Author's note: I promise I'll be updating All That Is Thirst soon. My muses really wanted a new one shot and I needed some fluff and humor.
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This Could Be Paradise
"Aiden…" Regina Mills pushed some foliage aside as she allowed her husband to lead her through the jungles of Neverland. "Are you absolutely certain that you know where you're going?"
Aiden Gold glanced over his shoulder at her with a slight smirk. "Of course I do. When has my sense of direction ever steered us wrong?"
She responded by rolling her eyes. "I've lost count at this point."
He just grinned, un-phased, and continued forward. "Come now. Where's your sense of adventure, my love?"
"Back in Storybrooke, along with my sanity and bug repellant," she swatted hopelessly at some mosquitos that seemed determined to drain her of all the blood she had.
Aiden chuckled and squeezed affectionately at her hand. "We've dealt with worse conditions than these. Or do you not remember the sand-storm in Agrabah?"
"I try not to think about that," Regina admitted.
He laughed, drawing her close to his side and wrapping an arm around her waist as they moved further into the trees.
Roughly an hour passed, and Regina started to worry as she noticed that the landscape was looking eerily familiar. "Honey? Didn't we pass that tree earlier?"
Aiden looked over towards where she was pointing.
She bit back a laugh when he stopped, stared, and then cursed and looked around in order to gather his bearings.
"Will you just admit that you got us lost in Neverland already?"
He whirled to face her, indignation on his striking features. "We're not!"
"Oh really?" She crossed her arms over her chest, arching an eyebrow skeptically. "Then, my love, tell me: where are we?"
His expression faltered, and an awkward silence followed.
Regina was about to make another remark (appropriately dripping with sarcasm if she could help it), when Aiden abruptly held up a hand to her mouth to shush her.
"Hold on…do you hear that?" he spoke in a quiet tone, prompting his wife to listen more carefully to the sounds of the jungle.
After a few minutes, she caught on to the familiar, rushing sound of water, which signaled that there had to be a body of it nearby.
"Maybe there's a river or something nearby," she murmured, wondering why her love's expression had suddenly brightened.
"No. Its better," he leaned forward and pressed a sweet kiss to her lips before lacing their fingers together and guiding her off. "I knew I was going the right way!"
She was about to ask him what he was going on about when they entered a clearing and she got an answer without a word having to be uttered.
Regina's eyes widened in awe at the sight of a magnificent waterfall, which was flowing into a lake of clear blue water. The area surrounding it was awash in color due to the various plants and flowers that grew nearby, and the ground leading to it was covered in plush green grass.
"Aiden…this is amazing!" she gasped, letting go of his hand in order to explore.
"I thought you might like this," he smiled warmly: content to observe her as she looked around.
She looked over her shoulder, noting his expression. "The whole reason you wanted to split up from everyone else was to bring me here, wasn't it?"
He nodded and crossed over to her, tugging her into his arms and holding her close. "I know how worried you are about finding Henry, so I figured a little relaxation to clear our heads wouldn't hurt."
"That's uncharacteristically sweet of you," she teased, draping her arms around his neck.
"I can be sweet when I want to be," he leaned forward, brushing his lips ever-so-lightly against hers.
She grinned, nuzzling her nose against his. "Yes. Yes you can be," and then she closed the tiny gap remaining between them by claiming his mouth in a kiss that he gladly returned.
It amazed Regina how quickly passion could escalate between her and Aiden, even after being married for years.
Most of the time it was something simple, like the way he kissed her: his lips always soft and gentle against hers but there was also just a hint of possessiveness that was enough to send pleasant sparks shooting up her spine as she curled as close as possible.
Right at that moment it was the combination of his kiss and the way his hand fisted into her hair, twisting the dark strands between his elegant fingers in a manner that caused her to gasp against his mouth.
He nipped playfully at her lower lip before tugging back for air, smiling when Regina's fingers began to work at undoing his tie. "You read my mind."
"It wasn't that difficult," she chuckled, appreciating the smooth texture of the silk as it slipped through her fingers. "We're in the middle of a romantic oasis, alone. I put two and two together pretty quickly."
He laughed richly, his hands setting to task at ridding her of her clothes as well, leaning in to touch his mouth to hers again. "I suppose I'm an open book then."
"Only to me…and that's fine," she admitted, tackling the buttons of his shirt, freeing them one at a time until she could part the garment from his shoulders. "It makes what we have special."
"That it does," Aiden agreed, and then he captured her mouth in another kiss that effectively ended any further conversation.
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"You know what I just realized?" Regina kissed Aiden's bare shoulder, her words partially muffled against his skin. "We've made love in nearly every realm at this point."
The pawn-broker arched an eyebrow, turning his head towards her so he could look into her eyes. "Nearly every realm?"
She gave him a look. "I don't count that time in Wonderland because we were under the influence of the food there and weren't fully ourselves. That and it's what got us kicked out."
"Jefferson said we should get some kind of award for that," he smirked and trailed his fingers along the curve of her hip, drawing her closer.
Regina shook her head and settled comfortably in his arms, content for the moment to bask in the feeling of his skin upon hers. "Jefferson also thinks we should get an award for staying together as long as we have without killing each other. I didn't mention to him the multiple times we've actually tried that."
"The key word being tried," he laughed sharply. "We've had a very strange courtship. Or at least we have compared to other couples."
Smiling, she rested her head upon his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart as they recuperated from what had turned into countless rounds of love making. "I don't know, I think Jefferson and Belle could give us a run for our money. After all their first date was in Oz."
"I thought I took you on a date in Oz?"
"I would hardly call being on a run because you stole a pair of silver slippers a date!"
"What? We needed those! And I didn't exactly hear you complaining when we—
She wondered why he had gone completely silent and wide-eyed before realizing that he was staring at something and slowly turned her head to see what it was.
Emma Swan was standing only a few feet from them with a smug-looking Killian Jones at her side.
Emma looked about as mortified as Regina currently felt, her mouth opening and closing as she attempted to form words.
In the end, it was the pirate captain that spoke. "I told you this was the wrong way, luv." He didn't look in the least bit surprised at finding Aiden and Regina in flagrante. "This is Lover's Cove. Rather aptly named, wouldn't you agree?"
"I uh…" Emma managed to find her voice, though it sounded higher-pitched the normal. "I'm so sorry you guys. We're gonna go…and pretend that this never happened. And by that I mean it will never be mentioned." She gave Killian a pointed look and began to drag him off, shooting an apologetic look at the lovers before tugging the pirate away by the cuff of his coat (though not before he managed to give a thumb's up to Aiden).
"And that successfully goes into the ruined romantic moments category," Regina moaned, burying her head in Aiden's shoulder.
"Why is it always Miss Swan?" He muttered.
"She does have a knack for walking in on us, doesn't she?" once again, his wife's words were muffled against his skin.
After a moment she brought her head up to look at him again, and they stared at each other until, finally, they burst into laughter.
"So…Lover's Cove, huh?" Regina managed between giggles.
"I had no idea that was the name of this place, I swear," Aiden stated, his shoulders shaking from mirth as he pulled her close and pressed his lips to her forehead.
She leaned into the affection, smiling before brushing her mouth against his. "Sure you didn't."
Despite the sarcasm that laced her tone, Aiden knew Regina didn't mind the name, which was rather apropos.
And as they kissed lovingly, the light of the setting sun washing over them, they knew they were exactly where they needed to be.
The End