Wow. I'm seriously flattered by the amount of followers and your awesome reviews, thank you!
Oh, and this is smut, don't like it, don't read it. For everyone else, enjoy!
Emma's throat was closing up and there was a constricting warmth growing in her head. She felt tears collecting themselves and falling without consent. They met the water she was leaning over with a barely audible drop. She closed her eyes and forced her shoulders to unclench. Regina shouldn't see how much that was hurting her.
Suddenly strong arms were embracing her waist from behind. Regina's body was completely against hers. She felt her hair being pushed behind and tender kisses placed at her neck before Regina rested her head on her shoulder, the soft skin of their cheeks brushing against each other.
"Will it be okay if I think about it?"
It felt like she was mocking her. Emma stiffened up and tried to shrug Regina off, but she was holding on to her.
"You've already made your decision."
She protested with clapped words.
"I want to promise to consider your point."
Slowly she turned around to meet Regina's eyes.
"Really?"
She nodded, clearly unhappy but just as clearly honest.
"If you give me a couple of days, I'll reconsider."
"And your decision isn't already made?"
"Clean slate."
Regina promised earnestly and before she knew what she was doing Emma found herself kissing Regina passionately, her body molding into hers perfectly. She interrupted their kiss only briefly,
"You will consider this?"
"For you I will."
Hearing her honest promise Emma smirked into their kiss. In response Regina pulled her even tighter against her. They stood like that for a moment until Emma leaned back, searching her eyes.
"You know I had something planned for this evening."
Emma insinuated innocently and placed lingering kisses on Regina's neck. Regina took a shaky breath before she warned her in a deep voice.
"Emma..."
Not listening the slightest Emma continued while nibbling on her neck.
"In case you said yes, you know..."
She had found Regina's pulse point rendering her incapable of rebuffing her.
"And I think I'm gonna let this pass..."
At the same time she let her hands glide over Regina's side, stimulating her skin with her short nails. Regina hummed in approval.
"And what does your plan look like?"
At the question Emma let go of her and gave her a little nudge towards the stairs.
"Go into the bedroom and I'll follow you shortly."
Although Regina looked surprised she followed her instruction and climbed the stairs.
Emma took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She needed to collect herself, she needed to control the sting in the bottom of her stomach.
Regina loved her.
She wanted to be with her.
It was Regina's past that prevented her to happily accept, it didn't have anything to do with Emma herself.
She needed to remind herself of that, she needed to be sure of it, before she followed Regina.
And she knew that these were the facts.
Unfortunately it didn't help much to decrease the deep pang of rejection.
She just needed to accept it for now and learn to deal with it in the future.
Or she could just hope she didn't need to deal with in the future.
For now she should celebrate that she hadn't received a total rejection.
With new hope she walked into the kitchen and collected what she had planned. She hesitated as she reached for the bottle of champagne and decided to keep that idea in the back of her mind for another occasion. Instead she took the red wine and the silver can.
When she stood on top of the stairs she became a little unsure, but she took another mouthful of the wine, enjoying the warm buzz it had already given her and stripped off her high heels.
Tonight she would celebrate them.
So she entered the room with a devilish grin on her face. Regina lounged on the foot of the bed, still fully dressed, minus her shoes, and wearing an uncharacteristically demure smile.
"You know, I thought about explaining my plan."
Emma began as she put the wine on the floor next to her. She grinned confidently at Regina, almost predatory, as she lifted her free hand to her neck, brushing her hair away. Easily her fingers slid into the knot and pulled.
She held the dress a second shifting her weight so that her hips jut before she lets the soft fabric slip through her fingers and jerked her hips back so that it could easily fall.
Anticipating the gasp Regina made when Emma appeared stark naked before her she smirked more widely.
"But then I thought I could just show it to you, taking a more colorful approach."
She shook the can in her other hand, popped the lid with her thumb and pointed it at her chest. She playfully winked at Regina before she started to spray the whipped cream across her chest in a winded line until she reached her left thigh.
"I thought you might like a second dessert."
With deliberate steps she walked across the room, carefully taking turns to cover her breasts with the sugary spray, and stopped right in front of her lover, putting the can on the ground.
"You know, after you enjoyed the first one so thoroughly."
As Emma looked up she found Regina meeting her eyes with raised eyebrows. Her shell-shocked expression had changed into dark eyes, full of lust.
Regina leaned forward, slowly lifting a finger to Emma's abdomen, scooping a bit of the whipped cream on her forefinger.
