Nostos/A Homecoming
By: tsena-the-hunter ( .com)
As Emma politely waited for Mayor Mills to finish her phone call, she glanced around the Mayor's office. She contemplated the white wallpaper with black trees, and it was unsettling.
Why was that?
She felt surrounded. A heavy weight pushed down on her chest.
The stark wallpaper reminded Emma of the underworld. Yes, the underworld. Her eyes darted to the left. Was that a shadow moving between the black trees?
Emma shuddered. What the hell am I thinking? Maybe I just need another cup of coffee.
She yawned, and Regina peered up at her quizzically.
"Call me back when you figure it out, and don't take all day," the Mayor growled into the phone.
Emma smiled at her, while eyeing the steaming cup of coffee on her desk.
When Regina put the phone down, she glared at the sheriff. "Miss Swan, what do you want? I'm really busy."
"It's about Henry."
Regina's expression softened.
"He wants to try out for the football team."
"Are you serious? I told him no last year."
"Oh, come on. He really wants to try."
"Football is absolutely barbaric," she spat. "We are not going to train our son to be a brainless thug."
Emma took a step closer to the Mayor's desk. "Regina, he has his heart set on going to the try-outs today. It doesn't mean he would even make the team."
"No. I don't want Henry to get hurt. Have you seen some of those boys on the team? They're big as trolls! A few of them are more like ogres!"
"But -"
"Do you really want those boys tackling Henry? He could break his arm. He could really get hurt!" Regina stood up behind her desk.
Emma took a few more steps forward. "You don't understand. Henry is growing up. You have to let go of him a little. Just let him try. If he doesn't make the cut, we'll be here to console him, but at least let him try."
"I already gave you my answer, Miss Swan. Now, if that is all you came for, I really need to get back to my work."
The phone rang again. Regina glowered at Emma while sinking down in her chair, and waited to answer it on the third ring. "This is Mayor Mills."
But Emma was not ready to give up yet. She pictured Henry's pleading face in her mind. He had sat across from her at Granny's diner not even half an hour ago, eating his pancakes. She had promised him she would persuade Regina to let him try-out for football. She had promised him, and now Regina wasn't budging.
Why did she have to be such a pain in the ass?
As she waited again for the Mayor to finish her phone call, her eyes wandered over the room. Regina had a full bar on a fancy glass cart. Emma snorted. What did she really need that for?
The basket of red apples also caught Emma's eye. She shuddered again, but the apples looked harmless enough.
This phone call was taking way too long! Sweat trickled down Emma's neck. She wound her blonde hair into messy ponytail.
"I already told you that pirate needs a permit if he wants to moor his decrepit old ship in my harbor!" Regina barked.
Emma's eyes widened. Her eyes darted over toward the fireplace. Something held her attention before she could look away: the horse figurine. She had never really noticed it before.
She stared at it. It was just a statue: a glossy white horse, one leg lifted mid-stride. Emma tilted her head. Why did it seem so familiar?
Regina finished her call and slammed down the phone again.
That poor phone.
"Is there a reason why you're still in my office?"
"The horse statue. Where did you get it?"
"Excuse me?"
Emma sighed. "I had a toy like that once, but it was a white plastic horse. It was one of the few Christmas presents I ever got."
The mayor frowned as she leaned back in her chair.
"Sorry, I just ..." Emma trailed off. She wandered over toward the horse figurine.
Regina sighed heavily and followed her. "It's alright."
Emma was lost in thought, her hand trailing over the wooden mantle. As she touched the horse statue itself, golden light swirled around her hand. "What the -?"
"Miss Swan, I don't think you should touch that."
They exchanged glances, but Emma ran her hand over the figurine again. Flecks of gold light circled around Emma, and suddenly the horse, and the mantle it stood upon, slid to the right.
A panel clicked opened behind the fireplace.
They could see stairs descending into a tunnel below.
Emma pointed toward the dark stairs. "Regina, what is this place?"
"I-I don't know." Regina grasped Emma's arm, pulling her back. She blinked, trying to focus her eyes, but her vision wasn't the problem. The golden haze had returned.
"So, you've never seen this before?" Emma turned to face her. "I find that hard to believe."
