AUTHOR NOTE
For all of you who liked Nina in my previous story 'Naughty Nina' (Sequel will not be written until after this story but one shots are still a possibility) she is in this as well but she is more tamed… her mischievous side is still there I can assure you.
I have put a lot of work into 'Adjustments' and look forward in telling you the story I have planned out. Enjoy!
Regina's eyes flickered opened and she placed a hand over the one wrapped around her waist. The warmth of the body pressed to her back elicited a smile as her eyes squinted from the bright light peeking through the curtains. She let herself take pleasure in the warmth and quietness.
After a few minutes she turned around in the embrace and was faced with a grinning Emma; green eyes piercing into her own brown ones. "Good morning, how did you sleep?" The arm wrapped around her waist tightened. She loved to be close to her wife as she had gone without any intimacy for so long before Emma.
A moan was let out between her plump lips as the brunette's bare body was pressed further to her partner's nudity, "Very well. How long have you been awake?" Regina whispered in a sleep roughened voice as she lifted a hand to clasp a pale cheek.
Her wife moved her head so her lips were pressed to her palm. A chaste kiss was placed there as Regina offered a small smile at the sentiment – truly grateful for her wife, "Half an hour. I like watching you sleep, you are beautiful my wife."
It was a split second for Emma to lean down to catch Regina's lips with her own. The sudden lock of lips startled Regina as she let out a squeak before her plump lips caught up as she enjoyed the morning kiss. "We have been married a month now and I don't think I'll get used to you calling me your wife."
"Well you better because you're stuck with me now… my wife." A laugh escaped both women. Regina let her head fall to the crook of Emma's neck and smiled when she breathed in her scent. It made her feel safe. Pushing herself further into the blonde she placed a kiss there. Suddenly hands pushed her onto her back as Emma pulled her pale body on top of her. Reaching her tanned arms around Emma, she pulled her closer; their foreheads touching – eyes locked. Limbs entwined as they succumbed to each other.
Regina angled her head so she could reach up and kiss her wife. Lips caressed each other full of passion and love before the brunette felt a tongue prodding for entrance against her bottom lip. She smiled into the kiss and slightly pushed on shoulders, "Emma we can't."
Regina felt her wife's body pushing back onto her trying to continue what they started, "They're still asleep." A hand was felt wandering down the side of her body; she let out a gasp which gave the opportunity to the blonde to deepen their kiss. Soon Regina was melting back into her wife. Her own hands started to wander and trace the dimples at the base of the pale woman's back as the heat between them grew.
The couple had only been married for a month - the honeymoon period was still in the run and was going to be for a long time. It was a quick marriage; Regina dated Emma for a few months before she took her vows. The brunette was so grateful that she had a second chance at love that she wanted to do everything properly; meaning their wedding night was their first night together. They did however move in together after two and a half months of dating. Regina knew Emma was the heart and soul of her other half and Emma declared such as, so marriage was the best thing for them as it signified a new beginning. Which it truly has been…
"MOM!" Stomps along the landing were fast approaching the couple's bedroom.
Regina moved her head to the side, breaking the kiss and glanced at the door. A sigh escaped from her wife above her as she nudged the blonde off her body who was mumbling apologies under her breath. "It's okay. Not your fault." Regina exhaled, insuring Emma and pulled up the sheets to cover their bodies.
In a matter of time, the door bursts open revealing a blonde twelve year old girl. Emma's daughter and Regina's now step daughter.
Brown eyes were shocked to the door as the door swung violently back against the wall causing a loud bang, which could have cracked the wood of the two hundred pound door. Regina held back a sigh of irritation, knowing the girl was still adjusting like everyone else to the new life and new rules.
"Kid knock before coming in next time. We've discussed this Danni." Regina and Emma leaned up against the headboard as the girl stood in the doorway and scowled. She was like a mini Emma the brunette thought as she was wearing a similar lime green vest top with a pair of matching pyjama shorts.
The room was quiet for a few seconds as Regina watched Emma and Danni have a scowling match before the girl laughed and sauntered over to her mother's side of the bed. "I know, I know. I just forgot again mommy." A big bear hug was instantly omitted on Emma; arms wrapped around her neck. Regina looked on at her wife with her daughter and saw the grin on Danni's face. She had caught onto her step daughter's manipulative uses of 'mommy' on her wife, and had made it her mission to try and stop it with Emma. She cared for Danni but manipulating people was not a good trait as she had learned the hard way and she didn't want the girl to.
"Good morning Danni." Regina warmly smiled over to the girl as she pulled back from her mother and sat back on her heels.
A small sigh escaped from the girl as Regina felt her wife's comforting hand placed on hers, "Goodmorning, mom can we go get breakfast now? Oh and I almost forgot to tell you I got into the Lacrosse team." Another squeeze of her hand was felt. Danni had been having a hard time adjusting and both women realised she was pretending it was still just her mother and herself. However Archie had advised them not to push the matter as Danni would soon realise that she will not be able to keep up with the pretending.
