A/N: Alright everyone, this is the sequel to Gray Areas and Stumbling. Again, I tried to make it so they can all be read in any order or as standalones, but this is technically part 3, and presumably the last for this series, unless there happens to be some huge uproar for more...
I started this a while ago, but spent the last two days solid working on it, so pretty please take a moment to leave some feedback if you like it, or even if you hate it I guess!
I also feel the need to say that none of these are at all related to the season 2 promos that just came out. That's kind of obvious for the first two, but I noticed a lot of coincidental similarities, so I had to point that out.
Also, I finally have a tumblr and a twitter: barbie-shoes and BarbieShoesOUaT respectively. Not much going on with either yet, but hopefully soon, so give 'em a follow if you like!
As always, we must thank Sapphonest for prereading this fic for me. She rocks.
It was getting late. Much later than Emma would normally risk staying here; yet, she couldn't quite bring herself to leave. Regina had fallen into her usual post-coital slumber after they made love — a phrase Emma generally thought to be truly gag worthy, though she couldn't really think of anything more suitable. This, certainly, was more than just sex. She supposed the words fit this whole fairy tale scenario pretty aptly as well, so she figured she'd go with it, for now.
The mayor — former mayor, Emma reminded herself — slept surprisingly soundly for a woman who was hated, literally to death, by everyone in town. Perhaps it was another story when Emma wasn't here, she really had no way of knowing, but Regina always passed out cold on the nights when she was.
Which, admittedly, was almost every night since the evening Regina had come to the sheriff's station and shown Emma just how good being bad could be, right there on her own desk. She couldn't look at that desk the same way anymore, as was the case for a good many surfaces throughout the Mills' mansion. Despite the ever growing collection of fixtures and furniture they had christened, the night always ended the same way, with the two women curled up together in Regina's bed.
Emma never fell asleep; she didn't dare. It was too risky, too temtping to stay when she wanted nothing more than to wake up right here in Regina's arms, legs twisted together like vines. To see her lover's soft, sleeping face in the morning sunlight instead of the pale blue glow of the moon. Maybe they'd even make love again before ever bothering to rise, Emma mused, tucking back brown locks with her fingertips. She traced her thumb over those luscious lips, knowing Regina wouldn't stir, even as she captured them gently between her own.
She smiled to herself, a little sadly, before rolling over and climbing to the floor. Locating her red panties immediately at the foot of the bed, she slipped them on without a sound, glancing around for the rest of her clothes.
"What are you doing?" Regina mumbled, voice thick with sleep. Emma had to chuckle. No amount of poking, prodding, shaking or fidgeting could wake this woman. A bomb could probably go off just outside the bedroom window, and still she'd slumber peacefully. As soon as Emma vacated the bed, though, it seemed an alarm sounded in Regina's brain, and instantly she returned to the world of the wakeful.
"It's late," Emma whispered, even though they were the only two people in the house. "I have to go."
"Just stay." Regina sounded demanding, but Emma knew better by now. She gave an apologetic smile.
"You know I can't." She pulled her white tank top down over her head, as if to drive the point home. "Mary Margaret-"
"Snow," Regina interrupted.
"She'll wonder where I am," Emma finished, ignoring the correction. She was still having trouble wrapping her head around the whole thing, even after all these weeks.
"Ever the dutiful daughter," Regina commented disdainfully. "We certainly wouldn't want to disappoint Mommy Dearest, now would we?"
"Don't be like that, Regina," Emma whined. "You think I want to leave? Do you think any of this is easy for me?"
Regina just shrugged, with what only Emma could see was feigned indifference.
"It's not," Emma answered her own question when she recieved no further reply. "A little over a year ago, I was just Emma. And granted, being just Emma wasn't anything special, but it made sense, and I knew how to do it, because it was all I ever had.
Then, I come here, and suddenly I'm somebody's mom. I'm someone's nemesis," she shot Regina a pointed glare, "someone's roommate, a few people's friend. I'm the town's sheriff. And as if all that wasn't enough to make me feel like I wasn't just Emma anymore, right when I think I might get used to being this other person, literally overnight I became the White Knight, the town's Savior. Someone's daughter. I became a goddamn princess, Regina!"