"I swear, I-"
"Look at me." Emma studied the Mayor's face. She had a knack for knowing when people were lying. But the Mayor wasn't lying.
"My mother had a vault like this. One that ran under the fireplace," Regina explained, wringing her hands.
Emma pulled her arm away from the Mayor's grasp, and began to walk down the stone steps. The air was cool and dusty.
"Miss Swan, are you listening? I don't think we should go down there."
"Why not? This can't be Cora's vault. She didn't come over with the curse."
Regina shuffled her feet. "It reminds me of my mother. Trust me, you do not want to go down there. I have a terrible feeling about it."
"Oh, come on. We're going in. This secret passage has nothing to do with Cora."
To Regina's surprise, the sheriff snatched her hand. The strange gold haze surged around them, and the lights in the room flickered.
"Why is that happening?" Regina scrutinized her office, but she also allowed herself to be led slowly down the dimly lit staircase, one step at a time.
"I assumed you were doing that."
"No, I'm not." She jerked her hand away from Emma's and the gold shimmer faded. "It's too dark to go down there."
Rolling her eyes, Emma unclipped the flashlight from her belt. Regina inched forward behind her. With the flashlight, they could see a large, ornate door at the bottom of the stairs.
Emma pressed on the door but it wouldn't budge.
"What is that design on the door? It look like waves," Regina said.
Emma scrunched up her face. "It does, actually. Now, help me push."
As soon as Regina placed her hand next to Emma's, the golden sparks circled around them again. The heavy door swung open easily.
"Did you just use magic to open the door?" Emma asked.
"No, I barely even touched it. I'm not using magic. Are you?"
Emma shook her head and her blond ponytail bounced. "Let's go in."
The sheriff's flashlight lingered on a crumbling statue of a woman.
"What is that?" Regina wondered.
"What are those?"
Emma shone the flashlight on the far wall. Twelve large axes hung in a row, their blades glinting in the light. Scattered around the floor, they could see what looked like urns, and old jugs of wine.
"Regina, what is all this stuff?"
The Mayor took a step back. "I have no idea. I've never seen this room before."
Emma carefully picked up one of the urns. "Do you know anything about this design? What is it?"
"It's a Grecian urn." Regina reluctantly took a few steps forward, placing her fingers on the ancient vessel.
Emma held the urn steady for her. "Is that a ship?"
"Yes," Regina whispered, "it's a Greek ship. Turn it over and look there."
"A sea monster?"
"Yes, possibly."
Emma placed the urn back on the floor. "What do you think about that statue?"
They took a few steps toward it, Emma shining her flashlight on its weathered face.
"The woman is wearing armor and a helmet. I think it might be Athena, the Greek goddess."
Emma shrugged. "Okay, so why would you have this room down here?"
"Like I said, I've never seen any of these objects before." Regina swatted the air, trying to get rid of a sticky cobweb. "This place is filthy."
The sheriff smirked at her.
Pointing to the left corner of the room, Regina observed, "There's another door in here." Her high heels echoed in the stone chamber as she approached the second door. It seemed to be locked. She ran her hand over the door, and tried using her magic, but nothing happened. "Emma, come help me," she asked.
When Emma placed her hand on the door, golden light blazed in the room. The heavy door opened easily, with a soft creak.
"How did you do that?" Regina wondered.
"I'm not doing it. We are." Emma bounded forward into the next chamber.
Regina lingered in the doorway.
"Come, look at this!" the sheriff exclaimed.
Regina sighed and crept forward in the dim light. "I can't see anything."
"If you would stay close to me, we could share my flashlight."
"Fine. What is that?"
"It's a suit of armor! The breastplate looks golden, or is it bronze? The rest of it must be leather."
Regina smirked, that is until Emma touched the armor that hung on the crude wooden mannequin. The flecks of light had returned. They illuminated the room, and the light rushed over the suit of armor like golden waves.
"Miss Swan, what was that?"
As the golden light swept over the suit of armor, it changed in appearance. Not only was it polished now, and brilliantly bronze-colored, but it had transformed into armor that was unmistakably a female's armor.
"What in the world?" Emma exclaimed.
"How did you do that?"