"Well done kid. I can assure you we will be at all your games, won't we babe?" The brunette backed up her wife and assured Danni she will gladly come to watch her. However it just earned her a shrug of the shoulders.
Rumbles of bellies disturbed the moment of awkward silence and Regina offered to make pancakes for breakfast for a treat since it was the weekend. An exaggerated childlike cheer exploded from Emma as Danni scowled. "Oh come on Danni, You love pancakes. Go and get changed and let us put some clothes on." The blonde nudged her with a foot under the cover as she checked her phone for messages but the girl wouldn't budge.
Regina saw the wheels spinning inside the girl's head when her eyes fell to her mother's bare shoulders and realised that she wasn't wearing anything. Then she looked over to Regina's tanned frame and saw that she was not wearing pyjamas either. A blush rose quickly through the brunette's chest and face when the twelve year old showed a face of disgust before meeting her eyes in a glare at her step mother. Feeling like she had no place to say anything to the girl, Regina cleared her throat and looked over to Emma asking her about the emails she was reading.
A huff from Danni was heard by the couple, once the girl realised Emma was not intending on giving her any more attention until she was changed. So she rolled of the bed and stomped out the room making as much noise as possible with her bare feet against the plush carpets, making her anger noticed by both women.
Regina reached over to the blonde pulling herself into a hug from the blonde, "What's that for?" Emma's asked lightly as she put down her phone and let an arm rest around her wife.
"Can't I get a hug without having a reason?" Regina pulled back questioning her wife.
"Yes of course. Come here beautiful." Arms wrapped around her again and they stayed like that for a few moments before getting out of bed to have a quick shower and dress for the day.
A pile of laundry was chucked at Emma as she walked out of the bedroom, "Put that in the washing dear. I need to wake up Nina or she won't settle tonight."
All of the family appeared downstairs within half an hour. Regina had a four year girl holding her hand as she entered the kitchen. Unlike Danni, Nina was very open to Emma, as she was very young and liked attention from anyone who would give it to her. "Hello Nina. Who's that you have with you today?" Emma picked up the girl carrying a doll and put her onto the stool between herself and Danni as Regina began to make pancakes.
Nina looked very similar to Regina, however Emma was told by her wife she may look like her but her flamboyant joyfulness comes from her father. The little girl cradled her baby, "Itties my dowey. Mommy gots me her for mys burfday."
Emma placed a hand behind Nina's back to support her so she wouldn't fall and kept the girl amused. Regina's heart warmed at the sight as she was frying the pancake batter until her eyes fell onto Danni who slouched with her elbows on the kitchen bar and her head resting on her hands.
On a step to try and improve their relationship, "Danni would you like to help me make the pancakes?" She heard a low growl from the girl before she lifted her head and snapped 'nope' but added an overly nice 'thank you' when Emma patted her arm.
It was early afternoon when Regina was told by Emma that she needed to go into the station to deal with some telegrams coming in from the Enchanted Forest. The Ogre Wars had been going on for a while and some of the townspeople went back to fight and reclaim their lands but it was easier said than done. The war was being lost as too many untrained soldiers were putting themselves on the front line and therefore more and more telegrams were arriving at Storybrooke requesting for new soldiers.
"I will be back for our movie night. Don't worry about Danni I told her to be nice and do what she's told." Regina nodded sceptically, knowing the twelve year old would not follow her promises when Emma was not there to keep her in line. She pulled Emma into a quick hug before kissing her on the cheek goodbye.
Back in the den Nina was playing with her dolls whilst Danni was playing on the Xbox. Regina joined them and sat on a chair where Nina ran over and dropped one of her dolls in front of her. "You can dwess vis dowey mommy, itties a boy cause he got a winkie. See." Regina smiled down at her daughter and nodded as the girl giggled laughed at her bare doll. Small brown eyes twinkled up to Regina before she carried on dressing and undressing her dolls.
After twenty minutes in the den, whilst Regina was putting 'a shirt more appropriate for a tea party' on the doll she could tell by grunts and soft growls that Danni was getting aggravated by the game, called 'Blur'. Emma had told Regina about the game one night whilst she observed her wife playing against the twelve year old. Having lived in a house full of four year old toys, she never knew much about the consoles that older kids played with but she knew they could cause over emotional stimulation. "Danni are you okay? Your mom told me about that game, she said it could be quite… frustrating." Regina's attempt at a conversation fell onto a cold shrug so she let it go and carried on playing with Nina.
