December Part 2
Emma inhaled the briny air filled with cajun spice. Like most Decembers, a winter chill lay only in the breeze. They had left Ingrid's house and walked the few streets necessary to get back to their old stomping grounds. Lost in a sea of memories, the blonde looked into the distance to judge how full Jackson Square would be this early in the morning.
"I can't believe she let you fly down here with me during your Christmas break."
Augie's pointed comment felt like a barb under her skin. Forest green eyes threw a sidelong glance at her brother, making it clear she didn't appreciate the comment. Although Regina's possessiveness sometimes felt a little much, she would never prevent Emma from doing something she needed to do. Her need to compete with August had diminished the better she got to know him. "Cut her some slack. No matter how much Dani has bad-mouthed her, Reggie doesn't want to control me." She sighed and brushed the hair from her eyes as they walked down an alley in the french quarter. "Has Dani told you about how much she cheated on her? Or how she rubbed Regina's nose in it over and over again. If anything, Dani guaranteed that Regina has every right to wonder about what I'm up to at any moment."
August stopped walking and stared at the empty building that had once been a group home. He looked at the bleak reminder of their shared past then turned to his sister. "I'm sorry, Em. It was meant as a joke."
Her derisive sniff told him she doubted it.
"Okay, maybe Dani's said a few things. But, you have to admit that when I'm home, you rarely are." He smiled affably, trying to diffuse what brewed beneath the surface of the comment.
Picking up on the tinge of melancholy in his tone, the blonde linked their hands and gave his hand a squeeze. "That has a lot more to do with the number of times you've interrupted my sleep on school nights than anything Regina's said."
She elbowed him in the ribs. "Why don't we hit the diner before wandering to the law offices?" She pointed toward Cafe du Monde on Decatur Street. "Besides, I could live without seeing your bare ass sticking out of the refrigerator when I'm getting ready to go for a run. I'm sorry, but Ewww."
They both laughed awkwardly at the recent memory.
"For the record, I forgot you were home."
Laughter ripped from her throat. "I figured that out when I saw you singing and dancing around naked. Not what I wanted to see, but man, you blushed from head to toe."
Red rushed through his features in memory. "Does it remind you of--"
Emma tensed. "I thought we agreed that what happens in Mardi Gras stays in Mardi Gras." She shook her head. "I can't believe the three of us streaked through the parade that year." Their eyes met as they crossed the street, both chuckling. "I swear Elsa looked more like a ghost than a teenager."
He nodded. "Come on, let's get to the grub before the lawyers bore the crap out of us."
She followed him into the wrought-iron enclosure to find the line. "I'd almost forgotten how great fresh beignets smell."
August laughed. "Bullshit. You're after the coffee that's so black it could give midnight a run for its money."
She shrugged and laughed. "Maybe."
*****
Emma had gaped at the beautifully renovated St. Charles Avenue mansion that served as both home and office for Amelia Lanier-Smith. Regal, refined, and stoked in the old world charm of the deepest south, the woman's smile served to warn them to look but not touch her stately home. The siblings treated the house as a museum, admiring every piece of furniture as they followed her to a desk worthy of a queen.
"Now, I know the two of you are aware that your mother passed away the day before your arrival. Fortunately for you, she'd started these wheels in motion the moment she realized her mind slipped on occasion. The bulk of her inheritance from her esteemed father went into an account to pay for the upkeep of her home. She had us set it aside in both of your names the day she adopted you. She did so to protect it from being included in the estate. You see, it should cover the taxes you have to pay to receive your inheritance."
August rubbed his chin. "Let me get this straight. I have to pay money first to inherit money. How does that make sense? Can't I subtract the money we have to pay in taxes and then just divide it?"
Her lips flattened into a hard line. She delicately placed her reading glasses back on her nose before delivering a withering glare in his direction. "I assure you that the government always demands the inheritance tax first and foremost." She rang the bell on her desk, summoning the coffee.
A butler appeared carrying a silver service and three cups. Without acknowledging his presence, Lanier-Smith cleared her throat and continued.
"Judging by your clothing choice, neither of you would be able to afford to take possession of the property if she had not thought ahead." She sniffed. "Two sugars for me. Do either of you need anything added to yours?"
"I need sugar and cream, and Augie likes three sugars," Emma mumbled while lost in thought. When the butler handed the blonde a coffee, she returned to the moment at hand. She sipped the hot liquid then balanced the cup on her knee. She cleared her throat and asked the one thought floating through her mind. "I don't really care about the money. But, the house--I was wondering how much is it worth if we sell it? I don't think I could live in it again."
"A million two."
"Ingrid's house is worth how much?" Emma blinked, shocked at the news.
More awestruck than she had been upon arrival," the blonde repeated herself.