"I don't know."
Regina leaned in closer, running her hand over the breastplate. Nothing happened. "The armor changed when you touched it. Now it looks like it's made for a woman about your size. Maybe it's enchanted. Maybe it belongs to you now?"
"I'm not putting that on. What if it's cursed or something?"
Regina slid her hand under the leather strips on the armor, and let her fingers hover over the top of the mannequin. "I don't think it's cursed. I think it has just changed into a suit of armor that would fit your body, Miss Swan."
She looked Emma up and down.
The sheriff cleared her throat, taking a step back. Her eyes met Regina's, but then something in the back of the room caught her eye. "What's that over there?"
The two of them made their way over to a large wooden structure in the corner.
"Is it a -?" Regina marveled. She snatched Emma's flashlight. "Give me that."
In the scarce light, they could see wooden carvings on the structure: grapes, other fruits - an olive tree, maybe? Regina knelt down and examined the exquisite carvings of goats and horses at the base. "This is beautiful. This is extraordinary," she murmured.
"Well, what is it?"
"It's a loom, of course. It's for weaving cloth."
"What is that, at the top?" Emma asked, "Is that writing?"
Regina aimed the flashlight where Emma was pointing. The carving read:
Πηνελόπη
"It's Greek writing," Regina declared.
"Well, can you read it?"
The former Queen snorted. "Can I read Greek? Of course I can. Princess Regina took Greek, Latin, and many other languages with her tutor - I mean my tutor. Just give me a moment, Miss Swan."
Emma touched the unfamiliar letters, feeling the carved wood. Nothing happened.
"It's a name. It says Penelope," Regina stated.
"But who is Penelope?"
This time Regina reached up and touched the name with her fingertips. Gold light danced around her hand.
The loom began to creak and shake.
The dark chamber lit up with the gold magic; it coiled around the loom like smoke.
Like the armor, the loom was also transformed. Where it had read Penelope in Greek, the symbols changed to Latin letters.
Regina gasped.
The carvings on the loom now read the name Regina.
She swung the flashlight back down and they could see that the loom now appeared to be polished, shiny, and new.
"What the hell just happened?" Emma hissed.
Regina placed her hand over her heart, and took a moment to reply, "The same thing that happened to you with the armor, just happened to me with this loom. This loom just became mine."
"What do you mean?"
She bit her lip. "This loom was mine. I think I ... remember it."
"You had an ancient Greek loom in Fairytale Land?"
Regina didn't answer right away. "No, I didn't. I don't know, I ..." she trailed off. She reached down, placing her hand on the wooden bench first, and then she sat down, facing the loom. "I remember this. I remember weaving fabric on this loom. I remember staying up all night, and working by the light of the fire. And I remember undoing the strands and weaving them again, and undoing them and - and crying. Emma, what is happening?"
Emma touched Regina's shoulder. "I don't know, but maybe it has something to do with Penelope? Who was she? Is she from a fairy tale, like the other people here in Storybrooke?"
Regina shook her head. "She's from The Odyssey. Have you ever read that?"
"No. That story's not in Henry's book, is it?"
"No, no," she sighed. "The Odyssey is a story from ancient Greece."
Emma sat down next to Regina on the bench, but she was facing the opposite direction. Their shoulders touched.
"Not too long ago, I bought Henry a young adult copy of The Odyssey. It's probably in his room. It's a big yellow book, like a picture book." Regina held her hands up, gesturing at the size of the book.
Emma frowned. "I've never seen him with it."
Regina ran her hands over the strands of wool on the loom. The structure seemed to hum under her hand, and it pulsed with gold light. "Penelope was a noble woman; she was the wife of Odysseus. When the Greek army went off to fight the Trojan War, Odysseus left with them."
Emma rested her hand on the Mayor's shoulder. "So what does Penelope have to do with the story?"
Regina tilted her head towards Emma's, their faces just inches apart. Her brow was creased with worry. "Penelope had to raise her son, Telemachus, by herself. Odysseus went off to war, and did not come home for twenty years."
"Twenty years? Why so long?"
"Well, it took ten years for the Greeks to win the war. When they finally left Troy, Odysseus was cursed by Poseidon. He wandered, lost, for ten more years. He faced terrible hardships, and all of his men were killed."
