"Me?" Emma felt the air go out of her lungs, but she took the information in stride. The whole idea that Regina had looked into the future seemed hard to wrap her head around, but it wasn't that far of a stretch considering she had traveled into the past.
"I don't know for sure. I didn't see her face, but I've had this feeling since we first met."
"I'm not sure what this means?"
"So far it only means that Henry and possibly you are the people who surround me when I die," Regina sloshed her wine around in her glass and made a face before taking another long swallow.
Emma looked into her own glass, her head swimming, "Maybe we should take it easy on the drinks. I'm starting to feel funny."
The brunette chuckled, "Good."
Emma started to contemplate what it would mean if she were with Regina when she died. Life seemed short as it was, but thinking that far into the future was frightening. Everything had seemed temporary, but to know she would perhaps be in this town for years and spend the rest of her life there, with her family was staggering. It made her feel loved and like she wanted to run all at once.
"What are you thinking?" Regina prompted as she studied Emma's pensive face.
"I'm thinking we should go back inside and see how things are coming along."
Without another word, Regina stood up, teetering slightly, carrying her wine glass and the rest of the bottle as she headed back inside. The kitchen was bustling with activity. Emma followed behind her, noting that she could hear Snow arguing about cranberries, she rolled her eyes. Maybe it was a good thing that she was drunk. They passed the den and Emma saw Robin still parked on the couch; he had found a rugby game to watch and was animatedly getting into the sport.
Regina went to have a word with him and Emma stopped at the edge of the doorway to listen in. She rationalized that she really shouldn't be intruding on their private conversation, but she was already there. She said something to him and he pointed at the television, making a finger pinching motion apparently amazed by the 'tiny' players running around the field. Regina rolled her eyes and exited with a wave of her hand like she was so over it. Emma quickly walked away and ran right into Hook.
"You're here," she breathed as he tried to wrap her up in a hug and give her a welcoming kiss.
"I wouldn't miss the chance to spend time with you, my love," he said with dramatic flair as he sniffed her hair. She pushed at his chest, and bristled as Regina glared at them on her way to the kitchen.
"I had better go help with dinner. I think I hear Snow calling for me," Emma ducked under his arms and caught up with Regina as they entered the kitchen.
"Oh there you two are. We were getting worried. Henry let us in," Snow said cheerily, her eyes darting between both of them. Emma felt guilty getting drunk before Thanksgiving dinner.
"So do you need any help?" Emma clapped her hands and moved closer looking at the side dishes and pots of potatoes and simmering gravy.
"Nope, everything is under control as you can see," Snow said proudly while Charming sported an apron and held out a wooden spoon of gravy for Snow to sample.
If there was one thing Emma hated, and she knew Regina did too, it was feeling useless. She was desperate for any menial task at this point just so she wouldn't be forced to watch Rugby with Robin.
"I trust you're keeping an eye on the bird," Regina raised an eyebrow as she opened the oven door and studied the golden brown, shiny turkey.
"I promise the meat will be cooked to perfection," Snow smiled proudly and Charming smiled openly, nodding his head in agreement.
"We've been babying that turkey with olive oil and butter for hours," he said proudly.
Regina rolled her eyes and slammed the oven shut, "Wonderful."
"Emma why don't you go watch sporting events with the boys," Snow suggested, shooing her away from the basket of rolls, and out of the kitchen.
Regina stalked off, heading upstairs with the wine, Emma noted, and for a moment she considered following her. At least she was far more interesting than 'the boys' as Snow had referred to them. Resignedly, she headed back to the den and found herself pulled down to the middle of the couch by Hook, stuck between him and Robin.
Henry was seated to the left on the floor, his attention focused on his hand held video game while he passively watched the rugby match. Emma sniffed the air and between Hook's fermenting leather and Robin's outdoor living scent, Emma couldn't stand it. She excused herself and quickly headed upstairs to find Regina.
It didn't take bounty hunter skills to find the woman; she was lying in bed with a pillow over her face, her heels carelessly lying on the floor.
"Regina?" Emma asked tentatively before knocking on the door frame and crossing the threshold into her room.
"Is the house on fire?" Regina asked muffled through the pillow on her face.
"No, I'm just—um, bored," Emma hiccupped and started to feel slightly dizzy. Walking up the stairs had sent a rush to her head and she saw speckled stars float in her field of vision. "Ugh. I think your wine did me in."
"If you're going to vomit, please don't do it on my floor. The bathroom is that way," Regina pointed without looking.
"No, not…yet. I need to lie down," Emma really needed to lie down like bad. "Scoot over."
Regina pulled the pillow back and stared at her. It was only because Regina knew how the blonde felt did she scoot over a few measly inches to make room for Emma who flopped down on her back and groaned. "I don't think I'm going to be able to eat anything. What did you do to me?"
"What did I do to you? Well, nothing…yet."
"You got me wasted and told me about your death prophecy, is what you did!" Emma closed her eyes and held her stomach.
"Sorry, I included you in my family tradition and shared my innermost thoughts and worries," Regina yanked the pillow out from under Emma's head letting her head fall onto the bed, as she covered her face again. Through the pillow clutched tightly to her face she said, "It won't happen again."
"Regina…" Emma licked her lips and rolled slightly toward the other woman.
"No! If you want to be upset with someone, I suggest you project your anger onto your parents. They are the ones who insisted on cooking everything and being so aggravatingly grating," Regina whined and she fumbled out a finger and poked at Emma's ribs.
"Ouch, don't be so cranky. You're not a very cheery drunk woman," Emma laughed dryly at the thought, shaking her head at just how drunk she had become. Her lips and teeth were stained purple from the dark wine and her mouth was starting to feel like grape sandpaper.