"My my, this sure is a lot of dessert. I'm not sure, I can eat this much."
Her voice was purring, sending shivers of anticipation over Emma's skin. Emma's mouth turned into a huge victorious grin. Under any different circumstance Regina would have surely made her walk into the shower instead of enjoying this messiness.
Now however she lifted the finger to her mouth, her tongue poking out to remove the cream with deliberate care. Emma lost her grin and caught her lower lip between her teeth.
She had already seen how provocative Regina took a spoon in her mouth but as her tongue was circling her finger now, it was incredibly hotter.
Regina released her finger and looked up to her, a predatory smile on her face.
"Now, you know that sometimes a person overextends oneself."
She placed on finger on Emma's back, pulling her a step closer with the lightest of pressure and leaned in to let her peaked tongue follow the cream over the first trail on her stomach upwards until she met her collarbone, softly nibbling on the flesh over the bone, before she stood up, careful not to touch Emma as if not to ruin her dress, but still being incredibly close. She leaned in so that Emma could feel her breath on her neck.
"There's only so much a body can take."
She promised in a voice so low that Emma could practically feel herself becoming wet for her. Regina slowly turned around, presenting her the zipper of her own dress.
"Now, if you want to try that, we shouldn't let our clothes suffer as well."
Emma let a nervous chuckle escape. Quickly covering it up Emma extended her hands. She confidently removed Regina's dress, turned her back and pushed her onto the bed again, remembering that she wanted to be in charge tonight.
For that she tried very hard not to let the matching combo of black lacy underwear get to her. She only partly succeeded as she caught herself unconsciously licking her lips at the sight of an almost naked Regina in front of her. She'd probably never get used to this.
Regina for her part smiled somewhat amused but nodded softly in silent agreement, seemingly accepting Emma's lead who pointed at her chest.
"Now, why don't we try how much you can take?"
Regina eyes twinkled mischievously as she chuckled lightly but she pulled Emma to her forcefully. Without premonition she licked once across Emma's breast before she put her lips around a hardened nipple and sucked hard.
Immediately Emma let out a soft moan, entangling her fingers in Regina's dark hair, encouraging her. Regina's hands snaked behind Emma's back, strongly stroking her sides.
She took her time as she cleaned the first breast, nibbling and sucking at the skin. As Emma drew her further in, she felt Regina's teeth carefully touching her nipple, before she released it, piercing the skin underneath fervently. She was certainly leaving marks, claiming her in a way they had refused to, up until now.
Regina's fingers slid down from her back, her nails grazing her hip before she arrived at her ass, squeezing it shortly, while attacking her nipple with a new fervor, eliciting many more uncontrolled moans from Emma, who felt on fire, burning in anticipation with the knowledge of what Regina's tongue would to do her as it slowly traveled further down her body.
Suddenly she felt herself being pulled down. With practiced ease Regina changed their positions and pushed Emma onto the bed. Emma's breath hitched as she propped her upper body up on her elbows only to see Regina kneel in front of her.
Her eyes twinkled as Emma heard a sloshing sound and felt the cold whipped cream meet her hipbone. Noticing Regina's dark eyes, Emma sucked in a breath of air.
"You know..."
Regina began as she slowly licked up her way, starting at Emma's thigh until she put a new trail of cream on Emma's other hipbone, nibbling equally at both sides, taking her time in a painfully slow way, kissing and licking, marking her thighs now.
"I think I'm starting to rather enjoy myself."
Emma let out an incoherent mumble, the need between her legs almost killing her by now.
"Mhm, 'gina..."
"What was that, my dear?"
"I..."
Regina kept licking at her skin, coming ever closer without really touching her, where she needed her to.
"Please."
Emma stammered, feeling Regina's kisses slowly coming closer.
"I need you."
And with that she finally placed a kiss at her clitoris, before spreading her legs. She licked up once through her folds and entered Emma with her tongue.
Emma let out a strangled scream, flailing with her hands, grasping the sheets behind her as she fought to control her hips, which were rolling up to take in Regina's tongue even farther.
She felt her body trembling, shivering and knew she was close as Regina quickly replaced her tongue with two fingers, draped one leg over her shoulder and started sucking on her soft spot.
Within seconds she came completely undone under Regina's mouth, losing herself as the orgasm came over her with tremendous force.