"So, where was he?"
"Mostly, he was lost at sea." Regina frowned.
"Maybe that explains the boat designs on the urn, back there." Emma gestured to the previous room with her thumb.
"I think you're right. Good detective work, Miss Swan."
"Are you teasing me?"
Regina's smirk changed into a soft expression. "No, I'm not."
"You know, because of the curse, I was lost for 28 years."
Regina's body jolted. She tried to lean back, away from Emma, but she had nowhere to go.
Emma continued, "And you raised Henry without me."
The Mayor extended her hands in a 'stop' gesture, but Emma leaned in closer. "Miss Swan, I didn't know you were Henry's mother. I didn't know you, and I certainly didn't pine for you the way Penelope pined for Odysseus. For twenty years, she waited for her husband to come home! Her heart was absolutely broken."
"I don't think Penelope is the only one with a broken heart, Regina."
She fidgeted on the bench, "But Penelope had a hundred suitors harassing her for her hand and fighting over her husband's wealth. The suitors tried to force her to marry one of them."
"Well, you were forced to marry King Leopold."
Regina's eyes widened, but she continued, "She told the suitors that she couldn't marry one of them until she had completed a funeral shroud for her husband. Every day she would weave Odysseus' funeral shroud, and every night she would unravel some of it." She gestured at the loom before her. "Penelope was clever."
Grinning, Emma touched Regina's cheek. A golden spark lit up the room for an instant. "Madam Mayor, do you think we could be -"
"No, no, I don't think so. That's impossible." Regina scooted off the bench, squirming out from under Emma's hand. She pretended to brush dust off her clothes.
"Impossible, huh?"
Regina decided to change the subject. "Look, there's something else in here." She aimed the flashlight toward the opposite corner of the room.
The sheriff cleared her throat.
Regina sauntered over to the corner, her high heels echoing in the chamber, and knelt down. She opened the lid of the wooden chest she had discovered. Inside, golden treasure gleamed. She lifted out a chalice with a strange symbol on it. "Look, Emma. This is decorated with another boat design."
"I can't hear what you're saying." Emma walked over to the corner, and crouched down next to Regina.
"Also, look at the markings on these goblets and coins. I think it's Poseidon's symbol: the trident."
"Hey, what's this?" Emma pulled a cloth sack from the chest. She fiddled with the string, and suddenly a breeze blew around the room.
Regina shrieked, "Don't open that!"
Startled, Emma dropped the sack back inside the trunk. "Why not?"
"Because if that is Aeolus' bag of winds, you could start a tornado in Storybrooke!"
Emma stood up and backed away from the treasure chest. She tripped over something, and bent down to pick it up.
"Regina, look at this bow."
Gold starlight circled around Emma's arm.
Regina stood up. "It's happening again!"
Gentle as candlelight, the golden flecks whirled around Emma's hand. The wooden bow gleamed suddenly. Its brassy handle shone.
"Wouldn't it be amazing if that was Odysseus' bow?" Regina exclaimed.
"Is it important in the story?"
"Yes, of course, but does it have a bowstring?" Regina tilted the flashlight to shine on the dusty floor. "Emma, here it is. See if you can actually string that bow. I'm curious."
Emma scrunched up her face, but she accepted the bowstring from Regina's outstretched hand.
Another flash of light illuminated the chamber. When the bowstring touched Emma's palm, it shimmered from one end to the other.
"Can you do it?" Regina wondered.
"Would it matter if I did?"
Regina smirked. "Just try it."
Emma tied the bowstring at the bottom, but struggled to bend the bow enough to secure the top. With some effort, she completed the task, and like the loom, the bow seemed to hum under her hand.
"I did it," she beamed.
"That's incredible," Regina whispered, "The fact that you could string that bow means you -"
"Hey, do you think there are arrows down here, too?"
"Emma, listen to me," she insisted. "A loom. A bow. Twelve axes in the next room. A statue of Athena."
"So?"
"So, we know that was Penelope's loom. You saw her name on it. And that bow must have belonged to Odysseus. Do you remember what happened when you touched the suit of armor?"
