Disclaimer: I own nothing beside my crazy mind and my computer… and sometimes it's more them owning me…
Note: thanks to my Beta, Raee, who also gave me that idea! 3
2am. It's 2 freaking am! Who dares calling you at such an inappropriate time of the night?! There was a time the caller would have been skinned alive for waking you up but... Oh great...
"WHAT, Swan!" you answer your phone angrily. It's been quite some time now that, for Henry's sake, you had agreed to call a truce with Emma Swan. The situation was degrading and the low blows were only hurting your son more than the two of you. It hadn't been easy at first, and the meeting almost ended in bloodshed but you both managed to put aside the differences and work together... for Henry. At least, that's how it was at the beginning...
"Hey, Regina! How do you know it's me?!" you can hear the smile on her lips and you can't help but rolling your eyes, smiling a little too...
"Caller ID, Miss Swan! What do you want at... 2 in the morning?! Really, Sheriff?! 2am?!" you say with a deep sigh, falling back into your bed.
"Fine! Gosh, you can be so grumpy in the morning!" she answers lightly
"This is not the morning, this is the night! And yes I can be grumpy when awaken at NIGHT for something that surely can wait until a more appropriate hour. Like... let's say... lunch?!"
"Are you asking me to get dinner with you, Regina?" she asks after an awkward silence during which you realized your mistake. 2 in the morning is definitely not your best hour.
"If that can make you hang up and let me go back to sleep, yes I am." you say sternly.
"Good then. I'll leave..."
"Leave?! What do you mean "leave"?" you sit up on your bed, startled.
"Uhm... go to your window..." you do as she asks and try to untangle yourself from the sheets the best you can without falling. You stumble your way to your window.
"Nice view, Madam Mayor..." you hear her appreciative tone over the phone. You drop your gaze on yourself. You thank whatever deity out there that she will not be able to see you blush.
"Oh shit!" you mumble as you try to cover your almost naked body the best you can. "What are you doing in my backyard, at this ungodly hour?!"
"I was-" she begins to answer.
"Don't bother... Go wait for me at the front door. I'll make us some coffee."
"I thought you wanted to go back to bed..." she says dreamily. Was that a wink?
"That won't be possible now... and I intend to make you pay for it." you say with the best threatening voice you can pull out at 2am.
"Promises, Regina, promises" you roll your eyes and end the call. You see her smile seductively at you before making her way to the front door.
This flirtation game she keeps on playing when you're together is making you feel things you shouldn't. Not for her. Not for the daughter of your nemesis. And yet, you can't help yourself. She has unburied feelings you thought lost forever. But there is no way you will ever tell her. The fear of rejection is greater than the fear of what that might do to the stability of this ceasefire. Henry would hate you even more if you blew this up.
So you put on a robe and, carefully walk down the stairs to let the beautiful sheriff in your house, if not in your heart. She is leaning against the door frame, more gorgeous than ever. You take a deep breath.
"I am starving, Regina... Any chance you got something to eat?" she asks.
"You are unbelievable! Come in... and be quiet! Henry is sleeping!" you answer, letting her in and showing her the way to the kitchen.
She passes right in front of you and you let your eyes fall on her body... Her curves in all the right places, her hair falling on her shoulders, her perfectly fitting jeans. Regina, get a grip girl! It was a dream! Now you're awake! You sigh heavily as you close the door and join her in the kitchen.
"So, Miss Swan, what was so important that you had this urge to wake me up to have my opinion about?"
"Emma."
"What?"
"Call me Emma. Please. We're passed all the Mayor/Sheriff stuff now. We have a son together, Regina. Just... call me Emma." she asks with that puppy face Henry pulls at you once in a while. Usually when new comics hit the store.
"Fine then. Emma. Same question?" her name in your mouth is sending chills down your spine.
"I was thinking about our truce actually. And maybe I got a shot of bravery mixed with the whiskey and I just had to come here and talk to you about this while I still had the courage to do it..." she speaks so fast you barely make it up. But you suddenly feel afraid for her. Maybe she came to break things off and tell you she'll leave your town in the morning, maybe she came to tell you that she'll take away your son for good. No. That can't be. And yet so many scenarios are playing in your head. And each and everyone of them, you end up loosing both the people you love. Wow! Love?!
"What are you talking about?!" you ask her, your back to her while you try to steady your trembling hands on the coffee maker.
"I'd like to give Henry a real family." it's out in a breath. Barely a whisper. Family? A real family?!
"I'm not gonna marry you, dear! I will not be forced into a marriage again!' it was out of your mouth before you could stop it. You turn around to see the surprise on her face.
"I'm not asking you to marry me, Regina but... wait a minute... again?! What do you mean, again?!"
"Would you care for some cookies? Henry left some I think..." you turn around, trying to change the subject; you even curse yourself for being so stupid. Why would you think about marriage when she talked about family?!
You feel her circling an arm around your waist as her other hand catches yours on the cupboard's door and makes it rest on hers, currently sending warmth through the thick fabric of your robe on your stomach. She pulls you closer to her and for a brief moment you feel safer than you've ever felt in your entire life.
"Regina, you are trembling. And you look pale. I'm sorry I talked about this. Please. Forgive me. I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted... damnit I wanted to move in with you and Henry and have a white picket fence and a golden retriever and come home to my son every evening. Maybe prepare you something to eat once in a while. I just wanted to take care of you, both."