Regina halted her fingers for a moment, allowing Emma to ride it out, but before Emma had sufficiently caught her breath, Regina started moving her fingers again, picking up an even faster pace than before, letting her thumb meet Emma's need as she climbed up on the bed, biting at Emma's flesh until Emma felt her muscles clench around Regina's hand, her legs closing as the orgasm took her conscious thoughts away.
She was nothing more than her feelings in that moment. And her feelings consisted of nothing but Regina. Regina was under her, next to her, over her. Her smell, everywhere.
Until these soulful eyes looked at her, capturing her entire being, bringing her back to reality.
She barely registered Regina crawling up to her, nuzzling her side and covering them with the blanket. The only thing she knew was that her whole body was relaxed and she felt completely safe as she lay in Regina's arms.
With a satisfied sigh she fell asleep.
Regina looked at her lover. At the sight of Emma's carefree, innocent face she felt a tenderness, a protectiveness rising from deep within her that still managed to surprise her. Just when she thought she couldn't love her more than that, her heart decided she could.
It had been different with Henry. She had loved him from the first moment, he had been placed in her arms. Her love had been so fearless, infinite from this first instant. Sure she had felt this love in all its force at special moments, his first smile at her, the first time he called her 'mama', when he had taken his first steps towards her. But in truth that had always been a fierce affirmation of that first moment, where it had taken her completely by surprise.
He didn't know it back then and he still couldn't grasp the sheer enormity of it, but he had taken her heart into his possession then and there.
With Emma it was completely different.
She gave herself to her freely, she bestowed little pieces of herself on her little by little. And she got it all back in a slightly different way, but all the same.
By now she was sure that she owned Emma's heart.
When she had found out more about Emma's past, how often she had given her love freely, carefree, only to be rewarded with nothing but pain, Regina had sworn herself that she would protect it with all her might.
Now she needed to figure out what exactly that entailed, she mused to herself before she caught herself yawning.
Slowly as not to disturb Emma she crawled under the covers next to her. She pushed an errand strand of hair out of Emma's face and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. It was almost adorable how Emma was completely out of it after their lovemaking.
Looking down at Emma she found herself smiling happily and shook her head about her own emotionality. Normally she would wake Emma and make sure that both of them took a good long shower before going to sleep. Normally she wouldn't have allowed Emma to get anywhere near their bed with that messy whipped cream.
But she supposed she could always change the covers tomorrow and wash them immediately.
So she nuzzled herself against Emma, her body automatically molding against Regina's, even asleep.
She knew she should think about Emma's proposal, but she didn't have an answer now and staring at the ceiling all night certainly wouldn't help her, so she allowed sleep to take her.
Within minutes she relaxed in Emma's embrace. To the sound of Emma's regular breathing Regina fell asleep.
It wasn't more than four hours later that Regina suddenly woke up. She was sitting upright with her hands held up, ready to lunge an attacking fireball at any danger.
However the only thing surrounding her was silence.
And a sleepy grumble next to her as Emma turned around. From experience Regina knew that Emma was out cold. A short look to her watch told her that she wouldn't wake for at least another two or three hours. It was barely 5 am.
Frowning she lowered her hands, trying to remember what had pulled her out of her sleep and put her on high alert. She controlled the room once again, although she could feel that they were alone.
It had been a dream.
Again.
She had thought she had shaken that habit.
The first nights that Emma had stayed over, she had constantly woken up in the middle of the night shivering and nearly crying. Of course she had never allowed herself to let the tears fall, but Emma had always woken up, too. She had embraced her, calmed her down with low murmurs of insignificant words until they had fallen asleep again. But it had gotten better.
Step by step she had noticed that every smile from Snow, every friendly teasing from Ruby, every bear-hug from James (no matter how undesired) had helped. Though she had received all of it with a slight indifferent manner throughout the day, her nights had become better.
It wasn't so much that she had changed. She was still the same. She knew that she could fall back to her old ways easily. It was why she never contemplated the idea of something happening to Henry or Emma.
But they made it better.
Emma helped her to be more of herself out in the open. Snow's acceptance, never mind, the Charming's acceptance had made an example that the town's people had slowly started to follow. She had gotten less and less nasty looks ever since she had brought Emma and Snow back, almost two years ago. It had been a slow process, but even the most resistant ones had lost their resolve to hate Regina, when Emma and her had managed to open up a portal to their old land. Snow and Charming had led, whoever had wanted to leave, there to restructure the old lands. Predictably Emma had refused all of her mother's (and their son's for that matter) pleas to go along.