"You think the armor belonged to Odysseus, too?"
"If it was Odysseus' armor, it originally belonged to Achilles, and he could not be killed if he was wearing it!"
"And now it probably fits me. That's just awesome!" Emma laughed.
"Yes, exactly."
"So if these are Odysseus and Penelope's things, why are they in your vault?"
"This room is not my vault. As I told you before, I've never seen these chambers. I didn't know these rooms were even here. All of these things must have come over with the curse, though."
"But why are there ancient Greek objects in a chamber beneath your office? It doesn't make sense."
"Maybe Mr. Gold owned all of it back in Fairytale Land? I don't know."
Emma pulled on the bowstring, and released it with a thump.
"You know, Emma, in the story, only Odysseus himself could string that bow. No one else was strong enough."
Emma snickered, "Yeah, right."
"It's true. Many of Penelope's suitors tried in vain. You see, they were supposed to string the bow and shoot an arrow through the rings on twelve axe handles. The axes were lined up, all in a row."
Emma's eyes widened. "That would explain the twelve axes hanging on the wall in the first room."
"Exactly. Emma, do you have any memories of these things?" Regina paced back over to the loom and slid her hand over the carvings on the top. "I had a powerful reaction to this loom when I first touched it."
Emma shook her head, but then she noticed another golden aura forming around Regina and the loom. She said, "Maybe you did own Penelope's loom back in Fairytale Land, and you just don't remember?"
"Or maybe," Regina suggested, "I owned it before that?"
Emma tilted her head to the side, replying only with a sly smile.
"Well, there's another door over here. Shall we?" Regina extended her hand, and Emma took it. She laid the bow carefully on the floor before they both touched the next door. Once again, the massive door gave way easily.
The third chamber, with a vaulted glass ceiling, was bathed in sunlight.
Regina dropped the flashlight and it clattered to the floor.
A massive olive tree filled the chamber, its branches curling around an object embedded into its boughs and roots. What was it?
Scurrying to retrieve the flashlight from the floor, Regina hung back in the doorway.
Emma leapt forward into the room and cried, "My bed! I made this for y -"
"What?"
"Oh my God!"
"Emma, what did you just say?"
"I don't know what I was saying. I just - that's impossible. Did I make this? I remember it. I remember a room being built around this tree. I remember carving this."
"This isn't just a tree. This is Odysseus and Penelope's marriage bed. Odysseus did make it for her."
Emma's eyes widened. "Regina, give me your hand."
Reluctantly, Regina extended her palm. Emma pulled her over toward the tree.
Together, they touched the olive tree. They felt the branches, and sunlight streaked through the room like fire.
A golden light flared over them. Regina shivered.
The olive tree lurched upward. It heaved and shook, its branches dripping light. A magical wind swept through the room, and suddenly the tree was reborn. The green leaves sparkled in the sunlight, and the bed linens gleamed, clean and white.
Emma stumbled forward, but Regina steadied her, slipping a hand around her waist.
"Miss Swan, could it really be possible that we were -?"
"I'm starting to figure out that anything is possible around here."
"Do you really remember this tree—this bed?"
"Yes. Yes, I do. I remember it. I made it for you." Emma extended her own arms and looked at them strangely. "But I wasn't me then, was I?"
"What else do you remember?"
Emma started to reply, but then she shook her head.
"It's okay, Emma, I remember it, too."
Regina reached down to touch the bed, in order to steady herself. She blinked at the golden flecks still spinning around their bodies. The room pulsed with warm magic.
Emma raised her hand and tried to touch the golden light. It slipped through her outstretched fingers like smoke. "How are we doing that?"
"Well, we've made magic together before." Regina grinned.
"Not like this. It must have something to do with these objects we've discovered. They're obviously enchanted."
"Emma, I think all of these things were ours. I think we are connected because, well, because we were-"
"-because we were husband and wife before."
"If you were Odysseus, then you certainly need to read your own story." Regina laughed. "I can't believe you never had to read The Odyssey. Not even in high school?"
"To tell you the truth, I didn't spend a lot of time in high school. I switched schools four times. I was in and out of foster homes, and some of my foster parents were just-" Emma frowned, "just monsters."
