9
Regina woke with a tightness in her chest and she was out of breath. Her eyes shoot open and immediately take in the hollow darkness in the room. She turns to the clock on the nightstand, which is displaying 2:12am. She hadn't been dreaming that she could recall, and she wondered what had awakened her. She peels back the covers and climbs out of bed. She slowly opens her door and quietly tip-toes to Henry's door to crack it open and look in on him. As relief covers her from seeing the boy sleeping soundly in his bed with the covers half kicked off and his arm slung over his face, she hears a low groan from the other room further down the hall. Emma!
She gently closes his door back and pads down the hall to Emma's room where she repeats her stealth entrance to the other woman's room. Her heart sinks at Emma thrashing around in her bed, with her own covers now completely kicked off of her. Regina's eyes have adjusted to the dim light throughout the house and the rapid rise and fall of Emma's chest causes her to worry her bottom lip. She makes her way to the bedside, her mind racing with how to approach the sleeping but flailing woman. Emma groans again and Regina jumps to attention, trying to get a hold on Emma's hands. "Emma, dear." She huffs as Emma begins to squirm and twist on the bed. "Emma, please, wake up!" She whispers in a harsh tone.
"No, please!" Emma calls.
Regina's heart clenches again in her chest and she swears she would almost rather take it out than feel it break at what is happening before her. She gets control of one arm, but it makes Emma whimper even more. "Emma, baby, please wake up!" Regina shakes the other woman's shoulders and Emma stills under her touch. She strokes her hand through sweaty blonde locks. "Emma, wake up, you are having a nightmare."
With a sudden intake of air Emma shoots into a sitting position and raises her hands in front of her face.
"Emma, it's me!" Regina backs away from the bed to give the woman space, "it was a bad dream."
She watches as the other woman wipes her face and gathers her bearings. Her eyes dart frantically around the room. After a few moments she takes a deep breath and wipes the remaining sleep from her eyes, the room is dark, lit only by the moon shining in through her window "I'm sorry I woke you up. I didn't mean too." She turns to face the window and the pale waning moon behind the sheer curtains.
With the other woman calmer now, Regina steps the edge of the bed and sits. "Do you want to talk about it?" She chances reaching out and putting her hand over the blondes. "I can stay for a little bit if you want."
Emma doesn't pull away, but she doesn't face Regina immediately. "I don't- I'm sorry but I don't think I can."
"Stop apologizing for everything! You don't have to be sorry for being you, Emma, whatever that looks like. You're allowed to be scared or angry or hurt or happy or whatever the hell you feel." The sudden outburst had made Emma jump, instantly filling Regina with regret. "I'm sorry I startled you, Emma, it's just...I know you have been through a lot and I am trying to wrap my head around it all, and you're just not the same sometimes."
"I know." Emma turns to face Regina, she can see the silhouette of the woman's features in the moonlit room and she's breathtaking. "Can you just stay with me for a little while?"
Regina nods and Emma scoots in the bed to make room for the other woman to lie down. Regina only stares at her for a moment and she is about to apologize for being so forward when the curvy brunette starts to move to get herself under the covers next to Emma. "You are going to have to tell me how you want me. I mean- I mean physical contact." Shit her brain is short circuiting when she realizes Emma is only in a large tee shirt and who knows if she is wearing panties, surely she is right? "Where and how do you want me to lay?" Emma holds her laughter to a single small chuckle, but Regina notices. "I'm serious, Emma, I don't know what you're comfortable with."
"What are you comfortable with?" Emma quips. Silence follows for a few moments, followed by a deep sigh from the muscular woman "look, I know we have a lot to discuss. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the true love thing..." Regina stills, waiting patiently for the rejection. "I'm not ready for intimacy I don't think, there was a lot with Hook that...I'm just not ready yet." She can feel Regina nod next to her. "But I'm not scared of you, Regina, you can touch me." Regina's mind is reeling but she remains still, listening patiently. "How about you come a little closer and we will just see what feels right, for both of us."
Regina won't admit that she is shaking a little. She has dreamed of this for so long that being real doesn't feel....real. She scoots closer to Emma who is on her back and raises her arm. Regina slides up beside her and lays her head on her chest, the warmth she doesn't know if it's from her burning cheeks or the woman beneath her. Emma can't contain her chuckle this time and she brings her other hand to pull Regina closer still into her side. She uses her heel to pull Regina's leg up over hers. Regina stops breathing as her knee and thigh slide against the smooth, warm skin. Emma then proceeds to search for Regina's arm in the dark and when she finds her hand she snakes it over her own waist. She lays her arm behind Regina and begins stroking the woman's back in random patterns "I feel safer when I'm close to you." She takes a deep inhale and her nose is filled with the scent of Regina's shampoo and just the woman beneath her. It's intoxicating and if she wasn't in the state she had been in just minutes before, it alone would be enough to make her take the other woman right here and now.
