Regina woke up alone, smiling slightly as she realised she had the entire day off and didn't have to get up at all. She stretched out lazily, kicking the cover away and turned to the pillow next to her. Her smile instantly vanished, replaced with a slightly grumpier expression and a defeated sigh. She kept forgetting she had the bed all to herself these days.
It had been difficult at first, getting used to someone sleeping right next to her. She had always been fiercely independent, even when having nightmares and just plain old bad dreams growing up she'd just lie in bed being scared. It never occurred to her to seek comfort in someone else. She snorted at the thought, her parents wouldn't have cared anyway. It had been useful though knowing how to self soothe as it were, until of course this blasted girl had demanded to stay the night, and then another night, until eventually she stopped leaving. She had always been gone before Henry was up though, and it had been purely for practical reasons of course.
Still... she slept next to her in this single bed, and they couldn't help but be oh so close together. They had shared a duvet and one pillow, and just lain next to each other, or intricately curled up together, for nearly a month. Regina had gotten used to her; she had got just to sharing. She slowly became accustomed to coming home, and finding someone other than her son waiting there. Not just a flatmate, not just a friend or random break-in neighbour (it happens), but this woman in her room, or even sometimes ready with dinner at the table. She shared Regina's space, her bed, thoughts, and even fantasties and dreams of the future.
It had been a few weeks since Emma stopped returning, but that first night without her was painfully clearly etched in her mind. She had kept waking up in the night, expecting to feel Emma's warm arm around her, until her sleepy brain realised that she wasn't there. That she might not be there again. Would not be there again, Regina reminded herself, Emma had blown it and she wasn't one to forgive lightly, the formly evil queen attempted to persuade herself. It had been hard to get used to sharing so much after being so very independent for as much of her life as she could remember; on the playground, in class, at home. She was always alone, whether people were around or not. I built my own bubble, she thought mournfully, I could see out and people could see in, but they didn't affect me, and I didn't affect them. I used to like it that way. Now, though? Now… she wasn't so sure any more. Still craving independence, still needing it to feel like herself, but at the same time missing the familiarity of being cooped up in a close proximity. She missed being so familiar with someone that they could share just a single bed for so long, so many weeks, and always manage to sleep tangled up together.
Most of all Regina missed Emma's warm arms, they felt like home. Wrapped up in their safe cocoon she could say anything, do anything, be vulnerable or daft, and just plain be herself, and Emma could be the same with her.
Brushing off the reverie and focusing back on the present, Regina locked those feelings back into the box at the back of her mind where she kept all vulnerabilities and swung her legs out of bed. She would probably have time for a short jog before starting breakfast for Henry if she was quick about it.