Groans and mutters became louder and louder over the next ten minutes until Danni was shouting at the TV, "THAT FUCKING PILE OF SHIT. I'M GOING TO FUCKING RAM YOU BASTARD OVER THE FUCKING ROAD. AND THEN I'M GOING TO FUCK YOU RIGHT UP THE CUNT. FUCK SAKE." Regina quickly covered Nina's ears with her hands as she looked on with wide eyes. She did not know how a twelve year old would know so many curse words, it completely baffled her.
When the room went quiet again to the steady roar of an engine from the TV sound system, Regina looked down to Nina whose ears were still covered. The four year old looked at her mother with a grin and she uncovered her ears. "Nina can you find some pens and paper in your toy box please?" Regina asked quietly to her daughter. The small bobbed haired brunette skipped to the other side of the room to a large rectangular purple wooden box. Once she knew the girl was occupied she took a deep breath and exhaled.
Regina saw that Danni was concentrating on the game so she walked over to the TV and switched it off, knowing that was the only way to get her attention. The girl looked to her step mum with her eyes nearly popping out of her head, "What the HELL did you do that for?"
The brunette took another calming deep breath. She had not been left alone with Danni a lot as the family were trying to slowly adjust together. Emma was normally there when she was having a pre-teen tantrum and Regina felt like she was not in the right to punish her. However she knew for Nina's sake she needed to address the situation. "Danni, I think it is best if you play something else now. You were getting yourself worked up playing that game and using curse words I don't want Nina to hear." Regina walked over to the red faced girl and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Danni stood up abruptly; she was still quite small and reached just under Regina's shoulders. The brunette looked down at the blonde shocked to see her move so fast. She was met with a glare again before Danni ran out of the den to her room upstairs. "WHATEVER…" shouting with the signature teenage attitude. The last part was more concerning though. It was barely audible as she moved further up the stairs however Regina heard it correctly and her eyes widened. She was not entirely sure though so she decided to ignore it for now and let the girl calm down.
She was broken out of her thoughts by Nina tugging on her dress, "I founds vem Mommy." The four year old held a colouring pad and a wooden case full of pens and pencils suitable for an artist. She smiled down at her daughter before they took the supplies to the games table.
Drawing seemed to have passed the time as Regina was sucked into a childlike mind as Nina told her about her picture. It was out of the blue when Nina asked, "Whens Danni coming to pway again?" Regina looked up from the drawing and cupped the girl's chubby cheek; she was glad Nina had taken to her new family so well.
Dropping her hand Regina stood up and held out a hand for Nina to take realising Danni had probably calmed down by now and she should try and speak to her. "Let's go and see her shall we."
Regina let Nina knock on Danni's door first with a few soft knocks. There was no answer. "Danni, can we come in please?" Still there was no answer. Regina sighed and decided she had had enough of waiting for a reply so she pushed the door open. Nina ran into the yellow and green room and swirled around in the room she had not explored yet.
Looking around the room Regina's eyes fell onto Danni who had earphones in and looked to be reading a pile of letters on the edge of her bed. Nina had already ran over to Danni over a pile of mess on the floor and asked her if she wanted to play with her, not realising Danni was deliberately ignoring her as the twelve year old saw the girl was speaking. "Nina can you go play in your room for a few minutes please?" Regina asked to spare her daughter's feelings.
Regina tried to get Danni to remove the earphones; it wasn't until she picked up one of the letters so she could sit on the bed that Danni said something, "Don't touch that." The girl snatched the sheet of paper out of her hands.
Immediately Regina knew these letters were important to her step daughter; the brunette had the same reaction when her mother had picked up the chain with her wedding band on it from her first marriage from a bedside cabinet. A sigh escaped from the brunette and she softened her expression, "Okay I won't Danni. I know… I know what it is like to have something that you don't want anyone…"
"No you don't." Danni exclaimed, her blue eyes piercing into brown ones. Regina saw the shade of innocence waver through the girls face as she tried to hold back tears but was quickly changed back to anger.
Regina sighed in irritation before leaving stating that dinner would be ready in an hour. She didn't know what to do or say to the girl. Danni was upset; she knew this however she knew the girl wanted to be left alone from her defensive stature.
When dinner came, Danni decided she was not hungry with a mumble as she read a book but Regina kept a plate for her as well as her wife knowing she would eat when Emma was back.
It was not long after Regina had cleaned up when she felt a kiss be placed at the back of her neck as she sat on the couch with Nina reading her a book. "Hello dear. How was work?" A smile tugged on her lips as she leaned backwards into the kiss.
"Erm…Work was work, you know… How did all of you get on…Where's Danni anyways?" Emma looked at her wife questioningly, as she pulled back and sat on the arm rest of the sofa – a habit of the blonde that Regina hated.
Regina settled Nina down on the couch and gave her the book that she took gladly. She stood up and pulled Emma to the door. "She is upstairs. She didn't want to come back down after I suggested that she played something else because she was swearing like a fish wife. I did not realise a twelve year old knew so many curses Emma… I am concerned dear; she seemed a little upset earlier. She was reading the letters again."
