A/N: This story is actually complete, 7 chapters in all. I'll post a new one daily this week.
Chapter 1: Regina and Emma share a bed
The door to Granny's opens and Emma glanced up, taking in Regina's entrance. God, she's hot. Her eyes followed Regina as she walked up to Ruby at the counter and ordered her usual afternoon latte.
"Earth to Emma!" Emma's attention snapped back to Henry, who's sporting a smug smirk on his face. He's a little shit, but he's her little shit, and Emma smiles fondly at him. "You sure have it bad for Mom, don't you, Emma?" Emma's face goes white. This is so not the place for this conversation. She hurriedly shushes Henry, whose smirk only grows wider. "Henry!" He throws his hands in the air in a gesture of surrender, drawing an amused look from Regina, who has sauntered over to them. She slides into the booth next to Henry and Emma lets out an awkward greeting, still flustered from Henry's comment.
Regina sips at her latte and as she places the cup back on the table, she looks at Emma with a question in her eyes. "Are you able to watch Henry next week for the entire week?" Emma is puzzled by the question and replies "Sure, yeah, but why? Are you going somewhere?" Regina nods "Yes. There's an… administrative conference that I've been asked to speak at and it's down in Charlotte." Henry chimes in, "That mayor thing? You haven't gone for a long time, Mom." Regina chuckles "Yes, well, in between your unanticipated trip to Neverland and Zelena attacking Storybrooke, attending conferences haven't exactly been on top of the priority list. Now that it's quieted down somewhat, the timing seems perfect to go." Henry asked, "Are you flying down, Mom?" Regina pursed her lips "I'm not too thrilled about the four hour drive down to Boston's airport but I wouldn't want to drive all the way down to Charlotte by myself, so I suppose so, Henry."
"It'd be nice for you to take a drive, it's something different and would be like a vacation. You deserve one." Henry's innocent tone set off alarm bells in Emma's head, she just knew Henry was up to no good. Regina looked pensive as she considered Henry's words. "I'd love to but driving all that way down by myself just wouldn't be any fun. But thank you for thinking of me, honey." Henry's next few words proved Emma's suspicions right as his eyes shifted to meet Emma's and he said without guile, "Emma, you should go with Mom. You haven't taken a vacation since you moved here and you should have, what, a month's worth of leave saved up." Emma spluttered in the soda she was taking a drink from, and two sets of amused eyes watched as she wiped her chin with a napkin then the table as she tried to buy time to formulate a response.
She looked up, eyes meeting Regina's, and her cheeks felt warm as Regina's eyebrow slowly arched. She'd give her left nut to go on a road trip with Regina, but considering the circumstances, it probably wouldn't be a good idea. She cleared her throat but before she could say anything, Regina gathered her things and stood up. "I really do need to be going now or I will be late to this afternoon's meeting. Henry, I'll be seeing you tonight for dinner?" Regina didn't spare Emma so much as a glance after Henry nodded and made her exit. Henry looked a bit dumbfounded at the abrupt exit, and said "What was that?" Emma shifted uncomfortably and replied, "Look, Henry, I get that your heart's in the right place, but you maybe really should just leave things between your mom and me alone." Henry's eyes narrowed "Spill it Emma." Emma sighed, knowing Henry was like a dog with a bone sometimes. "Well, er, um, I may have hinted to your mom that I was… interested in maybe moving beyond being just friends." She couldn't help the flush that spread up her neck as Henry's eyes widened. "You confessed to Mom how you feel about her?!" Emma shrugged her shoulders and kept her eyes on the table as she murmured, "Yeah. But she didn't take it very well. I'm lucky we're even still friends. And I'm fine with that, I respect her, y'know, and really, I value the friendship we have and, you—" Henry interrupted "Yes, Emma, but what I don't get is why she wouldn't want to try—" "Henry—you know your mom has been unlucky in love and—" "I know that, Emma, but you don't understand. You don't see how Mom stares at you when you don't know she's watching, you don't see the difference in the smiles she gives you as compared to, say, Kathryn, and aren't they friends too? God, you both are—" Henry ran a hand through his hair, exasperated.
Henry reached across the table and took one of Emma's hands, which were clenched in fists, and wrapped it in his own. "Listen, Emma, I know Mom's scary and everything, but you know deep down inside she's just a ball of fluff." Emma smiled at that and Henry continued, "I know it's not fair and all that stuff, but to get Mom, you gotta be the ball buster and do the chasing. If you wait for her to come to her senses, well, you both'll be in the nursing home when that happens." Emma looked at her son, optimism shining in his eyes, and shook her head at the fact that the True Believer was her son. He had definitely inherited that trait from Snow. Emma sighed, "Okay, Henry. I'm still not going to push but it can't hurt to spend more time with your mom. I'll go along for the ride, but your mom has to sign off on that idea first. And good luck with that!" Henry smirked, "Watch me" and polished off the rest of his French fries.
