Note: After finishing the fic I'd started for the most recent SQW, I decided to get back to this one next because I knew I only had one chapter left to complete it, knew I'd had at least some of this chapter written already and then there's the fact that this SQW happened first and yet I finished it after the one from this year? Definitely needed to get this final chapter out. But, if you follow me on Twitter you already know, when I came back to to it, I found out I had more than just a little bit of this chapter finished and sadly could have updated and finished this a lot sooner. Oops.
Anyway, I spent the last two days editing and polishing this off. Hopefully the year and a half between starting this, last writing for it and the work I did on it this weekend still make for a fitting ending. :)
Although the room was rightfully chilly that late winter morning, it wasn't what woke her. Regina felt a dip in the bed, a slight pressure on either side of her legs, and a shadow fell over her face before she heard the familiar voice of her niece.
"Aunt Gina!"
"She's right there, darling," Zelena informed Robyn, much quieter than her niece had spoken. "No need to yell."
Regina finally opened her eyes and had to blink a few times before she was able to see the two of them clearly. Zelena held Robyn on her hip where the stood beside her bed. "Good morning," she groggily said. "What are you two doing in here?"
"Can I say it now?" Robyn directed the question at Zelena and spoke in a loud whisper, like it was a secret Robyn was supposed to hide and hadn't quite understood the concept of a true whisper.
"Yes," Zelena answered with a small laugh.
Robyn took a deep breath, the inhale loud with her childish dramatics, before she exclaimed, "Happy Birthday!"
Regina smiled and started to pull herself into a sitting position when she realized what had caused the small weight on the bed beside her legs. There was a tray of food in front of her. Waffles with bacon, a side of toast with the option of butter or jam—or both—and a cup of coffee. "Impressive. Is this all for me?"
"Yeah," Robyn happily told her.
"There's also a surprise for you downstairs," Zelena said. "Robyn and I aren't staying much longer, though. We'll probably have something to eat, give you our gifts and then leave around lunch."
Regina frowned. "Why aren't you staying?"
"I thought you'd enjoy the day with what's waiting for you downstairs. I wouldn't want the two of us to get in the way."
She cocked her head to the side and continued to quizzically stare at Zelena.
Zelena smirked. "You'll understand when you see the surprise. One that I'm not going to ruin." Zelena turned and headed for the door before she said, "Enjoy, Sis" over her unoccupied shoulder.
"Enjoy," Robyn repeated as she waved goodbye and smiled at her.
"Thank you," she said to them as they left her to her breakfast.
She carefully sat up and rested on her repositioned pillow against the headboard shortly after their departure. She sipped at the glass of apple juice she suspected Robyn had insisted on when the redheaded Mills' put everything together, but almost instantly the silence in the empty room made her uncomfortable. She bit off a large piece of toast before she set the tray on the vacant side of the bed and went about her morning routine.
She threw on a pair of silk sleep shorts and a long sleeve shirt, brushed her hair and teeth and then went downstairs with her breakfast. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, however, she startled when she heard a harsh pop from the living room and almost dropped the tray in her initial shock and then rush to produce a fireball. When she heard a very familiar grumble, she sighed with relief and gripped the tray more firmly before one end tipped too far downward. She'd already ruined the birthday present enough by not enjoying it in bed as it'd been intended. She didn't want to completely waste it on the hardwood floor.
She set the tray on the dining room table on her way into the other room and abruptly stopped almost as soon as she crossed the threshold.
Emma stood on a chair near the back door with a string of black and purple balloons hung along the far wall just above the height of the doorframe. One of the balloons lay shriveled against the frame while Emma attempted to blow up another one.
"What are you doing?"
Emma stopped blowing and whipped around to look at Regina. Too stunned to hold the half blown up balloon closed, Emma loosened her grip and the party decoration lost air quickly with a sad squeak.
"Regina! Uh. You're supposed to be having breakfast in bed."
"And you're not supposed to be standing on ladders or chairs without supervision. What's with the balloons?"
"It was supposed to be a surprise."
"I would have incinerated you if I hadn't heard your voice. It was definitely a surprise."
"But it's not finished yet."
"Emma, what's going on?"
"It's your birthday."
"And?"
"And I...wanted to do nice things for you."
"You've lived here for how many of my birthdays?"
"Uh, four not including this one."
"When have I ever expressed a desire for balloons?"
"Never."
"So, why are you putting them up this year?"
"You don't like them." Emma's face immediately fell and Regina regretted the way she'd approached the subject just as quickly.
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to." Emma climbed off the chair and dropped the neglected balloon onto the seat. "Sorry. I'll take them down. Just give me a few minutes."