Both women had known about the letters that Danni frequently reread so Emma nodded and said she would ask her about it again. "What did she say? I mean by the curse words?" Regina squeezed her hand comfortingly, sensing Emma's embarrassment at her daughter's behaviour. With a warm smile, the brunette relaxed her wife knowing that Emma still felt self-conscious of her parenting. She just needed to be reminded that they were both in it together – they are a family now.
"Emma it wasn't exactly… It was…" Curse words always made Regina feel at unease to say but to repeat what her wife's daughter and her step daughter said discomforted her with nerves.
"Babe just tell me?" Emma asked slightly on edge.
By taking a deep breath she eased herself enough to tell her wife, "Something about 'fucking up the cunt' and erm… the others were just names; bastard, shit. She was playing that car game and got frustrated and started shouting. Nina was in the room Emma." Regina hated telling her wife these things, it upset her and she hated to see her that way as the blonde mostly blamed herself for Danni's behaviours.
Emma nodded agreeing fully with Regina that Nina shouldn't be exposed to such language "Did she give you any hassle?"
"Nothing I couldn't handle." Regina softened the blow by not telling her wife about her daughter's lack of respect for her as she saw the disappointment and slight look of embarrassment in her wife that she didn't want to add to. In time when Danni is more settled she hopped that would change.
It was getting late and Emma realised by the time she spoke to Danni and had her dinner it would be too late for Nina to watch the film. "I'll go and talk to her. I don't think we'll have time for the movie night tonight. Sorry babe… Nina looks half asleep."
Back over on the couch Nina had fallen to her side so she was lying down on her back with her book held in her small hands. Regina followed her wife's eyes and smiled, glad to have passed from the tension.
Emma kissed and hugged Nina goodnight before talking to Danni which left Regina to read Nina a story and put her to bed. She warmed up the two plates of food and said to Emma that she was going for a bath so both of them had downstairs to themselves.
An hour later Regina looked up from her book to see a worn out Emma walk into their bedroom. She gave a warm smile, "How did it go?"
Emma let out a yawn and pulled her jeans off before jumping into bed. "She said she heard the words from school and doesn't know what the words mean." At this Regina gave her a pointed look. "I know, I know. She must know what some of them mean or she wouldn't be able to produce sentences like 'fucking up the cunt'." Both women grimaced at this, thinking Danni was too young to know such things. " I can't get the truth out of her Regina, she just sits there and shrugs... Can you talk to her?"
The question shocked Regina as she didn't understand how she was supposed to get Danni to talk to her AND tell her the truth, when civil conversation was an obstacle itself. "Dear, are you forgetting that Danni barely speaks to me and when she does it is not exactly willingly." The brunette saw the blonde looking deflated and so she told her her opinion, "I think all girls at that age lie to their parents dear. Part of puberty I guess; trying to find their independence."
Emma smiled as she thought of what Regina had said, "I guess so… Were you like that? I know I was; you can't live in foster care living by the book."
Regina quirked her eyebrow at her wife and thought back to her early teen years, "Well I sneaked out to see Daniel and my mother never suspected anything. So yes, but I could never blatantly lie to my mother; she could read me too easily."
Emma hummed in reply basking in the beauty of her wife. Regina had never told her much about her mother but she knew her wife never had a hearts and flowers relationship with her mother.
A hand reached over to the brunette to remove her book from her hands before turning back to a confused Regina. "I want to snuggle." Regina snorted at the cheesy sentiment and Emma followed; they never were that kind of couple but the blonde didn't know how else to ask to be held without being cheesy.
Switching the lights off with a flick of Regina's wrist was one of the perks of having magic, when neither could be bothered to get up and do it. The couple soon settled down on their premium luxury mattress and pulled the fresh white sheets over them. Cuddling into Regina's side and resting her head on her breast, allowed Emma to relax until her mind began to wonder to the day's events.
The brunette wrapped a tanned arm around the blonde's waist, whilst a pale arm wrapped around her own waist. They felt safe in each other's arms.
Silent tears fell down Emma's cheek and landed on Regina's night dress. She moved her head slightly and placed a kiss on Regina's clothed breast and kept doing so earning a gasp from the brunette. "What are you doing?"
Continuing to kiss the mound she let out a sigh, "I'm going to miss you…" She placed two more kisses and then moved over to the other breast, "So much."
Confusion settled over the brunette's face as she tried to remove herself from the blonde's grasp; pushing at shoulders, "Emma, baby, what do you mean?" Heavy breaths fell from the brunette as she tried to pull Emma away from her chest so she could get an answer.
Emma sighed when she let go of the hardened nipple and let out a few guttural noises before breathing out in barely a whisper, "I'm deploying."