Realizing she'd worked herself up into a rant, Emma paused for a breath, ensuring she had calmed down before attempting to make her point. She tried shoving her fists into her pants pockets, then, realizing she hadn't put on her jeans, crossed her arms over her chest instead.
"And you know what? Even if it was nothing special, sometimes I miss being just Emma. I spend all day killing myself for all of these different people, trying to be all these different things that I don't know how to be."
Emma stepped forward to stand at Regina's side of the bed, not hesitating a moment before throwing a leg over the seated woman and settling on her lap. Regina's fingers sought out silky white thighs on instinct as Emma cradled her jaw, holding her gaze a moment to ensure she had Regina's undivided attention. She hoped the woman would see the honesty in her eyes as she softly spoke her next words.
"Except when I'm with you. I've never been someone's lover before, not for more than a night, but it's the one thing I've become that feels natural. I don't have to be any of those other people when we're together. With you, I don't have to be a hero, I don't have to be perfect. I'm just Emma again."
Regina gaped at her, brow furrowed. Emma smiled nervously, letting her hands fall to her own lap as she waited for Regina to say something, to say anything. Her stomach twisted in knots; they'd never been quite this open before.
Emma had already begun to doubt her decision to expose herself the way she had — presenting your heart to a woman who had a reputation for literally ripping them out and crushing them to dust was a very bold move indeed — when Regina found her voice, cool and level as ever.
"I wouldn't say that's entirely accurate, dear."
The panic swept over her like a gust of cold wind. Emma was kicking herself for ever opening her mouth, awkwardly attempting to scoot away from the woman she straddled, when a hand on her chin forced her to stop and turn her gaze back to smiling brown eyes. The smirk on Regina's lips wasn't quite wicked, more devilish, perhaps; but the fingers that now traced Emma's jawline were soft and assuring.
"You claim being 'just Emma' is nothing special, and I'm afraid that simply isn't so. As if I would invite someone so common to share my bed." Regina scoffed at the very notion. "My Emma is quite special indeed."
Relief surged through her then, melting the fear that had frozen her lungs, and Emma released a trembling breath.
"You really are evil," she teased, shaking off the last of her nerves.
Regina grinned, fingers slipping to the back of Emma's neck, winding into golden waves to draw their faces closer.
"So I've been told," Regina murmured into Emma's mouth, crushing it fiercely onto her own.
Emma whimpered softly into the kiss; she always did, she couldn't help it. A swarm of butterflies took off in her gut every time Regina touched her, looked at her, or simply slipped unexpectedly into her thoughts. When they kissed, Emma was sure the winged bastards were trying to burst out right through her skin, and yet somehow even that felt so damn good that Emma just couldn't hold in the sound. Slowly, Regina pulled away, Emma sighing contentedly as she waited for the fluttering to subside. Once it had, she sat back just a bit, smiling coyly at her lover.
"What is it now?" Regina asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"Your Emma, huh?" She raised her eyebrows questioningly, smile never wavering.
Regina clicked her tongue. "Don't read too much into it, dear."
Emma just laughed and kissed her again. It was pretty much exactly the response she had expected to get; Regina didn't dole out words of affection haphazardly, and she most certainly couldn't be coaxed into doing so. It always happened unexpectedly, subtly, yet perfectly. My Emma. Still, she could never resist prodding for just a little bit more of that endearment, if for no other reason than to say that she'd heard it, or to see that brief glint in brown eyes as they tried to roll away the sentiment.
The bed sheet between them began to crumple and fall away, until Regina's bare chest was pressed against the flimsey fabric of Emma's top. The thin material did nothing to stop the heat of Regina's skin from seeping through and Emma groaned, pushing forward until they once again lay flat on the bed. They didn't have time to go further than this, Emma knew, but she couldn't resist a few more stolen minutes to just feel Regina's body beneath her, her tongue in her mouth, her breath on her lips. She wished so badly that she could stay the night. It wasn't fair.
"I wish we could just leave here," Emma whispered, lips never quite separating from Regina's. "Run away to someplace where we can be together... Where we can be a family."
That caught Regina's attention.