"Ingrid's house is worth how much?" Emma croaked out, blinking. Her mind locked up over the staggering seven-digit number. "Seriously, other than having four bedrooms and two baths, it has less square footage than my condo does. How the hell is it worth over a million dollars?"
The older woman looked over her half-moon glasses with a smirk. "This is Nawlins, darling. You should know that everyone wants a piece of the real estate except when we have a hurricane. Then, we want a boat." Her long nails clicked across the glass desk protector. "What do you want to do? Do you want to keep it or sell it?"
Emma swallowed. Her mind locked up over the ridiculous value of the property. August cleared his throat, trying to remove the growing knot in it. "Do we need to decide today?" She placed her now empty cup on the silver tray. Her leg began to bounce up and down.
She sighed. "Not necessarily, but since the two of you are here, and it takes both of your signatures, this would be the opportune moment."
The blonde sat back in her chair. After sparing a glance at her brother, she fixed her eyes on the lawyer again. "You said she left us something else as well. What would that be?"
The lawyer scrutinized her. Then, she laid her two hands flat on the desk. "If you think she left you other piles of money, think again. The house needs a lot of work, but it has value--"
Emma shook her head. "No, I had hoped for--." She pushed down the tears dwelling in her eyes. "Ingrid was the closest thing to a mother either of us ever had. I was hoping for something personal." Standing and beginning to pace, Emma pointed at the lawyer. "I know you had the house cleaned out already. So, what happened to her things? I was hoping for her journals, or maybe that cheap silver locket that had our school photos in it."
The older woman's expression soured. "Look. I am a lawyer. I am paid by the trust created to control her estate. I was legally appointed to go through these steps with you. I didn't have control over the property. If you are accusing me of taking her personal her--"
Emma cut her off, holding up her hand and practically shouting, "That's not what I meant." She sighed and sat again. "What I want isn't something of value to anyone unless they knew her. I don't give a flying fuck if I get a dime out of this. And, I know you didn't intentionally do anything of the sort." Putting her head in her hands and leaning toward her lap, Emma exclaimed, "I thought this would be easier. That I'd put all of this behind me. But, I guess no one is okay with losing their mother, even a semi-homicidal one."
The woman behind the desk huffed, but then her facial expression softened. "Ingrid was a tough old broad even at the end. I'm sorry that it took the three of you getting hurt to realize how sick she was." The woman's eyes appeared watery. "She'd been clingy and reclusive off and on for years when she decided to foster. Then, suddenly she had to adopt you three. And, you know the rest." She stood from her desk and then moved closer to the siblings. She picked up the coffee service and walked toward the door. "I'll be right back."
She returned carrying an old beat-up baby blue hardshell suitcase. The lawyer placed it on the coffee table between them.
She drug her thumbs across the brassy knobs that released the latches. "I hope this is closer to what you wanted." She stepped back, revealing stacks of leather bound books and a smattering of loose photographs."
Emma hesitantly picked up a grainy, yellowed photo of Elsa, Augie, and herself on the first night in her home. Emotions squeezed the air from Emma's lungs. Tears welled in her eyes when she handed the image to her brother. "It's perfect," she responded in a strangled sob.
*****
After four flight delays, a stale dinner, and listening to Augie talk about a threeway with Dani and Christie, Emma had hit her limit. She needed peace. She needed comfort. She needed Regina. And, she needed her right now. The clock on her dashboard taunted her with the news that she'd arrived too late to call.
2:12 a.m.
Ignoring the fear that told her this would not be a good idea. Regina would not want her to show up unannounced, right? She shook off her negative thoughts. How many times had her lover told her that she was welcome anytime she wanted to come over morning, noon or night? She hesitated another minute, then decided it would be worth the fallout to see her. She grabbed her two suitcases and headed for Regina's condo.
Regina's front door creaked as Emma turned and snapped the deadbolt into place. She inhaled the comforting scent of home. She shook off the thought, knowing that August should have entered their place a few minutes ago. A gentle smile tugged at her lips; she wondered how Regina would react to her intrusion. She'd promised to come by for breakfast, but the long drive from the airport changed her mind. She kicked her boots off at the front door and left both of her suitcases leaning against the wall.
Although she felt drained to her core, excitement surged as she took the stairs two at a time, dying to see her lover. She slipped into the other woman's room to see her bathed in moonlight pouring through the window. The silvery light gave her a heavenly glow. As if sensing her presence, Regina rolled to her side. Brown curls draped across her eyes and nose. Her beauty during sleep often brought tears to emerald eyes as it did now.
Emma pulled her sweater over her head, dropped her jeans and panties to the floor, and her bra fell too. Slipping into the sheets from her side of the bed, Emma crawled in and laid mirroring the brunette's position. With one hand tucked under her head, she used the other to sweep Regina's hair away from her face. The sleeping woman shivered. Emma slid closer, enjoying the heat radiating from her girlfriend's sleeping form. Gently, she brushed a kiss to her forehead and enjoyed the feel of her girlfriend's silk nightgown against her bare skin. She pressed another kiss to the bridge of her nose.