Regina slowly strokes her thumb back and forth on Emma's stomach, causing chills to cover the blondes arms and chest. "I will always protect you, Emma." The whisper is low, so low it was almost missed. She feels Emma lean to kiss the top of her head and her heart and belly are doing summersaults without permission. The warmth under here starts to creep into her. She thinks she can feel the outline of abs under the tee shirt, but dismisses the thought as now is not the time to think of Miss Swans impressive physique. The slow movements on her back are comforting and soon it lulls her into a blissful sleep.
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The sun practically screams at Regina that it's time to wake up. The brightness behind her eyelids is a painful call to the end of her comfort. She subconsiously takes inventory of herself and a startling realization brings her quickly to a state of full wakefulness. Her head is still on Emma's chest, but it's a bit lower than it was when she first fell asleep and a hardened nipple is settled against her lips. Her leg is completely hooked under one that clearly isn't her own and there is a warmth under her hand that makes her swallow the lump in her throat. The lacy material there is clearly not that of a tee shirt, answering her question from last night. Emma was wearing underwear, and her hand was on them, well partially. Under her pinky and ring fingers she can feel the velvet softness of skin but her remaining three fingers are over hot lay material and curved. She was effectively cupping the other woman's heat. Before she can untangle herself from the awkward position she finds herself in Emma stirs under her. The slight stretch Emma does pushes her lower body further against Regina's hand and she recoils from it as if it were a hot flame. "Sorry, I-"
Emma's thick, groggy voice cuts her off "I see sleeping Regina can't keep her hands off me." She chuckles and runs her hands up and down the length of the brunette's back. "It's okay, I can get handsy in my sleep too." She stretches again and stills for a moment. "I have to pee though." She waits for Regina to roll away from her and she climbs out of the bed and scampers off to the bathroom.
As the fair skinned legs disappear behind the door the fact that it's Monday dawns on Regina. She really didn't know what time it was, but hell, she was the mayor so it really didn't matter that she was late for work. Still, she gets out of bed and makes her way to her own room as quietly as possible in case Henry was to find her leaving Emma's room and ask questions.
She wastes no time getting herself ready for the day. She busies herself with showering and getting her face and hair as flawless as she can before she realizes she has left her phone on her own bedside table the night before. Already running quite behind for work she grabs it and rushes out the door for the day.
Sitting at her desk checking the far too many emails she has accrued over the weekend, her phone buzzes against the hard wood and it startles her. Charming...of course he would call her first thing on Monday morning. Sometimes she wonders if Snow ties his shoes for him, because the man can't make it a single day without needing her for something. "Yes, Charming, how may I help you?" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.
"Regina! Have you read the text messages I sent you?" David sounds rushed, almost like he has been running.
Regina backs out of the call and goes into her text messages. She has 10 new messages all from Charming. "What the hell?" Without reading any of the messages she lifts the phone back to her ear. "I see them, but I haven't read them. I haven't seen a mob this morning, so what is so important?"
"Regina, Hook's ship is gone."
"What? I thought you had people watching it?" The panic in Regina makes her immediately stand from her seat and she can't help but begin pacing in her office.
"I did...mostly, but I couldn't have eyes on it all day and night. It was there before I went to sleep, but this morning it was gone." He takes a deep breath and steadies his own voice "I am on my way to your office."
The call drops and Regina wants to throw her phone against the wall. Continuing to pace she decides to read the ten messages she had missed from David. They all pretty much stated everything that she now knew. His first message arrived just after 7am. The clock on the wall is showing that it is now well after 9. Whatever time Hook took off, and wherever he went he had more than a two hour head start.
Regina works to get her composure before Charming arrives. Emma may have had the luxury of seeing her softer side, but that's not a privilege anyone else is getting.
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Regina stands outside of her own front door for long minutes. She had barely been able to get any work done...she was too busy arguing with herself about whether or not to tell Emma the news. She was still healing, and processing everything, and clearly having nightmares about her past. Regina didn't want to add to the weight that the woman was feeling, but she didn't exactly want to hide it from her either. She held her breath as she entered her home, and hung her jacket on the coat rack. She makes her way into the kitchen where the most divine smell is coming from.
Rounding the corner all she sees is a mess of blonde hair tied up in a knot. A white shirt hugging toned back muscles and a red knot where an apron was tied. Lower than that was hidden behind the counters, but the woman was over the stove and appeared to be stirring something. "You have been busy. It smells good." Regina approaches the counter and lays her purse and keys on top. The force hitting her from behind almost knocks her down.