Now they were meeting roughly once a month (meaning Snow wanted them to visit every weekend).
It had initially surprised Regina how many citizen's of Storybrooke had stayed behind, even under the preamble that officially Emma would organize the town's affairs. It hadn't even lasted three months until Ruby had told Regina to suck it up and get herself recognized officially as the Mayor again. After all everyone knew that Emma barely managed to properly organize the Sheriff's paperwork and it wasn't lost on anyone that it was more than a living arrangement between them.
With that the last of her nightmares had disappeared.
And apparently they were back now.
With a deep sigh she draped the covers neatly over Emma's sleeping body and got up. She quickly collected her favorite comfortable slacks, shirt, blouse and a dark but cosy sweater, fresh underwear and left to shower in the guestroom, so she wouldn't risk waking Emma.
Too fast she found herself in the kitchen, standing in front of the opened refrigerator without finding anything to eat. She thought about preparing breakfast for Emma in turn for the nice dinner yesterday, but the fridge was uncharacteristically empty. No eggs, no juice.
Well, there she had a task worth doing. Taking her briefcase and a bag she left the house. Grocery shopping would stop her churning mind, at least for a bit.
She had to give Emma an answer, a chance to change her mind.
Still she couldn't stop the feeling of horror that came with being called a wife, being considered someone's property. Although rationally she knew that Emma would never do that. She would give herself to her in as much as she would take and she would only take what Regina was ready to give. Not once Emma had asked her for more than she couldn't handle and if she had disagreed, she had dropped the subject.
But marriage wasn't something she could give her girlfriend, she had to mean it, not endure it.
Shaking her head she swallowed her oncoming anger. She wouldn't resent Emma for asking something she apparently wanted, although she must have known what predicament she had put her in.
Cocking her head she considered this.
Emma had known how Regina would react. She had proposed anyway.
All of this went through her head while she automatically made her way through the town without paying much attention.
Which was probably the reason she connected with a runner who came out of a crossing alley.
"Wow!"
Secure hands gripped her at the shoulders to prevent both of them from falling. Suddenly all her anger flared up again, so she mustered the culprit with a silencing death glare, ready to blame whoever it was for her current predicament.
All of her anger dissipated when she looked into shocked brown eyes. Ruby took a second to collect herself before she raised an eyebrow.
"Really, Regina?"
Regina shrugged in apology, knowing the woman would understand. Still Ruby's examination of her face unnerved her.
"What is it?"
Ruby's tensed shoulders slumped as she gave her a compassionate smile.
"I take it, it didn't go very well then?"
Just then Regina remembered that Ruby had known what Emma had been up to. She shrugged again.
"Well, the dinner was delicious. Thank you."
"Really? The dinner was delicious?"
"Weren't you busy exercising? I guess it must get tiring, taking yourself for a walk. How often do you have to do that, once or twice a day?"
Ruby rolled her eyes, but otherwise didn't acknowledge her snarky comment.
"So, did she ask you or did she chicken out?"
Accepting that her insults didn't get her nowhere, Regina sighed and started walking. If she had to talk to Ruby, she didn't need to see her telling expressions.
"She didn't chicken out."
Although Ruby didn't react she heard her following her.
"You know, you could have warned me."
Regina reminded her.
"I kinda did."
Ruby protested, which made Regina turn to her, examining her compassionate eyes.
"No, you did not. I distinctly remember you telling me that I might change into something nicer, but you didn't answer any of my questions."
Unrelenting Ruby shook her head.
"I did warn you. I told you that Emma had something special planned for the night. You chose to ignore it."
"I did not. You didn't tell me anything!"
Ruby chuckled shortly, but sobered almost immediately.
"What did you tell her?"
"Nothing."
Regina answered shortly, before looking at her sideways.
"Why does she even want to marry? It wouldn't change our lives in the slightest."
"I guess Emma has told you why she sees that differently."
Regina shrugged.
"She wants a commitment for the whole wide world to know. It's just that she already has me, you know? I'm not going anywhere."
"You're not about to kick her out and abandon her, she knows that. But technically you could, you know? You could even keep Henry."
Scoffing Regina rolled her eyes.
"Apart from the fact that I love her and I'd never to something like that to her, it's not like anyone here would let me."
No it was Ruby's turn to shrug.