"Family?" she asked with a frown, pressing her head down into the pillow as she attempted to pull back and look at Emma.
Emma nodded, pushing herself up just enough to lock eyes with Regina. "You, me, and Henry."
Regina's eyes were watery, her voice only trembling a little when she asked, "All of us?" There was no mistaking the tenetive hope in her expression, though. Emma knew how much it would mean to Regina to still be considered a part of Henry's life, even if only in fantasy, for now.
"All of us," Emma confirmed. Regina's mouth twitched as though she might smile, but her disbelief fought the joy away.
"You'd trust me with him?" she asked skeptically. Emma smiled gently; she had anticipated this question, and she had her answer ready.
"He taught you how to love," Emma echoed Regina's own words, knowing with certainty that they were the truth. "You are his mother. I trust you completely."
At that, Regina finally allowed the smile to break free, reaching up to smooth unruly blonde ringlets back behind Emma's ear. "I would like us to be a family as well," she confessed in a whispered tone, as though admitting such things aloud might shatter the dream completely.
Emma smiled, but the sadness shone in her eyes as she felt her heart split in two. One half rejoiced that Regina Mills actually wanted Emma, of all people, to be her family; that this family included their son — finally, truly acknowledged as theirs. At the same time, the other half crumbled, knowing this was all just a dream and would remain just that, indefinitely. She laid her head down on Regina's chest, listening to the heart beating there and relishing in the feel of fingers combing through her hair.
Emma sighed. "Do you think they'll ever let us have that?"
"Our family?" Regina asked.
Emma nodded. "Our happy ending."
The blonde's head rose and fell as Regina inhaled deeply.
"We'll find a way." Regina's voice sounded far away. "True Love always does."
Emma blinked, then frowned, her reaction delayed by only a second as the words took root in her brain, and her head snapped back up.
"You think I'm your True Love?" she asked breathlessly, sitting up slightly so Regina wouldn't feel the way her heart was hammering her chest.
"I didn't say that," Regina countered flatly.
Emma wouldn't settle for the flippant dismissal this time. This was one of those moments, one of those accidental confessions of affection that were offered so rarely. Except, it wasn't like those little moments at all. It was so much bigger. It was everything, really.
"Uh, yeah," Emma pushed defiantly. "You kind of did."
"Did I not just warn you about reading into things?" Regina chastised. "You are putting words in my mouth, dear."
Emma glowered. "Regina..."
"Miss Swan—"
"Don't 'Miss Swan' me," Emma interrupted sternly, surprising Regina into temporary silence. "Tell me the truth. Either I am, or I'm not."
Regina sighed, closing her eyes. She said nothing. Emma began to fear the worst, feeling her throat tighten with dread.
"It's a simple yes or no," she reiterated dryly in Regina's continued silence. She shouldn't have said anything, Emma thought, she'd pushed too far this time. She didn't want to hear the answer anymore, she would grab her clothes and go before it could be uttered. "Forget it," she hissed, sitting up but making it no farther as hands around her wrists locked her in place.
She refused to look at Regina, terrified of what emotions she would see reflected in her expression. When at last Regina spoke, her breathy whisper was deafening in the quiet room.
"Yes."
Emma's heart lodged in her throat at the sound of that single word. She peered down into pleading eyes, seeing a hint of trepidation there, but more than anything else there was pure sincerity. "Really?" she squeaked. Emma could always spot a liar, and she didn't see one in the woman planted below her. She had never had to worry about emotions clouding her judgement before, though, and she dared not put her faith in her so-called 'superpower' when the stakes where this high. "What about..." she trailed off, unsure how to ask.
Fortunately, Regina seemed to understand. "Daniel?"
Emma nodded, feeling guilty for broaching the subject, and even more so for the pang of jealousy she felt at the mention of his name. Regina's gaze fell off to the side, as if staring at a memory.
"I think perhaps fate works in mysterious ways," she offered wistfully. "I did love him, and losing him broke my heart. Without that heartache though, we wouldn't be where we are now. I never would have enacted the Dark Curse," her eyes fell to her hands still clutching Emma's, "and you and I would never have met. Had I not become the Evil Queen, Snow might never have met her Prince Charming, in which case you wouldn't even exist." Regina's gaze finally met the sheriff's, and the earnestness in her eyes made Emma feel as though the air had been ripped from her lungs. "I think perhaps I had to lose him, in order to find you."