"Monsters, huh?" Regina placed one knee on the bed and caressed Emma's arm. "Odysseus faced monsters, too, you know. He was lost for a long time."
The sheriff stared at the vaulted window in the ceiling, imagining the town of Storybrooke above. "But then he finally came home?"
"Kiss me." Regina pulled her down to where she was kneeling on the ancient bed. Their lips met, carefully, slowly.
And quickly, it was over.
Her eyes searching, Emma cupped Regina's chin in her hand. "I remember you."
The sunlight danced around their shoulders.
Regina's eyes stung with tears, but she tried to hide it. She tried to look down at her knees, but Emma lifted her chin up. Their eyes met.
"I remember you," Emma said again.
The golden haze whistled around them in circles. Regina blinked her tears away and leaned forward for another kiss. This one was more forceful. This one teased them with years of waiting, with the pressure of centuries of longing, and Regina pulled away suddenly, trying to swallow her sob. It was all too much.
"It's okay," Emma whispered. She slid her arms around Regina's waist, and they both lowered themselves onto the bed, clinging to each other. "Come here. Come closer."
Regina sobbed and covered her mouth with her hands.
"It's alright," Emma soothed her. "You're just remembering things. I'm remembering too."
Regina looked up at her.
"I remember a storm at sea, and I remember a shipwreck. I remember praying to Athena to bring me home to you."
Pressing her mouth firmly, Regina kissed Emma's lips, searching for the truth, letting the memories wash over her. "I remember, too," she whispered. "I remember waiting for you to return. The weeks turned into years, and I saw our son grow into a young man." She wiped her eyes with her fingertips. "I mourned your death sometimes, but in my heart I knew you weren't dead. I knew."
Another kiss consumed both of them, and they struggled for breath. Regina slipped her arms over Emma's shoulders, stroking her hair. They embraced again, and then slid down onto the bed together.
Emma rolled over on top of Regina, pressing their lips together in an urgent kiss. But after a moment, Regina flipped Emma onto her back. Emma laughed nervously.
And that made Regina laugh. She threw her head back beautifully, her dark hair framing her face. With an arrogant smirk, she kicked the expensive high heels off her feet, and they hit the wall with a clatter.
"Come here," Emma growled. She grabbed Regina by the neck, and pulled her body back down.
Another long kiss chased the others, but it still wasn't enough.
Emma reached up through Regina's suit jacket, caressing her shoulders, and eased the blazer off her arms. In a quick second, she had unzipped most of the Mayor's dress down the back.
Regina's eyes widened, but then she flashed an arrogant smirk and tugged on Emma's red leather jacket. That also hit the floor, rustling the leaves of the olive tree as it sailed by.
Emma flipped Regina onto her back again, and Regina reached up to undo the buttons on the sheriff's white shirt.
When Emma arched back to pull her blouse off, her long curls snagged on the collar for a second, and then came loose. Her blond curls spilled over Regina's face like a curtain.
Emma wore a white bra. Her sheriff's badge glinted at her waist. She kissed Regina again and helped her wriggle out of her dress. It took Emma a moment to peel off her skintight jeans.
Another kiss later, and Regina's black bra was caught in a tree branch.
"Don't stop kissing me," Emma whispered.
Both of them were finally completely naked, and Regina kissed Emma's chest and stomach. But Emma was greedy. She kept rolling Regina onto her back and kissing her shoulders, running her hands over Regina's waist and hips.
Regina moaned, and Emma kissed her neck forcibly.
It was Regina who touched Emma first. She was impatient. Her hand slipped between Emma's thighs.
Emma arched her back and her eyes opened wide. She suddenly found herself on her back again. She grasped Regina's shoulder.
Regina grinned at her as she propped herself up on her left elbow. Her right hand searched and found that Emma was hot and wet.
Emma couldn't decide whether to keep her eyes closed or not. She blinked. Regina's dark hair tossed around her shoulders; she was smiling. She bent down to kiss Emma's stomach where it heaved, and Emma's eyes rolled back in her head.
Her thumb went round and round on Emma's clit, but it wasn't long before she slipped two fingers inside Emma.
Emma's eyes shot open and she cried out.
