By the time Regina had listed off the list of emergency contact numbers, Emma had stepped in and provided her own, taking Regina's waist and ushering her aside, saying to call them if she needed anything. Henry had been all too excited to spend some extra time with Ms. Tina, which made Regina even more reluctant to leave, but with a pointed expression from Emma, Regina had successfully made her way to the Volkswagen.

"A date?" Emma repeated her question, her voice rising an octave. "Why would you say that?"

"Dinner. Movie. Friday night."

Emma swallowed hard and focused on driving. August had asked that too when she had called him earlier that day, and now that Regina had mentioned it, she had no idea what to say. Friends went out to the movies, right? Emma used to do that all the time. Except usually she went by herself. Sneaking in. But this wasn't a date. It was just two friends, hanging out.

"The rumour mill has unofficially speculated this as a date," Regina continued, casting a side glance at Emma. "My colleagues believe I can't hear what they're saying when they take their breaks by the water cooler."

Emma let out a chuckle and relaxed her grip on the wheel. Her lips twitched and she winked coyly. "Maybe we should give them something to talk about."

Regina laughed, shaking her head but continued to grin. "So where is this 'date'? The theatre is on Elm, you know?"

Emma shook her head and continued down Main until she reached the road that led out of town. "I was thinking of something else. Get away from the prying eyes of Storybrooke. Plus, can you imagine the rumour mill tomorrow?"

"Oh?" Regina asked intrigued. "What did you have in mind?"

Emma simply grinned and pressed a little harder on the gas as they passed the "Leaving Storybrooke" sign.

They drove for over twenty minutes, fighting over the radio station. Emma had it tuned into the Top 40s, but Regina groaned and haphazardly pushed buttons on the dashboard to escape from the repetitive bass and meaningless drivel. The sounds of an acoustic voice harmonizing soulfully with the music appeared to be more her taste, but Emma couldn't stand it and pressed for a different station. After Emma had given Regina a musification, preaching how Guns N Roses were the greatest band ever, they had settled on a station that was currently on its rotation of Aerosmith's I Don't Want to Miss a Thing.

"This reminds me of you," Regina commented casually as the chorus played softly in the background.

"Missing me already?" Emma teased.

Regina rolled her eyes and shook her head. "It was featured in a movie I once saw, well before I had Henry."

Emma turned to look at the Mayor and grinned. "You've seen Armageddon?"

"Everyone has seen Armageddon, dear. I admit, it's well done."

"And it reminds you of me?" Emma raised an eyebrow holding back a chuckle.

"Bruce Willis risks his life for his daughter and the entire world," Regina argued with a huff. "Take it as a compliment."

Emma laughed and turned back to the road, allowing the song on the radio to play out. When the commercial started and an ad for a downtown event sprung up, Emma smirked to herself and began humming.

It took Regina a moment to realize it was coming from Emma, but when she removed her gaze from the window and turned toward the blonde, she was met with a side smirk as Emma continued to hum. Regina's lips parted as the tune formed into her memory, rolling her eyes. "Are you -"

"So kiss me and smile for me. Tell me that you'll wait for me. Hold me like you'll never let me go," Emma sang exaggeratedly at the top of her voice, barely containing the underlying chuckle beneath the notes.

"You're impossible," Regina scorned with a twinkle in her eye.

"You like it."

Regina kept her lips pursed and stared straight ahead, not allowing a confirmation to inflate Emma's already large ego.

"Hey," the blonde said solemnly and pointed out Regina's window. "See that diner there?"

"We're going here?" Regina examined the roadside diner up ahead. She could see the motorcycles and pick up trucks parked outside it, and as much as she tried to keep the disdain out of her face, she really couldn't help it. If the tacky decor was warning enough, she would bet the food and company there would follow suit.

Emma shook her head. "When I was found as a baby, they took me there."

Regina whipped her head at Emma as they drove past the diner, complete with all the transients Regina had imagined being there. "What?"

"I was found off a highway, not too far from here actually. The people who found me dropped me off here to call the cops or whoever," she chuckled in thought. "We were almost neighbours."