As Regina worked on preparing the salad ingredients in the kitchen, she heard Henry wander in and she looked up to see him leaning on the island. She smiled fondly at him "Dinner will be ready shortly, Henry." He remained silent, staring at her intently. Regina looked back down, slicing the carrots deftly with her chef's knife, allowing Henry his silence. Teenagers.
"Mom. You know I love and care about you, right?" Regina's head snapped up, and she looked at Henry suspiciously until Henry laughed and gestured his surrender. "Who are you and what have you done with my Henry?" "Mom, seriously, you know, right?" Regina smiled, "Yes, dear, I know. And I can't tell you how happy I am about that." Henry sobered for a brief moment, knowing he hadn't always treated his mom well, but they had moved past that. "So you'll listen to what I have to say?" Regina looked at him quizzically, "Yes, of course, Henry. Let's get this moved to the dining table and we can chat there." Henry nodded and helped his mother gather everything and move them over to the dining table.
"So, Mom, I was serious earlier today when I said you need a vacation." Regina sighed, "Henry—" "Mom, listen to what I have to say. You've been working nonstop since everything happened and I get it, I do. You want to, in your way, make up for stuff. You want to make sure Storybrooke is safe and all, and everyone knows that you're the best choice for mayor after Grandma's er, tenure, didn't go so well. But you can't keep taking care of everybody and not yourself. Just take a couple extra days, take in the sights, and I bet you'll come back refreshed and doing an even better job as the mayor."
Regina stared at her little boy, wondering how in the hell had he grown up so fast. She had to concede that Henry was right, she did need some sort of time off. But she really didn't want to make that drive down by herself. "Henry… do you want to go with me?" Henry's eyes widened, that wasn't what he had in mind at all, and he said "Uh, Mom… its not that I don't want to go with you. But I don't want to miss time with my friends and I do have school to consider." Regina smiled a small smile at him "Then, who?" Henry rolled his eyes "Emma, duh." Regina's smile dropped and she looked at her fingernails "Henry… I don't want to inconvenience Miss Swan, it is rather a last minute trip and I'm sure she has better things to do." Henry looked at her intently "Is that your only reason for hesitating?" Regina slowly nodded in the affirmative and Henry broke out in a brilliant smile. "Then you're in the clear! Emma said she'd go with you if you said it was alright. So I guess everything is set," he ended excitedly and retrieved their plates to put in the dishwasher, leaving Regina looking after him, mouth slightly agape. This was definitely a case of nurture vs nature, she mused, for her son was evilly brilliant.
Emma watched Henry, waving good-bye, slowly disappear in the rear-view mirror as Regina's Mercedes rolled down the street at the ungodly hour of 6:30 am. Emma rubbed her eyes and groaned "You just had to pick this time of day to leave, huh? Ever heard of beauty sleep?" Regina gave her the evil eye "Well, I can't say beauty sleep has ever benefited you, Miss Swan." Emma grinned, "So, are you saying I'm ugly, Regina?" Regina shot back "If you say so." Both were grinning as they approached the town line and shot through it. They gasped as they both felt their magic fall silent. Emma was the first to speak, "Wow. Does the absence bother you?" Regina tightened her hands on the wheel "Not because of the sensation, its just that I've become so used to having magic at my disposal. If something were to happen, such as a flat tire, I'd have to deal with it the hard way." Emma smiled "Sort of like rich people not knowing how to cook because they depend on the servants, huh?" "Hmpf" muttered Regina to Emma's chuckling.
They pulled up to the last hotel on the business route and as Emma ran out in the driving rain to the lobby, Regina sat fuming. This had been a hell of a day. First, there had indeed been a flat tire, but Emma had something called Triple-A, and after two hours of waiting, the tow truck had come out and towed their car to the next town to get a new tire installed. This had taken hours and then on top of that, they had to fight their way through horrid road construction on the 95 in pouring rain. The Sheriff had been good company, but she was exhausted and frustrated that all the hotels they had stopped at so far were full up. She really didn't want to drive to the next town which was 65 miles away. She watched through the lobby windows as Emma gestured to the clerk, frowned, and turned around to jog back out to the car. Regina slumped her head against the headrest, assuming the worst. As Emma slid into the car, she announced "They have a room." Regina perked up, "Emma! Why are you back here? Get the room before its gone!" Emma hesitated before replying, "Well, it's a king. They're out of doubles and there's no roll-away beds available." Regina's head fell back against the headrest and she sighed. "Emma, I'm too tired to drive any more. Just get the room and we'll deal with whatever." Emma looked at her quietly before nodding and slipping out of the car to secure the room.