"But you could, you know? You have the legal documents that tie Henry to you. You two can pass the town line without any difficulties. Out there is a whole wide world to get lost into. Emma knows exactly how easy it is to do just that and what a hard time she would have to find you. Maybe she knows rationally that you wouldn't do that, but legally there's nothing hindering you."
"Are you suggesting I should leave?"
Regina joked, while she let Ruby's words sink in, ignoring the other woman's huff. They had reached the sea and silently agreed to sit. After a moment Regina hesitantly started to speak again.
"Do you think she wants to prove to me that she won't run away again? Or that she wants to tie herself to me legally so it's harder for herself to leave?"
For a moment Ruby only looked at her in contemplation.
"No, I don't think so. She doesn't want to leave. And if she truly felt like it, she probably knew how to change her identity to disappear completely. But she wouldn't do that, not to you, Henry or Snow and James for that matter. She has found her family here, Regina. Not only her parents but you and Henry. I don't think you get how much of a deal it is to her, because partly she doesn't want you to see it, she doesn't want to feel weak. Still, you know more about her past than anyone else, how she grew up and got bounced around from home to home, how she never stayed anywhere for long after that?"
It sounded like Ruby was definitely trying to tell her something and Regina felt like she was about to understand her point, no matter whether she was ready for that revelation.
Ruby sighed.
"You know, maybe she held back the bad stuff, because she didn't want you to feel any more guilt than you already do. And you shouldn't make that decision out of guilt."
"That I know. I wouldn't agree only to please her and she knows that."
"That's the crux, hm?"
"The crux is my dead husband."
Regina retorted angrily, but Ruby laid a calming hand on her arm.
"I know."
That was surprising.
"You do?"
"I mean, I figured as much. Even Snow stopped talking about him with pure adoration after you two seemed to get along better. You know I can put two and two together."
At a loss for words Regina remained silent. She just hoped it wasn't that obvious to everyone.
"I mean, I haven't talked about it and mostly people tend to ignore such things, but you would be Emma's wife and you would have made that decision freely. That's the difference, right?"
"Right..."
Regina repeated slowly. She still didn't understand Emma's need for this. They could have been happy all their life, belonging to each other without a stupid legal document, without the stupid titles that aren't that necessary in this world. Helpful, yes, but not entirely necessary. She would never take Henry from her.
"It's not that you'd be related to Snow again, right? 'cause that would be kinda stupid, you know?"
"Due to the fact that I only have to see her every other weekend I could life through the horror of being related to her again, thank you very much."
Regina responded, but her heart wasn't in it. Even Ruby noticed the carefully hidden fondness she used Snow's name with.
In a way Emma didn't have the luxury of her parents very long. And this world wouldn't recognize them as their parents.
She remembered how Emma had complained when she found out that her mother was technically younger than her and therefore wouldn't have the smallest chance to adopt her as an adult. She had been raging all day long about documents and laws and how they should just change them in Storybrooke until Regina had remembered her that Snow and Charming would always be her parents and she didn't need a legal paper to proclaim that.
Suddenly Ruby's outburst made completely sense.
"I understand."
"You do?"
Regina nodded. She couldn't believe that she had been so stupid.
But then Emma had done a very good job to hide it. She had spent her whole childhood in foster care, waiting to one day find parents, find people that would adopt her, declare legally to the whole wide world that she belonged to them.
"So, is it enough to overcome your own problems?"
Regina answered hesitantly.
"She told me I should consider one more step just for her. She said she had made a lot of them."
Ruby shrugged, unimpressed.
"Well, you've both done a lot. You've worked hard to get where you are now. And she has helped you by always giving you the benefit of the doubt, trusting you before you did it yourself. You just need to decide, whether this is right for you."
Regina nodded as slowly a smile crept up on her lips.
"You know, I don't think it's right. I mean, I'd probably have to suffer through Charming giving her away."
Ignoring Ruby's laugh she got up. She gave Ruby a thankful smile before she left, striding confidently away.
When Emma woke up she felt cold. Yawning she noticed first that she had kicked the blanket away before she realized with a sinking feeling in her stomach that she was alone in the bed.
Secondly she looked down on her naked form, suddenly very surprised that Regina hadn't woken her immediately after she had fallen asleep, because she very much needed a shower.
Sighing she grabbed underwear, old comfortable jeans and a white wifebeater, smirking to herself at her choice. No matter how Regina might protest against her choice of clothing, she knew she secretly loved it.
When she was ready she walked downstairs, expecting to find Regina in her study, pretending to work, while she really was thinking. It was this way after every fight. Though yesterday's events didn't really qualify as a fight, Regina might feel the need to do some thinking.