"No. Don't do that. I'm sorry. I appreciate it. I do. I just...I've never once had balloons on my birthday."
"Oh. Well, I guess that makes two of us," Emma said with a nervous smile.
"Is that...is that why you thought to do it for me?"
"Kinda. I didn't think I was doing enough any of your other birthdays since moving in and I wanted to make this one more special. Decorating is just part of the plan to do that."
"Only part of it?"
Emma's nervous smile turned bashful. "Um, yeah, there's another surprise coming—" Emma checked her phone, "any minute now. And then there's this."
Regina's gaze followed Emma's hand as the blonde reached into her back pocket and pulled out a group of index cards.
"It's kind of lame. Something Henry did for you on Mother's Day when he was younger. I stole the idea from him, but hopefully it's still a good gift."
She accepted the cards that she noticed were bound by three staples down one side. She smiled when she started to flip through them. "A coupon book."
"Yeah, it's dumb."
"It's not. It's thoughtful. And cute."
"Cute? Cute as in 'you're such a child' or 'you're cute and I like it?'"
Regina's smile widened. "The second one, but you are a child sometimes."
"I thought I just ate like one."
"You stomped your foot when I wouldn't let you lick the spoon after making cookies just last week."
"Everyone knows the dough is the best part, Regina."
"It's also the part that makes you stick your head in a toilet and cry because 'throwing up hurts' and you don't like it."
"Okay, that was embarrassing for me. Not one of my finer moments, but you were amazing. Thanks again for holding back my hair. That had to be gross, even after doing it for Henry for years."
"It's always gross, even when I did it for Henry."
"Right. Well, anyway, the coupon book is my way of thanking you for moments like that and because I don't think you get pampered as much as you pamper others. You deserve more than just one day out of the year for someone to show their appreciation."
Regina hummed as another smile spread across her face. "Thank you." She started to flip through the booklet again and hesitated when she saw an interesting doodle of two stick figures with yellow and brown hair. "One free massage? From you?"
"Do you doubt my skills?"
"If this drawing is anything to go by—"
"It's not. I might not be a masseuse, but I can definitely work out kinks."
Regina arched a brow and grinned. "Can you, now?"
Her expression didn't get a reaction, but her voice certainly did. Emma's eyebrows shot up and the blonde slowly parted her lips as her gaze sept over Regina from head to toe and settled on her mouth on their way back up. Just when it looked like Emma was about to say something, if the way her lips soundlessly flapped a little like a fish out of water was anything to by, the front door suddenly jerked open.
Emma snapped out of her trance when the door shut a few seconds later and her attention went from Regina to a space just past the brunette. "Henry?"
Regina furrowed her brow and watched Emma as the younger woman crossed the room. She flicked her tongue over her bottom lip when Emma touched her bicep on her way toward the foyer. She followed the blonde with her eyes before she walked out after her a few seconds later.
"Hey, Ma. Is Mom up yet?" Regina heard his voice only a few footsteps before she saw their son with a backpack and large duffle bag slung over his shoulders where he stood on the first-floor landing. His eyes found hers in record time. "Oh. Mom. Happy Birthday!"
He smiled brightly at her and her heart swelled. "Henry," she reverently exhaled and then quickly closed the distance between them to wrap him in a tight hug.
"Surprise," she heard Emma say while she squeezed Henry at least half a minute before letting him go.
"You did this?"
"I just paid for the bus ticket. I would have picked him up myself, but I figured you'd worry if I wasn't here when you woke up. I didn't really have an excuse to not be here. Plus, I was trying to decorate for you."
"Oh, god. You really went with the balloons?" Henry tossed the duffle bag aside to rest against the bottom of the stairs. "I told you she wouldn't care about that."
"I appreciate the gesture," Regina clarified. "It wasn't necessary, but I like the thought that went into it."
When she locked eyes with Emma, she winked at the blonde who then looked flattered and a little weak in the knees. Regina smirked.
"Uh," Emma cleared her throat and redirected her attention to the duffle bag. "Kid, did you really need to bring your laundry home for your mom's birthday?"
"Relax. I'm not going to make her do it. I know how to wash my own clothes. I just wanted to use the machines here. Better than freezing cold and grimy laundromats."
"So spoiled."
Henry beamed. "And I love it."
Emma chuckled and ruffled his hair to the result of a grumbled protest as he brushed it back into place within seconds. "That's what happens when you're born and adopted into royalty."
"Yeah, well, this prince twice over needs a shower. I'm gonna get cleaned up and then maybe we can do a family movie day?"
"Movie day? Are you planning on making me a couch potato?"
"Only until we have the big dinner tonight," Henry replied.
"And you can always use a coupon or two in the meantime, too," Emma suggested.