Regina lowered herself down on her left elbow a bit more, and she gripped a handful of blonde curls in her left hand.
Emma's body buckled, and Regina kissed her hipbone, resting her head on Emma's belly, nuzzling Emma with her nose and lips.
She swirled the fingers of her right hand in a circle, round and round, in and out slightly. Emma clutched at Regina's back, clinging and letting go, pushing and pulling, and then she arched her back and cried out, her body spasming. She moaned and bit down on her lip.
When Emma's body had stopped shaking, Regina softly kissed her waist and abdomen. She slipped her fingers out of Emma and teased her clit with her thumb, following the sensation, and Emma came again quickly, her body shaking with waves of pleasure.
Emma pulled Regina close to her, embracing her, and they rested. After a moment, Emma wriggled onto her side, their arms and legs entwined.
Neither one of them spoke for a long while. They waited, and listened to the other's breath slow down. Regina reached up and touched Emma's cheek.
Flashing a goofy smile, Emma buried her head under her arm.
Regina smirked back, flipping over onto her back. She stretched her arms above her head and yawned.
However, a few seconds later, she sat upright, startled. "What time is it? Where's Henry?"
Emma smiled slyly. "He's probably at the football tryouts by now."
"What?"
"Relax. Mary Margaret is with him. She's going to bring him over to her place afterwards."
"But -"
"Don't worry, she's probably in the bleachers right now, cheering him on."
"But I told you I didn't want Henry to-"
"Well, I told him I would persuade you to let him try out. Are you going to make a liar out of me?" Emma crawled on top of Regina and pushed her down with the palm of her hand.
"Miss Swan, you are very manipulating."
Emma tossed her head back and laughed. "So says the Evil Queen!"
"Stop calling me the Evil Queen!"
"Only if you stop calling me Miss Swan."
"Would you rather I call you the savior?"
"Actually, you can call me anything you want. Now, shut up." Emma leaned over and kissed Regina roughly.
Regina squirmed, but Emma held her hands down firmly. "Where do you think you are going, Madam Mayor?"
"Listen Miss Swan, what do you think you're doing?"
"What do I think I'm doing? You mean what do I know I'm doing. You had your way with me already. I'm not letting you get away so easily."
Regina scowled.
Emma pushed down on her wrists harder. "Don't make me get my handcuffs, Madam Mayor."
That made Regina laugh.
Emma kissed her neck, pushing back her wavy, dark locks. She slid down onto her left hip and caressed Regina's stomach and hips.
Regina kissed her back. It was another deep, slow kiss, one with the weight of centuries of longing.
Emma pulled away and formed a trail of kisses down Regina's sternum. Dipping low between her breasts, she playfully licked each nipple with her tongue.
Regina moaned and leaned her head back. Emma didn't waste any time. She couldn't wait any longer. She slipped her hand down Regina's belly and between her thighs. And when she felt the wetness there, she tossed her hair back and slithered down the bed sheets until her head rested on Regina's belly, her fingers searching.
Regina gasped. She started to sit up, but Emma reached one hand up and pushed down on her chest.
She flicked her tongue over Regina's clit.
Regina murmured something inaudible and slumped back down onto the bed, her hips squirming.
Emma continued to lick and suck, her tongue circling around Regina's clit, and then stroking it directly. She pressed softly, and Regina moaned. She pressed harder and faster, and the whole bed shook with Regina's movements. When she glanced up, she saw that Regina was holding onto two olive branches for dear life. Would she break the boughs?
Regina cried out and rolled her head to one side.
Emma kissed the inside of her thighs, the tops of her legs, her kneecaps. She looked at Regina's flushed face and thought it still isn't enough.
"Come here," Regina growled.
Emma crawled up toward her, and Regina took her in her arms. They stayed that way for a long time, listening to each other's breath slow down.
Emma kissed Regina's forehead. "So, how old is this story, The Odyssey?"
Regina smiled. "Well, no one knows exactly. But, it's more than 3,000 years old."
"So, you mean to tell me I loved you 3,000 years ago?"
Regina blinked her eyes in surprise. "Yes. Yes, you did. You did love me."
"And I still do." Emma kissed her again. "I love you. I have always loved you."