As she reached the study and found it empty, she grew uncomfortable. They had their routines. It wasn't unusual for her to wake up alone in her bed. However it was unusual that Regina didn't hear her coming down the stairs. Normally she'd even come out of the study and greet her.
With a deep frown she wandered into the kitchen, relieved to find at least the normalcy of an already prepared pot of coffee. She collected her favorite mug and poured herself some of the dark liquid before she noticed a strange file laying on the counter. Strange, because Regina never left anything lying around. Even stranger was that it fazed her. Two years ago she wouldn't have noticed.
Wondering if she could inspect it or if that would break into Regina's privacy she took a closer look, recognizing her full name written on file's subject matter in Regina's tidy script.
Curiosity growing she opened it. Since it was addressed to her it shouldn't be a problem, right?
The first thing she noticed was that it were all legal papers, full of tiny brackets waiting to be filled out with ever-wrong stuff.
Only with a second look she understood what she held in her hands, finally noticing the tiny capture of the overcrowded form.
Adoption papers.
Finally she noticed that most of it was already filled out. Regina had left brackets open she didn't know the answers to and of course the space for her signature was left empty. Regina's however was neatly placed at the bottom of another filled out page. It was a second parent adoption.
Emma didn't know much of the legal stuff, but she had understood alright that by giving up Henry she would never again have any opportunity to be his legal parent. It had hurt more than anything else, but she had never dared to say anything since Henry's initial insistence that Emma was his real mom had hurt Regina more than both of them could grasp. He had understood that Regina was just as much his mother as Emma, even more so. Still he had always utterly accepted Emma and she had never found the courage to bring it up.
A wet spot suddenly appeared on the page she was holding. Confused she frowned at it until she realized that she was crying. Quickly she smeared her tears across her cheeks with the back of her hand and took a deep breath before she looked at the next page, pressing her lips together to prevent herself from any emotional outburst.
It was a handwritten page filled with banking information and the mortgage to the house. She started reading, understanding that it was Regina's will. Except trust funds that were in Henry's name she had planned to leave everything to Emma, the house, her money.
At the bottom of the page Regina's handwriting had become slightly sloppy, the curling letters out of their usual tidiness. She had also given her custody of Henry.
Disregarding the morbidity of such an act Emma smiled through her glassy eyes, until she noticed with shock the date of the document next to Regina's signature.
It was dated back to the day Emma had disappeared after the wraith attack, but that didn't make sense at all. Why would Regina...?
Oh, right. She had probably done it after she had saved Henry. It hurt her more than possible to think back to that moment when Regina had truly believed that they were coming to kill her.
Shaking her head Emma braced herself for the last bit of information. Without doubt it would be emotional.
The last page was almost empty, listing the address of the town hall, Regina's work, a phone number she didn't recognize and open hours throughout the week.
Beneath it she had listed the requirement of an ID and the remark that the certificate was valid to ninety days.
"It's the open hours of the town's office."
Shell-shocked Emma froze, not daring to move. For once she hadn't heard or felt Regina approach her.
"I've looked it up this morning. It's the office for the marriage applications."
"What?"
Too many emotions flooded Emma's system. She was confused by a breathy laugh before she realized that it was her own. Very slowly she lifted her head to the entrance of the kitchen, hoping that Regina's voice wasn't a figment of her imagination.
When she finally raised her gaze she slowly took in Regina's wide smile, her slightly embarrassed rosy cheeks.
She couldn't really bring herself to believe what was happening.
"That means... Are you saying...?"
Regina nodded deliberate.
"Yes. I am saying yes."
Emma felt something inside of her shift. Her lips spread into a wide smile as she let out a shaky laugh.
"You do?"
Nodding again Regina slowly came towards her until she stood in front of her.
"I do."
She leaned into Emma, kissed both of her cheeks, erasing the happy tears that marked her cheeks until she found Emma's lips in an unusually tender kiss.
"I love you, you know?"
Emma told her in a breathy voice. She wasn't sure whether she would be able to make sense of all the emotional onslaught. What she was sure of was that she had never felt happier in all her life.
"I love you, too."
See? For there to be a future oneshot called 'Marrying Emma', she had to accept, right? Not having a happy ending would probably emotionally scar me, so you can usually count on me to write one ;)
Now, please let me know what you think! I hope it made it a little bit easier to live through the Once-hiatus! :)