Her confession breaks your heart. No one since Daniel has ever wanted to take care of you. Not like that. Not for nothing in return. All she wants, it would be so easy for you to want it too. So easy to give into that simple life. Those sweet moments. That blissful yet awfully domesticated life. But the Evil Queen doesn't deserve that. To get there would mean to come clean to Emma. To tell her about the evil things you've done in your past. To tell her how the evil queen ruined her life by forcing her parents to abandon her in a tree. You have to shake your head to push that thought away. Not tonight. Not right now. You close your eyes for a brief moment and decide to lighten the mood.
"A dog? You can barely take care of yourself, how could you take care of a dog?! I won't be there to save the day! You will have to teach that dog everything! I'll only be here to spoil that little ball of fur and see how you can keep it together..." you snort at her
"Really, Gina? Of all the things I've said you decide to talk about the dog?!" she chuckles and the vibrations echoing in your body feel like heaven. "Would you like to know more about my fantasy?" she asks after a few seconds of silence, never letting you. You're not even sure you want her to let you go.
"Please…" it comes out as a whisper, almost a secret shared with a lover.
She rests her chin on your shoulder and begins to tell you all about it.
"Close your eyes…" you obey without hesitation or second thought "Picture a big house, maybe this one, with a big garden. It's a hot summer day and you would be taking care of the flowers while I'd be mowing. Henry would be playing with our dog, Rodger, teaching tricks to the poor puppy. Once we'd be done, you'd go inside and make us some homemade ice tea. I'd try to have you come and shower with me but you would argue that someone needs to watch over our son-"
"Of course! How bad parents we'd be!" you smile and you can feel her smiling too against your cheek.
"Yes… I know… but one day, I'll get you to shower with me, Madam Mayor…" she whispers in your ear, giving you Goosebumps, before resuming her story.
"Then a couple of years later, you'd be under a parasol, lying on a long chair, complaining about the kicks our daughter would be giving you. Rodger would be ready to attack the first person disturbing your rest. I'd come home with ice cream and whipped cream and tell you how beautiful you are. How beautiful you've always been… I'd fix some dinner because by then you would have taught me how to cook – that was epic and very pleasant by the way – and we'd call out Henry to come and watch some silly movie that would make you laugh and put that bright smile upon your face…"
"Let me guess, that's when my water breaks, you panic, run everywhere, try to drive me to the hospital but I end up delivering a baby in the woods and we call her Mowgli?" you joke opening your eyes and looking at the woman holding you.
"Ha ha very funny! But no. That's when you make me the happiest woman on earth, again! By delivering a perfectly healthy baby girl… at the hospital! And I totally did NOT panic! I'm sheriff! I can stay cool in those situations." She brags. You hum, close your eyes and lean a little more into her.
"Anyway… That's what I want… well… what I would like…I would get to spoil my kids and my dog while y-"
"Oh excuse me, YOUR kids and YOUR dog?! What about me in this picture?" you fully turn into her arms, putting your hands on your hips, trying your best to look mad. Her arms never leaving your waist and you can feel her fingers absentmindedly tracing patterns on the small of your back, through the robe.
"You?! What about you?" she asks innocently, smiling brightly at you.
"I am the mother of your children and I'm pretty sure I have to take care of the dog too in your story! And they all would get to be spoiled! What about me?!" you know damn well that you are failing at being mad at her. You really try to keep the mask up but the honesty in her eyes is disarming you more easily than any curse from your spell book.
"You… I wouldn't spoil you… because I would worship you. Every night I'd get to hold you, to kiss you, to-" you see her checking you out "do -things- to you. Oh Gina, I would treat you like a queen… " she is so close to you now. You can feel her breath on your lips. Your hands find their own way to her hips. It would be so easy to kiss her now. To finally get a taste of those red lips that have been taunting you since she came to town, disturbing the quiet life you've been leading for 28 years. She has been the storm but who knew she'd also be the calm after it.
"At least, that's the kind of life I want… a perfect family. But that's not gonna happen, right?! I mean, we've got this ceasefire running now and that's great! But I'll never be able to be at home when Henry comes back from school or just put him to bed or enjoy breakfast or stuff like that… that's your prerogative because you are his mother." She turns away from you and you feel colder than ever. Missing her warmth already. Missing her arms around your waist.
You stay put for a moment. Turning and re-turning the situation into your mind. The what ifs, the possibilities, the kind of life you could have with her, the kind you could have without her, Henry's wishes, yours…. All this make your head dizzy and the words are out before you can control them.
"Stay!" you see her stiffen and turn around.
"Now Regina, we don't have a dog yet, I don't obey to "stay"…" joking?! She is joking?! Now! Really?!
"No, Emma. I meant stay! Stay here, stay the night, stay the year, stay forever! I want that life too! God knows that's all I've ever wanted… You depicted happiness. I want it. I crave it. I never thought it would be with you but it's clear now. It's you. It's always been you. From the moment I saw you with Henry in my driveway I knew you would make a hell more of a mess in my life, but I didn't know then that you would be the one cleaning it too. I've changed, Emma, and it's because of you. Please, let's have Rodger! I want to give you a daughter. I want to take showers with you and have breakfasts with Henry and you and our daughter and Rodger. I want to teach you how to cook. I want that beautiful domesticated life. Just… stay" by the time you are done talking you can feel the tears on your face. They're running and there is no stopping them. She walks into your space, grabs you by the hips and pulls you into her. Then she claims your lips into a searing kiss. No one has ever kissed you like that. Not even Daniel. The way she makes you feel is totally new to you. And you're enjoying every second of it.
"Yes. I will stay. Because after all… we're almost married now…"