As Regina watched Emma go, she played the scene back in her head. Dinner was over, and Regina and Emma were sitting at the table, sipping their wine and idly conversing. Henry had slipped away some time ago, wanting to play his videogame, and the women hadn't felt like moving and breaking up the moment. After both wineglasses were empty, Emma sighed and slowly got up, reaching for the plates to carry back to the kitchen. Regina didn't really want Emma to go, but she couldn't really say so. So she got up and carried the remaining plates to the sink, getting ready to rinse them before putting them in the dishwasher that Emma was currently loading. As Regina reached for the sponge, she heard a snap! One hundredth of a second before feeling something strike her butt. Gasping, she whirled around to find Emma grinning mischievously, snapping a dishtowel back and forth in the air. Regina's eyes narrowed, "I'll get you for that, Emma." Emma let out a delighted laugh, "Sure, Regina, sure", infuriating Regina further. She slowly stepped towards Emma, her evil intent clear in her eyes, and Emma's chuckling trailed off as she backed up. Regina advanced further and further, until Emma's back hit the wall and she had nowhere else to go. Eyes wide, Emma looked at Regina, hands held up in a contrite manner, "Please don't fireball me Regina!" Regina smiled her Evil Queen smile and uttered, "Oh, I have something much more evil in mind." Her hands reached out and Emma shut her eyes until she yelped, jumping into the air. The Evil Queen had poked her in her ticklish spot! Her eyes snapped open to Regina's chuckling, "I can't believe you thought I'd fireball you, Emma." Emma slowly smiled, "Old habits die hard." Emma's hands inched up and closer to Regina before they launched in a tickling attack which ended in Regina choking and gasping in laughter and Emma's arms around Regina's hips, her back pressed against Emma's front. "You're the evil one, Emma!" Emma smirked "Maybe I am." Their words drifted off as they remained in the embrace and it wasn't long before Emma whispered against Regina's ear, "Regina… I… have feelings for you." She felt Regina stiffen and her heart dropped along with her arms. Regina stepped away, not looking at Emma as she stood at the kitchen island looking out of the window. Emma sighed, knowing she had screwed things up, shuffled over to the doorway, "I'll go now, Regina. I'm sorry I ever said anything." Regina turned before Emma could make her exit, "Emma. I'm sorry I don't feel the same way but I don't want this to affect our friendship. I've… much to my surprise… come to value it very much." Emma gave a small, awkward smile and nodded before she left the house.
Things really hadn't been the same after that, as much as they had tried, and Regina felt the loss keenly. But encouraging Emma's feelings? That just wasn't in the cards and the fallout if they didn't work out would be horrid. She hoped this trip would help their friendship get back to where they had been, comfortable and fun and… just right.
Regina opened the door and Emma walked straight to the bed, flopping onto it. Regina rolled her eyes, "Really, Miss Swan? What's next, jumping on it?" Emma grinned and bounced up on her knees, "Watch this!" She managed to get enough momentum to do a partial somersault and landed on the bed, wheezing and laughing. Regina couldn't help but chuckle, "You're such a child sometimes!" Emma laid there, grinning goofily at her, and Regina felt her heart warm with affection for the Savior. Realizing she was venturing into dangerous territory, Regina turned around and started rooting around in her suitcase for her nightclothes as she desperately needed a shower after the long day she'd had. Emma's eyes followed every move Regina made until the bathroom door swung shut and she sighed. Burying her feelings was harder than she'd anticipated but she wouldn't regret the time spent with the mayor and getting to know her a little better. Deep in thought, Emma's stomach rumbled and she decided to check Yelp to see if there was any decent pizza delivery around, she was sure Regina would bitch about it but, hey, ordering pizza was way better than going out again in that storm.
Opening the bathroom door, Regina stood there combing her wet hair. She had slipped into her favorite satin pajamas and was wondering what to do about dinner as they hadn't eaten yet. "Emma? What should we do for dinner?" Emma looked over at Regina from where she was lying on the bed and said, "Already taken care of." There was a knock on the door and Emma grinned and bounced off the bed to answer the door. The smell of pizza wafted into the room, making Regina's mouth water. She rolled her eyes… this was so typical of Emma, she must think pizza is a food group. But the pizza smelled good, so she wasn't too upset about the choice and the thought of staying in her pajamas certainly appealed to her.