A sharp inhale told Emma that Regina woke.
"When did you get here?"
Goosebumps erupted on Emma's arms after hearing the gravel in her lover's voice. "A few minutes ago. I couldn't wait to see you." She scraped her dry lips across the other woman's cheek. "I hope you don't mind."
Instead of answering, Regina hungrily kissed the blonde and rolled, so the blonde's naked body covered hers. She let her tongue express her need pushing beyond thin lips and caressing the roof of the blonde's mouth, then tangling their tongues together in an intricate dance that she loved.
When air became an issue, she tickled the blonde's nose with her own. "You are welcome to wake me like this anytime you feel the need." She used her nails to scratch down Emma's long back until she found bare hips. An evil smirk appeared. "Oh my! Someone lost her clothes." Suddenly feeling much more alert, Regina's hands skated across the other woman's plump, muscular ass; she squeezed the rounded muscle and hummed. She pushed her hips up to meet the blonde's bare ones. "Do you think you can help me get this nightie off? I want to feel you."
Smiling into the next kiss, their teeth clicked together; Emma rolled, bringing Regina to the top. In one quick, well-practiced motion, Regina's silk gown came over her head and was launched across the room. Then, Regina plucked the straps over her bikini briefs and pulled them down her legs, leaving her looking down at her lover. She ran her red painted nails across the silvery flesh of Emma's abdomen.
"The moon does wonderful things to your skin." A feral look washed over her. Her hair teased along pale skin; Regina worshipped every inch of Emma's stomach trailing her lips and tongue in a path that led to under the swell of a small mound and crested into a stiff peak. She sucked the pink nipple into her mouth, lavishing it with her tongue. She enjoyed the sensation, but the delicious shivers overtaking her lover brought her a joy she didn't know she needed. A hungry groan escaped the brunette's lips. She kissed up a pale sternum; she traced the blonde's collar bones with her tongue before latching onto Emma's bottom lip. Her sharp teeth caused the blonde to hiss.
"I wonder, are you wet for me, Em-ma?"
She felt the blonde swallow harshly. "Always."
Regina's hand slipped from its place on the blonde's hip to in between her thighs in an unexpectedly swift motion. She scooped up the moisture she found and spread it across her fingers before plunging two fingers in and curling, tapping the spot on Emma's inner walls that made the woman purr.
Hearing one of her favorite sounds in the world, she recaptured Emma's thin lips. Her hand kept a steady rhythm and evoked increasingly needy moans. "Did you regret not taking me on your getaway to New Orleans? I promise I would have been great company."
Emma whined. "I missed you, but no."
Her fingers still inside the blonde, Regina winced at the painful thought and turned her head away. But, Emma refused to let her recede inside herself.
"Eyes on me, please."
Eyes the color of burnt mahogany bore into lust-filled sea green. Before shifting the two of them to a seated position, Emma wrapped one hand around Regina's wrist, holding her hand against her pulsing arousal.
"I promise to explain later," Emma's eyes reflected her love and a need to break through the defensive thoughts flooding Regina's mind.
Regina flexed her fingers and watched Emma's pupils expand upon letting go of the pang in her chest. With slow, deliberate movements, she resumed thrusting. "Eyes open, Swan. I want to see you come undone."
Emma nodded frantically and bit her lower lip. "As you wish--"
The blonde's canting hips met Regina's every stroke. "Come for me, baby."
The blonde convulsed and shivered, eyes locked on her lover. The sweaty sheen on her face gave her an angelic beauty that made Regina ache.
Laying her head on Regina's shoulder, Emma sighed. "I love you." Her soft lips caressed the brunette's shoulder and up to her neck. Letting her body fall backward, she wrapped her arms around the smaller woman's back, dragging her along for the ride. Emma spread her legs a little allowing the centers to touch. The surprised mewl escaping her girlfriend spurred her on further. The blonde rocked her hips into Regina's. A strangled moan flew out of plump lips.
"You aren't playing fair," Regina husked.
"Never do." Emma snorted and then rolled them, preferring the top position. From there, she captured panting lips. Their kisses grew in ferocity as their pace increased. The blonde moaned Regina's name again as she felt her arousal reaching its peak.
"Oh, baby!" Regina cried. Her body stiffened beneath the blonde; they fell over the cliff together.
They lay together in a sweaty tangle of limbs. Tan fingers carded through long blonde curls savoring the early morning light leaking in the window and highlighting the hard planes of the younger woman's body.
"It felt wrong being there." Emma tried to put her feelings into words. "I felt like a foreigner, an unwanted one at that. She nuzzled further into Regina's comforting arms and placed a kiss on the woman's neck. "Ingrid died before we arrived. She left us a dilapidated house that's worth a ridiculous amount of money because of where it is; a little money tucked away for us to use to pay the inheritance tax and no way for me to get any closure from the experience."
