped around a dainty waist and fingers buried themselves in dark locks, as mouths opened and tongues met in a passionate dance both knew this was not their happy ending, oh no, it was only the beginning.