Despite the years, despite the jail sentence, Emma just couldn't seem to stop being a thief.
She only took small things these days. No cars, no jewelry, just unimportant things that no one would miss. A spoon from the diner, one of Mary Margaret's pens, anything to revive that old thrill. Even the things she stole from Regina were harmless. But with the mayor, she ran the risk of getting caught.
She didn't know what it was about Regina. Maybe it was that the mayor had been provoking her constantly since the day they met. Maybe she half-believed Henry's stories and liked getting to lash out against evil. Maybe it had to do with Regina's bewitching eyes that Emma couldn't get out of her mind.
She'd started with palming items off of Regina's desk, then escalated to picking her coat pockets. And then she'd taken the old tool kit from the trunk of her car and broken into Regina's house. Terrible idea, she knew, but she couldn't remember the last time her heart had raced like this as she made her way up the staircase and down the hall to Regina's bedroom.
Emma stood silent in the doorway for a moment, mapping out the room. She targeted the vanity and approached, looking through the neatly organized rows of makeup and lotions. She took a tube of lipstick that time, in a deep red that was so perfectly Regina.
The next time she broke in, she walked the perimeter of the room, taking stock. She wanted something better. Something Regina would miss. She dug through a dresser drawer, smiling as she ran her fingers over Regina's silk undergarments, and closed it after her. Stealing panties was for amateurs, for frat boys.
The door opened downstairs, and Emma looked wildly around the room for an escape route. She ended up hurrying into the closet as steps came up the stairs, concealing herself in a back corner and watching through the slats as Regina came into the room, followed by Graham.
They didn't speak. They undressed as though they'd done this a million times before, as though they knew each other's bodies too well to need to look at each other.
Emma looked. She watched Regina undo the buttons on her blue silk shirt only a few feet from the closet door. She watched Regina smile wickedly to herself as she unhooked her pencil skirt and rolled down her stockings. Emma held her breath while Regina slipped off her bra and revealed her pale breasts.
Emma couldn't see them in bed from her angle in the closet, but she could hear. Graham didn't speak, but Regina gave commands in a low voice.
"I want something different today," the mayor said. "I want your mouth."
The blonde wished she could move to see this. Instead she imagined Regina's face gone soft, eyes squeezed tight and mouth just slightly open.
"Oh yes. Yes. Right there."
Emma pressed her face into a nearby sweater to keep from crying out. She was already excited from the thrill of the crime, but hearing Regina was just too much. She could see herself between Regina's legs like Graham must be, and she thought about lapping at Regina with her tongue, and how Regina would pull her hair relentlessly and demand more.
Regina dissolved into wordless moans, and Emma found herself too distracted to imagine anything coherent. She wished she'd thought to unbutton her jeans, to tease herself to the point of coming with Regina, but her hands were shaking too much to undress now. Instead, she focused everything she had on listening to Regina's last cry, and the quiet sounds she made as she came down from her orgasm.
"God," Regina said breathlessly after a few moments. "I'm so glad I keep you around." Emma couldn't hear what Graham said, but she did hear Regina reply, "Not today. Go take care of yourself in the guest bathroom. I have to clean myself up."
Emma could see movement again as Graham gathered his clothing and left the room and as Regina, naked and smiling smugly, walked into the bathroom and closed the door. The blonde waited until she heard the shower running before venturing to open the closet door. She paused, picking up the blue shirt still warm from Regina's skin and holding it up so that she could smell the mayor's perfume. This was what she wanted. She held it to her chest as she slipped downstairs and out the door.
"Miss Swan?"
Emma looked up to see Regina standing over her desk. "If you're looking for Graham, he's not here," she said pointedly, hardly able to keep from smirking.
"Oh, no, you'll do just fine." Regina looked Emma up and down, and the blonde suddenly remembered the shirt she was wearing, the blue silk that was so smooth against her skin and still carried a hint of Regina's smell. "I want to report a theft."
"All right. Have a seat and I'll take your statement." Emma nodded to the seat across from her desk, but Regina didn't sit down.
"My statement is that I know exactly what you did yesterday, and you're coming with me." Regina turned and began to walk out of the room, pausing to look over her shoulder. "And Miss Swan?"
Emma's mouth was hanging open, and it took her a moment to remember to speak. "Yes?"
"Bring your handcuffs."