They sat, Indian style, on the bed watching a bad Lifetime movie. Regina sniffed and declared "I can't believe people actually watch this drivel." Emma grinned at her and joked, "Well, doesn't our life feel like a Lifetime movie at times?" Regina snorted but privately thought that Emma indeed had a point, especially the past couple of years. Emma continued, thought, "Wouldn't it make a perfect Lifetime movie? A boy shows up on his birth mother's doorstep on her birthday, after she wished not to be alone anymore, and chaos ensue with his adoptive mother, who is the biggest bitch alive, when he brings the birthmother back to his hometown?" Regina glared at her but couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her mouth. "Really, Miss Swan? And what ending would you give that particular movie?" Emma screwed up her forehead in thought before she answered, "Well, I suppose both of the mothers would eventually agree to share custody of the boy and there's one big happy family afterwards." Regina snarkily responded "One big happy family, meaning the two mothers, the boy, other family relatives, and a lout of a boyfriend for one of the mothers? Or do the mothers end up together?" The minute the words left Regina's mouth, she regretted them as she really hadn't meant to bring up Hook nor indirectly Emma's feelings for her. Emma digested what Regina had said and gave a small sad smile "Perhaps." She got up from the bed and after gathering her sleepwear, walked over to the bathroom to take a shower.
Regina stared after her, regret filling her for her words. They weren't hurtful, but unnecessary of her to rub salt in the wound that Emma Swan was carrying in regards to her feelings. Emma had taken the rejection rather well but it was still awkward between them; Regina wanted to fix that, not continue to make it awkward. Feeling annoyed at herself, Regina cleaned up the pizza boxes, turned down the bedcovers, and slid under them, book in hand.
Emma held her hands against the shower wall as the spray hit her. She wished it wouldn't hurt whenever she was reminded that Regina held no interest in her besides friendship. She wanted to go back to just being friends, unresolved sexual tension in the air, because she was happy then. She thought of Henry's words "You gotta be the ball buster and give chase", harrumphed, and then smiled a bit at her actions. Really, Regina was just being her usual sassy self. Emma needed to put on her big girl pants and suck it up, and maybe give Regina a taste of what she was missing out on. Emma stepped out of the shower with a smile, determined to make the most of this evening.
Regina heard the door open but she didn't turn over. She laid there, not really reading her book, as she listened to Emma move around the room. She waited as Emma shut off the lamps one by one until there was one left shining near the bed, before she rolled over to face Emma. Shock filled her face as she watched Emma, clad only in a tanktop and panties, bend over to retrieve a fallen remote. Her eyes wandered over Emma's perfectly shaped behind and her eyes lingered on where the pantyline rode up a little up her butt cheeks. Emma turned around and Regina knew she hadn't looked up fast enough; Emma knew she had been checking her out. So, Regina had to create the upper hand before Emma could remark on it. "Where are the rest of your pajamas?" snapped Regina. Emma, caught off guard, replied defensively, "This is it", and gestured towards her tanktop and briefs. Regina grumbled, "Miss Swan, I better not feel any of your skin against mine this evening." Emma snorted "Hardly! If anything, I should be worried since you're the one checking out my ass." Regina flushed and rolled over, presumably to read her book. She felt the mattress dip as Emma slid into bed and Regina fought the urge to turn over, facing Emma, and allow her eyes to roam over Emma's body.
Emma stared at Regina's back, taking in each curve the satin pajamas gave away. Enough, thought Emma and slid down on her back, fully intending to fall asleep as she channel surfed through the hotel tv channels. When Regina had not felt Emma shift or move in quite awhile, she dared to roll over gently, and was greeted by the sight of Emma sprawled out, eyes closed, breathing deeply. Regina tenderly looked down at Emma's face, which was so much more peaceful when she was asleep, and thought that she really did have the face of an angel. Regina's hand tentatively reached out and stroked some unruly curls that were fanned out near her; Emma really did have the most beautiful hair. Not being able to resist, Regina's eyes roamed lower, down Emma's body, and Emma's pert butt was the highlight of her current view. A vision of her spooning Emma and feeling that butt rub against her came to mind unbidden and Regina shut it down immediately. This would not do. Sighing, Regina reached over Emma for the remote in order to shut off the TV and allow her to sleep in peaceful darkness.
Emma opened her eyes to a dim room; the curtains were letting in enough light from the sun for her to be able to see her surroundings. She blinked her eyes, trying to place why things felt so different. Looking down, she gasped. Regina's arm was flung over Emma's stomach and she could feel Regina flush against her back. Shit, Regina would freak the fuck out if she woke up to see this and an evil smile slowly formed on Emma's face. This position was all Regina; let her freak out since Emma was the innocent party here. She shut her eyes and drifted off with a smile on her face in anticipation of the morning to come.