Emma shook her head hastily. "Not tonight. I promise."
Regina nodded knowingly and removed her fingers. "One more and we'll go."
"Hmm," Emma tapped her chin in thought, the last of her nerves leaving her as she scoured in her brain for a good question. "Would you have still written to me if that reporter guy didn't ask you to?"
Regina bit her lip and shook her head. "No," Regina admitted, watching Emma deflate. She added earnestly, "but I'm so glad I did."
Her clarification made Emma feel better, and Emma found herself taking the brunette's hand again. She was never a touchy feely sort of person, and she was banking that Regina wasn't either, but there was something drawing Emma to her that made it so easy to be this comfortable. "I'm glad you did too."
Their eyes locked for a moment as they continued to smile shyly at one another, palms pressing hotly in their own familiar embrace, and Emma swore, Regina's eyes were like the deepest pools of chocolate she could drown in. A nervous tug fluttered in the pit of her stomach as she forced herself to turn away and gauge at the field, now scarce with vehicles.
Without another word, Emma started her bug and pulled onto the gravel road, exiting the drive-in and turning onto the old road back to the interstate.
It was nearly eleven by the time the beetle entered Storybrooke again. The moment they had shared in the car was put behind them as they easily slipped back into casual conversation, though Emma was slightly unnerved by the fact that Regina had somehow successfully commandeered the radio. She pulled up into the mansion's driveway and took a moment to allow the final minutes of their alone time to settle in. They would have to do this again sometime, and hopefully soon. Maybe when Emma came back they could make some sort of tradition out of this.
"So," Emma grinned, waggling her eyebrows, "was this 'date' satisfactory?"
"I believe you're forgetting something," Regina retorted, rolling a shoulder coyly as Emma's eyes widened at the insinuation.
Clearing her throat, Emma licked her lips slowly and lowered her voice. "Something to give this town gossip to talk about."
"Perhaps," Regina whispered, her eyes darting to Emma's newly glistened lips.
They held each other's gaze, and Regina swore her heart beat loud enough for Emma to hear. The air inside the Volkswagen was thick and hot, though it had nothing to do with heater since Emma had regretfully informed her earlier it was broken. No, this heat was coming off both of them, and Regina couldn't find it in her to tear herself away. Her eyes darted from the green of Emma's eyes to her pink lips. God, why was she so focused on her lips? They were just friends, that was all. Their jokes were simply playful after all. But Regina wet her own lips and swallowed sharply, unconsciously closing the space between them.
Her heart thumped in her ears as Emma moved closer and closer, and Regina was vaguely aware that a few of Emma's fingers were dancing on her knee.
Regina gasped suddenly pulling back and scowled, immediately releasing herself from the seat belt and storming out of the bug with a purpose.
"Regina?" Emma called, slipping out and slamming her own door shut, jogging to catch up with the suddenly fired up Mayor. "I'm sor-"
Regina let herself into the mansion, Tina's name on her lips, and it was then Emma realized that despite the late hour, a majority of the lights were still on in the house.
"Mommy!" Henry's quick pitter-patter sounded from the play room as he slid along the hardwood in his footie pyjamas and launched himself into Regina's legs. "I stayed up!"
"I can see that," she said disapprovingly, glaring at the haggard looking Tina who exited the play room with her hair up in a haphazard bun. At least she had the decency to look a little frightened.
Emma took a knee beside Henry, and the boy immediately began climbing into Emma's lap and weaving his way onto her back. "It's way past your bedtime, kid."
"I know, I know." Tina already had her hands up. "He's a lot more receptive to nap time during the day, I swear."
"Why is he awake, Ms. Bell?" Regina asked briskly.
"He was very excited to have a babysitter in the evening, and after his bath, I read all his stories, but he still had quite a bit of energy, so I let him play it off." They both turned to the clearly overactive child using Emma like a jungle gym. "It didn't work though."
"I can see that." Regina replied curtly, burning holes into Tina's gaze before the petite blonde looked away abashedly. Satisfied with her display of power, Regina fished into her purse for a few bills and handed them to Tina curtly. "Good night, Ms. Bell."
Tina donned her coat and gave Henry a hug before glancing shyly at the newly arrived adults. "So you had a nice night then?" It was Regina's glare and Emma's incredulous look that had her raising her hands again and nodding. "Right. I'll just be off then." She paused with the door open and added as an afterthought, "if you ever need another night out alone-"
Regina tilted her head and crossed her arms, and that was all the sign Tina needed to nod and shut the door behind her.
"Nope." Henry kept jumping up and down on his bed as Regina attempted to coax him down with his favourite stuffed dinosaur.
"Sweetheart, it is nearly midnight," Regina said exasperated.
"Not sleepy," he insisted, falling on his bottom only to spring up to his feet again.
Emma's chuckling as the blonde waited by the doorway of his room made Regina direct her glare to the younger woman. Emma had already dressed for bed donning an oversized shirt with 'US ARMY' printed on it and running shorts just barely peeking out from under the hem. Both women had hoped that Henry would have settled down in that time, but clearly the three-year old had better intentions.
Henry's mattress squeaked as he jumped to and fro on the bed, and Regina brought her gaze back to the double bed as if it were the sole reason why her son was not asleep. But Henry grinned and started to sing a little song as he jumped. "Hop and hop and hop and hop and hop and hop and stop." He landed on his bottom again at the 'stop' only to continue his song and his jumping.
"Henry Christopher Mills," Regina enunciated slowly, her patience wearing thin. "If you are not in that bed in five minutes, there will be no bedtime story."
"I'm in it," he reasoned before continuing his song.
Emma laughed stepping fully into the bed. "He has a point."
"Sleeping," Regina clarified with a huff. "If you are not sleeping in your bed soon, no bedtime tonight."
"'kay, no story."
"Henry," Regina seethed.
"Okay, kid," Emma said stepping up to the bed and catching Henry's arm and looping it across her shoulder into a fireman's carry. She spun him around once, his high pitched laugh lighting up the room, before dropping him into the middle of his bed. "Listen to your mother before the vein in her forehead pops, okay?"
Henry giggled as both Emma and Henry pressed their cheeks together to inspect the very vein that was throbbing angrily on Regina's forehead, fueled by the brunette's stance as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Hugs?" Henry asked innocently, opening his free arm up for his mother.
Regina tried to the best of her ability to resist his wide and innocent gaze, but with an aggravated sigh to herself, and cursing her weakness when it came to her son, she sat on the edge of the bed and engulfed him in a hug. Her arms inadvertently wrapped around Emma since the blonde hadn't moved from her spot, and before Regina could realize and pull away, another arm, longer and definitely not Henry's wrapped around her shoulder as they gave the boy his hugs.