"I thought you were in an orphanage."

"Eventually."

Red lips parted in surprise. Regina knew Emma had been a fighter. She knew some of the ill stories the blonde had shared with her about her time in foster care, but she had no idea that Emma's beginning had immediately started off worse for wear. Calling her a fighter would be an understatement.

Regina placed her hand on Emma's thigh and squeezed sympathetically. "I'm sorry."

Emma chuckled and patted Regina's hand. "It's fine. Wasn't really the worst thing that's happened to me, you know?"

"Oh." That was all Regina could say because though she had a hard life dealing with a mother like Cora and a passive father, at least they had been in her life, claiming their actions as love and affection.

"Sorry," Emma shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I didn't mean to put a damper on our hang out time."

Regina shook her head and let out a breathy sigh. "No, I understand hard childhoods. My mother was strict," she shared quietly.

"You've mentioned."

"Yes."

"Was she..." Emma chanced a glance at Regina who focused her gaze on her fidgeting hands. "Really strict?"

There was no movement from Regina for at least a full silent minute before she nodded her head imperceptibly so. "Yes," she whispered. "My mother aimed for perfection, and when it wasn't met..."

Regina bit her tongue before putting on a smile. "Let's just say I managed to meet her expectations eventually."

Suddenly Emma's fingers were entwined with her own, and Regina looked up and was met with a sympathetic smile. "We got out."

"We did," the brunette agreed with a smile of her own.

They pulled into an old drive-in twenty minutes later just as the sun was finishing its descent below the horizon. Their fingers were still tangled around one another though they had moved their conversation to less serious topics. Neither made any motion to pull away even as Emma pulled into the large field. Truthfully, she had discovered the relatively nearby drive-in only that morning when she opted on staying in the mansion and used Regina's desktop for a little research. It was an old drive-in, one of the few still up and running in Maine, and they were playing Hitchcock's Vertigo. She had seen it before when she was eleven after she had snuck into an old revival theatre. She hadn't payed much attention to the movie then, instead using the time there to escape a foster father with a drinking problem and a foster mother with a nasty right hook.

"I've never been to one of these," Regina admitted as Emma pulled up to a vendor, finally weaving their fingers apart and paying for their entrance.

"Me neither," Emma said, driving slowly through the large field to pull up to a good spot halfway through the field and just to the right of center. "Though I'm sure those teens over there are using this place for a better use."

Regina looked to see the couple in the front seat, their silhouettes joined at the lips as their bodies meshed into one shadow. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks but scoffed at the display. "How typical."

"What?" Emma grinned, cutting off the engine and unbuckling her seat belt, turning fully to face the brunette. "Not the wild child in your teenage days?"

"I can assure you I didn't do that."

"Well it's never too late."

Regina raised an eyebrow and grinned as Emma looked flushed and floundered for a response.

"I mean, like, nevermind," Emma dismissed hastily. "Popcorn?"


Regina was surprised by the amount of variety the snack shop had. She never had much of a sweet tooth, a result of living with her mother who claimed her smile and beauty were her best features, but the different types of sweets and chocolates available had Regina slightly curious. She picked up a box of Junior Mints, a bag of sour skittles, and two bags of milk chocolate M&M's. A box of Milk Duds was the last thing that made it into her arms as she handed them over to the cashier. It was more sugar she had ever willingly bought, and there was a tiny part of her buried behind years of order and discipline that was excited to have a taste and indulge in the sweeter side of life. God, when did that happen? Regina wondered as she paid for her purchases and found Emma by the popcorn kiosk where she was sprinkling a healthy amount of white cheddar seasoning over the popcorn.

"Woah, should I call your dentist and book an appointment for tomorrow?" Emma teased when she saw the treats in Regina's hand.

"Should I call your commander and tell them you're spending your leave drowning yourself in butter and powdered cheese?" Regina retorted as Emma gave the bag a tap to even out the seasoning before placing the drinks she bought into her jacket pocket and the crook of her elbow.

"Now that's just mean." She popped a few kernels in her mouth before sidling beside Regina and making their way back to the bug.