The sheer vulnerability of Regina's confession had Emma forcing a sob back down her throat. Her eyes stung, and she was certain that if Regina released her wrists, her hands would be shaking. Emma opened and closed her mouth several times, unsure of her ability to speak.
"I'm glad you found me," she managed to utter through trembling lips before desperately fusing them to Regina's; both to ward off the tears that threatened to roll down her cheeks, and because there was no way she could resist rewarding a declaration like that with anything less. Emma kissed her with everything she had, until passion began to taken possession of her body, and she reluctantly withdrew.
Gazing down at Regina, Emma felt a familiar tug in her chest, though it was a sensation she couldn't quite name. It was a desire, a deep longing she felt for this woman that went far beyond their bodies or sex. It was as though Regina had become her air, her sustenance, her gravity, and her shelter. If only Emma had the words to tell her. Regina had bared her soul tonight, Emma figured she could, at the very least, try to do the same.
"True Love..." she began cautiously. "Is that like Soul Mates?"
"I suppose it's similar," Regina replied. "Why do you ask?"
"It's just," Emma sighed, willing the proper words to spring forth. "I don't really know how to explain it. I never really believed in fate or anything, but it's like something in my soul latched onto yours the moment I met you, like they fused together and now I can never be apart from you, no matter how much space is between us. It feels like my very existence is intertwined with yours. Even when you're driving me crazy, even when I hate you, or want to hate you, it seems like I'll still always need you. The strangest part of all, though, is that none of that scares me, because I think it's supposed to be this way."
Regina chuckled mirthfully. "That sounds about right."
Emma grinned, relieved that she seemed to have said the right thing, or at least that Regina had understood what she meant. She leaned forward again, propping herself up with her palms planted on either side of Regina's head.
"Would you have enacted a Dark Curse to avenge me?" she asked flirtatiously, raising an eyebrow in mock seriousness. Regina just smiled.
"Without hesitation."
Emma actually giggled, a sound she hadn't even thought herself capable of.
"That probably shouldn't really make me happy," she mused aloud.
"No, I suppose it shouldn't," Regina agreed, with an amused smirk to match Emma's own.
"Regina..." Emma hummed, lowering herself down to rest on her elbows now. One hand reverently traced the shape of Regina's cheek, as Emma peered deeply into dark brown eyes and took a steadying breath. "I love you."
Regina didn't fight her this time. She didn't close her eyes or look away. Her gaze held steady.
"I love you, too, Emma." Her tone was soft, gentle even, but her voice was strong and sure.
Finally hearing those words spoken aloud, so simple and true, Emma was no longer able to stop the sob or her tears from escaping. She kissed Regina hard, almost suffocatingly, as if trying to melt into the other woman completely. Regina hardly seemed to mind, reciprocating in full as she clung tightly to the quaking body in her arms.
"Oh, god," Emma whimpered mournfully when at last they'd parted. "What are we going to do?"
"We'll find a way, dear. I'm sure of it," Regina promised, brushing tears away from pale cheeks with the pads of her thumbs. "For tonight, though, why don't you stay. Let the morning work itself out when it comes."
Emma knew there would be consequences for agreeing to this. Mary Margaret would have questions as to her whereabouts, and Emma would either have to come clean, or flat out lie; both of which came with their own set of repercussions. She didn't care though. She'd given everyone else back their happy endings, now it was time to fight for her own. Hers, and Regina's.
With a small smile and a nod, she made up her mind. "Okay."
Emma disentangled herself just long enough to crawl back beneath the covers. Regina peeled the white tank top back off before Emma laid down, casting it to the floor as she drew their bare bodies together again. Despite what she knew lay ahead, in this moment Emma felt nothing but content. It wasn't 'Happily Ever After', not yet anyway, but she could only hope it was the first big step towards that destination. With that thought in mind, Emma felt her eyelids grow heavy, and for the first time she allowed herself to fall asleep in the arms of the woman she loved.