"Did you forget whose bed you invited yourself into?" Regina sneered, lifting the pillow from over her eyes and playfully hitting Emma's face with it. At least Emma thought it seemed playful, but then again she had a hard time telling if Regina was teasing or not when she was sober. At this point, she had no idea. Her response was immature, sure, but it made her feel better. She turned over, locked Regina in a scissor hold and tickled the shit out of her.
She sort of laughed and snorted. She definitely wasn't a woman who took it lying down. She kicked and clawed, but her eyes were bright, her cheeks red and she seemed to be having just as much fun as Emma was. The blonde hoisted herself up and straddled her, hiking up her skirt and popping the top two buttons on her white blouse, exposing her black lacy camisole in the process. From there things got a bit heated and Emma's 'tickling' became more of a caress of Regina's neck, just as Regina's clawing at Emma's back became her insistently pulling her down to cover her body. Then, when Regina positioned Emma's knee between her thighs so as they wrestled she could get some heat and friction, they both realized that they had crossed a line, though it didn't stop them. Emma kissed a hot path up and down Regina's throat while the other woman panted in time with the gyrations of her frantically working hips, hooking a stocking clad leg around Emma's back.
"Oh fuck," Emma moaned, suddenly feeling a bit more sober, and concurrently overtaken with pleasure, when Regina unbuttoned her jeans and started to work her hand below the waistband, dipping beneath her panties and skimming the slick wet heat there. It made Regina moan when she felt her and caused her not to delay as she pressed right on in down deeper.
That was also along about the time that Robin lumbered up the stairs and wiped his nose on the back of his hand, blinking in disbelief as he entered the bedroom.
"Stop!" He yelled at Emma, as he quickly jumped onto the bed and grabbed her in a bear hug to pull her off the very messy looking and completely turned on looking former Mayor. Her hips were still moving for a moment even after Emma was jerked off, and then she sat up and panic set in.
"Robin, I'm so sorry…let me go," Emma pleaded, her eyes flitting back and forth and finding Regina looking confused and troubled.
"You're not going to attack her, aye?" He breathed heavily and Emma nodded. She tried to calm down as he removed his arms from around her. She had the forethought to adjust her panties and re-zip and button her jeans discreetly. Regina looked upset and guilty as she pushed her skirt back down her legs and fixed her blouse. Her lipstick was smeared, but honestly that had happened before Emma decided to jump her bones.
"Are you two drunk and fighting like a couple chaps down at the pub over a pretty girl?" Robin looked between the two women, as they bowed their heads ashamed. "Can't you keep civil to one another on a holiday?"
"Apparently, not," Regina hissed, and glared at Emma as she pointedly raised two fingers to her nose. Emma's jaw fell open and she had to suppress a chuckle and a pang of arousal. She was sure they were busted, but Robin was about as thick as one of the trees he loved to sleep under.
"Have you two been drinking ale?" Robin asked more perplexed and confused than wholly upset. He shook his head and turned to leave the room. He paused and said, "I just came to get you because dinner is ready."
Emma stumbled a few steps backwards and broke out into sharp laughter. Her head was pounding as the fun stage of drunkenness had mainly passed and now she was experiencing the aftereffects and dehydration. Clearly, her inhibitions had been lowered considerably. Regina pushed herself up from the bed and hobbled into the bathroom to fix her hair and makeup.
"Hurry up," Emma called, rolling her eyes, "I can hear Snow asking about us."
Regina emerged from the bathroom a moment later, looking much fresher, with no hair out of place. She rubbed her temple and brushed past Emma, "This is going to be so fun."
"We should probably talk about…what just happened," Emma muttered rocking on her heels and following behind Regina. She needed water, and a nap, and some Tylenol…but what she wanted was to grab Regina from behind and drag her back to bed so she could finish what they started. Some thinly veiled desires and urges had been stirred up to the surface just like that.
Emma slid into her seat at the dinner table next to Hook and Regina slipped across from her next to Robin. Snow assumed the position at the head of the table and Regina rolled her eyes as she watched her use the electric knife to carve the turkey. Henry excitedly grabbed for the mashed potatoes and they started to pass the food around. Emma almost heaved as she spooned the tiniest amounts of corn and beans onto her plate. She was in no shape to eat. She asked for the pitcher of water to be passed down and tried to discreetly gulp glass after glass.
"Oh, Emma you've got to take more than that. We made enough food for twenty people," Snow said, "Here pass the potatoes down to Emma and give her another big scoop."
Emma took bite of turkey, and smiled as she chewed and chewed the dry yet oily meat. "This is delicious."
Regina didn't speak; she politely ate and watched Emma from across the table. Snow and Charming carried on a conversation with Hook and Robin while the women on the end stayed under the radar. Robin chewed on a turkey leg and Regina looked embarrassed, but aside from that dinner passed pleasantly enough. As soon as she could leave the table, Emma planned to crawl under a rock and sleep until Christmas and never again participate in Mills Family traditions.
"So since Charming and I cooked the meal, it's only fair that you and Regina clean up," Snow smiled cheerily and brushed Emma's cheek with her palm.
"Whaa?" Emma felt deflated and sick. She'd been milling around for hours with nothing to do and now she was supposed to clean up.
"Come on, Emma. I hate having a dirty kitchen," Regina's voice was scratchy and she looked exhausted.
"How long do you think this will take?"
"two or three hours," Regina estimated, directing Emma to the sink and handing her pots and pans covered in drying gravy as she packed the leftovers efficiently into Tupperware.
"Are we going to talk about how we, um… almost had sex?" Emma whispered when Regina dropped a pot into the soapy water in front of her.
"No, I don't think so."