Regina felt the hot tears falling against her skin. She ran her fingers through blonde tresses and dropped a kiss to the crown of her lover's head. She waited for Emma to continue. After several minutes went by, she felt Emma's grip on her slacken, and her breath evened out; sleep had claimed her Swan.
*****
Emma awoke to Nat King Cole crooning downstairs, "Have yourself a Merry little Christmas now." She smiled, feeling content in the cocoon of sheets smelling of Regina and sex; she inhaled, loving the scent. Her eyes fell on the bedside clock. She stretched, slipped out of the cozy warmth, and found her silk kimono that had mysteriously appeared on her birthday. She shuffled to the lower level in search of coffee.
Regina grinned, seeing Emma's hair in a state of disarray. She poured coffee into her largest mug, and used the appropriate amount of sugar and cream before placing it on the breakfast bar. She met the blonde there, wrapping her in a hug and stealing a good morning kiss.
"I probably have dragon breath," Emma warned. She feigned at pulling away only to lean further into Regina's personal space.
"I don't care." She kissed her soundly then asked, "Would you prefer breakfast or lunch, seeing that you slept until mid-afternoon?"
"Whatever is fastest." Emma sat down where her girlfriend had set her mug. "So, what's the plan?"
The brunette placed a steaming piece of quiche in front of her love and placed another kiss on the woman's temple. "We agreed to attend Mal and Ursula's first-ever party."
Emma hummed, enjoying her food. "I don't remember being a part of that we."
"You weren't. The girls and I decided it after you left for New Orleans. He and his two women should also be attending." Regina's voice stayed steady, but her face showed the inner storm.
"You never told me what the two of you decided about her home."
Emma put the fork in her mouth and held up a finger, indicating that she needed a minute. She hurried out of the room, grabbed the blue suitcase, and returned. She set it down on the table and opened it up, revealing Ingrid's whole life in pictures and journal entries.
"Oh, my. Where did you get all of this?" Regina plucked a picture off the top. She recognized two of the three teens without much effort. Augie hadn't lost his baby fat cheeks, and Emma was lanking skin and bones, but she would know those faces anywhere. She traced the soft lines of her girlfriend's face on the picture. "I suppose this is Elsa."
A little too choked up to speak, Emma only nodded. "I never had any pictures of us, but now--now I have a small horde to sort through even though some of them are painful." Emma pulled two photos from the pile: one showed a girl covered in tubes in what must have been ICU, the other showed Augie and Emma embracing next to a gravestone.
"Do you hate her?"
Emma's eyebrows furrowed.
"Ingrid, I mean." Regina swallowed, dreading the answer.
"No. She was mentally ill. And, like it or not, she was still the best mother I ever had. Unlike my birth mother, she tried to give me a home where I felt loved, protected, and safe. She didn't intend to hurt us when she adopted us. But then her paranoia got the best of her. She had to make sure we couldn't leave."
Regina hugged her from behind as Emma stared down at the image of a beautiful blonde woman with bright blue eyes. "She was beautiful. She looks kind."
"She was until she wasn't." Emma nodded. "Is this too weird for you to understand?"
Regina squeezed her tighter. "No. You never met my mother, but someday Gold and I will have to explain what being the child of Cora Mills Gold meant. I know she loved me, but she never used those words. And, her demands and expectations reigned my life. Going away to a private school allowed me to experience people caring about me and showing it for the first time in my life." She brushed away a few stray tears that appeared on her face. "Mother hated weakness. I was supposed to be a politician or a lawyer, or perhaps both. I was supposed to be wealthier than she ever thought about being. You can imagine how disappointed she was to learn I wanted to teach school. Not to mention, my sexuality--that went over a little better, but not much."
Emma dropped the pictures back in the case and closed the lid. "I think I would rather leave this for another day." She stood up without removing Regina's arms from her sides. "What do you say to a dorky Christmas movie marathon before we go listen to everyone else try to prove they are the happiest couple?"
"Can we start with Love Actually? No, wait a minute, The Ref. We need to start with that one. It never feels like Christmas until Kevin Spacey shouts, 'The corpse still has the floor.'"
The blonde grinned. "I can live with that. I love Judy Davis. I may or may not have had a crush on her when I was younger." She tugged at Regina's hand and plucked at the sash on the other woman's silk robe. "Do you think I can unwrap my favorite present while we are watching the movie? I think tolerating Augie, and his crazy triangle will be easier if I'm already a few orgasms in for the day."
Regina laughed. "We are already four in a piece. How many more do you want before then?" She sprinted away and dropped her robe, "I guess we'll have to see what we can accomplish."
Emma's mouth fell open in shock; then, she chased after her. This was shaping up to be her best Christmas ever.