"Mom! You're home!" Henry squeezes his arms around her waist.
Regina spins around and returns the boys embrace. She has missed her boy. "I missed you, Henry. What is your mother cooking?" They release each other and turn back to where the blonde was still hard at work.
"I think she said chicken." He walks around her and to Emma. He taps her elbow and she jumps, looks down at him, and removes a headphone from her ear. "Hey, kid."
"Mom wants to know wants for dinner." He motions over to where Regina is standing.
Emma's eyes follow his and her mouth falls slightly open. No matter how many times she sees this flawless woman every time is like the first time all over again. "Hey." A smile brightens her face.
"Hey. Food smells amazing."
"Let's hope it's edible." Emma chuckles and steps closer to the counter separating them. "Are you okay?" Her brow furrows.
Regina looks down to Henry and back to Emma, "yeah, I just had a long day." She tries to smile but Emma can tell it doesn't reach her eyes.
Emma nods and steps back to the stove to finish working on dinner. Clearly, Regina doesn't want to talk about whatever is going on now, but she will ask more after Henry has gone to bed.
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Regina didn't know Emma could cook like this. Oven roasted lemon butter chicken with fingerling potatoes and honey carrots. Regina also couldn't remember the last time someone had cooked for her like this. She had made quite a few illicit sounds throughout the meal but otherwise there was little conversation. Henry put up a fight to stay up late since he wasn't going to school but both mothers put up a united front against it.
Once the boy was firmly in his room for the night Emma thought it would be a good time to probe Regina for answers about her peculiar mood all afternoon. She hit a pretty solid brick wall. Regina spent most of the conversation blocking questions and redirecting with her own questions regarding the dinner. Emma's frustration builds to a level she hasn't had with the infuriating woman in over a year. She huffs after yet another attempt to pry information out of the mayor and stomps off to her room. Regina exhales hard and makes her way up the stairs and into her own room. She only gets one earring out before her bedroom door slams open "and another thing..." Regina laughs to herself, knowing Emma had stopped mid sentence because she was not in sight. She really is not ready to talk to Emma about this and gets a sudden brilliant idea on how to avoid the conversation.
Emma is fuming in the doorway when Regina opens the bathroom door. "You can't keep avoiding me, Regina I know-"
Damn...
Damn!
Emma is so wound up. Too wound up to be able to process what is in front of her. Regina...
Regina was in front of her, still in full hair and make-up, but only wearing a matching black lacy set of lingerie that has Emma's mouth watering and brain short-circuiting. "You were saying?" Regina raises a combative eyebrow and places a hand on her hip.
The anger surges in Emma. She bursts forward and pushes Regina back until her back hits the cold wall. Regina growls and digs her arms into Emma biceps. "You are so frustrating!"
Whatever else Emma wanted to say died on her lips as they met the soft, sticky, warmth of Regina's. Her heartbeat is pounding in her ears and there is no air in her lungs.
The cold on Regina's back is stabbing as her skin burns under Emma's weight against her. Emma caught her off guard. She wanted to shut the woman up, but she wasn't expecting this reaction. She could poof away, but the reality is that she doesn't want to.
Emma's hands can't help but roam. There is too much exposed smooth skin, and her body is thrumming with energy and desire.
Regina feels slightly calloused hands covering her body. She can't stop the sound that escapes her throat. Her body is responding to Emma in ways she hasn't felt in years and she is becoming uncomfortable. Her body reacts.
The sound Regina makes spurs Emma on and she pushes harder into the other woman. Her hand travels to the woman's backside just as she feels her hips thrust into her. She breaks the kiss as her own body reacts. She loses her breath and her heart all but stops. The energy between her legs is edging on painful. Taking a step back her eyes drink in all that is the woman in front of her. She breathes harshly. "You are...breathtaking Regina."
Regina isn't usually one to be shy in these types of situations, and more often than not, she has been the one in control of these encounters. Yet, standing here in front of Emma raw and exposed she feels...vulnerable.
Emma steps back into Regina's space, she can see on her face that she isn't fully comfortable. "Hey, you okay?" She puts her hand on Regina's cheek and brings the woman's face to her own.
Regina swallows the lump forming in her throat, "yes, Emma, I just...maybe now isn't the best time. I'm sorry. I know I started it. You said you might not be ready and maybe I'm not either."
Emma drops her hand away and steps back slightly. "Oh..."
"It's not you, Emma. Things have changed between us pretty fast and I just need a little more time to...adjust."
Emma nods slowly. "I should go to bed." She leaves and stops at the door "goodnight, Regina."