Regina looked down at the booklet still in her hand, still open to the free massage, and then grinned sinfully at the blonde.
"Oh, I have every intention of doing that, Miss Swan."
Both women missed the way Henry's nose crinkled with a grimace, but heard him when he asked, "Can you at least wait until I leave the room before flirting?"
Emma laughed loudly and replied when Henry started jogging up the stairs. "Half the fun of flirting with her is having at least one witness."
Henry shuddered before he disappeared around the corner headed toward his room and Emma laughed again, but the laughter stopped as soon as she turned to see Regina who stared at the younger woman with an arched brow and cocked hip.
"We're definitely picking this up later," Regina promised with a hint of purr.
Which led to the third, and not at all accidental, time they slept together.
After a day of relaxation and a pleasant family dinner with everyone, even the Charmings, Emma walked out of the master bathroom in only a tank top and red lace panties. Regina's first thought was that they'd come full circle.
"Nice outfit," she teasingly said with a grin. She raked her eyes over the other woman from her blonde hair to the red strap of her bra that poked out from the white strap of the tank top. Her gaze lowered to admire the swell of Emma's contained but still easily appreciated breasts and further down to stare at the nearly transparent panties. Regina's attention remained there a moment longer than was decent before she took in the sight of long, smooth legs.
Emma smirked, the expression a little cocky, when Regina's eyes locked onto the younger woman's. "The first time you saw me in this, you couldn't stop smiling."
"It wasn't a nice smile and it had nothing to do with what you were wearing," Regina argued as Emma crawled next to her in bed. "It was a polite, 'get the hell out of my town' smile."
"Yeah, okay," Emma sarcastically responded. "Do you want a massage tonight or not? Because if you want to deny that you find me attractive, I can stop all this birthday spa treatment anytime."
"Mm, you want me to tell you you're pretty," Regina mockingly asked. "Is that another one of your turn-ons?"
Emma rolled her eyes as she leaned over Regina to open the nightstand drawer. The blonde pulled out a small bottle of scented oil. "Think I can heat this up without making the top pop off?"
"I don't know. Are you quick to climax? That's usually an indicator." She shifted in bed as she looked at Emma with a grin and an arched eyebrow.
"Wow, you and the sex jokes. You have a dirty mind."
"Says the woman that constantly brags about her oral skills."
Emma laughed. "Well, I'm not good at much else, so flaunt the few talents you have. Right?"
The bottle started to glow in Emma's hand and, thankfully, the other woman stopped just before the oil started to bubble inside.
"I don't think I've ever known anyone with even half your magical skills ever doubt themselves as much as you do," Regina said as she readjusted her position. The sheets slid down her body and revealed her black balconette bra. The sheets bunched up at the top of her torso. She watched Emma's eyes fall to her chest as the blonde opened the bottle. Regina fought the urge to smirk at the other woman's reaction.
Emma shrugged and motioned for Regina to turn over.
Regina slid down the bed a little before she complied with Emma's instruction and rolled onto her stomach. She swept her hair off her back and pressed her right cheek against her pillow, her face turned away from Emma. A moment later, Emma pulled the sheets down until her entire back was exposed and the sheets bunched up at her hips.
"Hold this for a second?" Emma tapped the bottom of the oil bottle against her hand.
Regina opened her hand and felt Emma give her the bottle, which was warm to the touch. Once it was firmly in her grasp, Emma's hands moved up her spine and settled on the band of her bra.
"Is this okay or do you want me to work around it," Emma asked as she kept her hands ready to unclasp the bra, but didn't remove it.
"Take it off, Emma," she instructed.
Emma took action and unhooked the bra. It fell away from Regina's skin with minimal effort and allowed access to more of the older woman. Neither woman pushed it away and instead left it trapped between Regina's body and the bed. The straps hung off Regina's biceps, but it was uncomfortable to feel them brush against her any time she moved. Even the rise and all of her chest caused the straps to slide up and down her arms. It itched and made her feel restrained, so she slipped out of the bra completely after Emma took the oil back.
When Regina was comfortable and settled, Emma started to rub the oil onto Regina's back. The younger woman trailed it over Regina's shoulders and pushed upward to rub some onto Regina's neck.
Regina closed her eyes and slowly exhaled as she released tension she'd been carrying for a while and hadn't calmed herself enough to let go of until that moment. Her breathing slowed as she fell into a meditative state.
Emma's oil covered hands drifted lower and applied a little pressure just as the oil's vanilla scent filled the room. The blonde covered Regina's back with the oil in a matter of minutes where she knelt on the bed beside Regina's prone form. Once Regina's back was oiled up, Emma rubbed it over Regina's arms. The younger woman applied it from her shoulders down to her wrists before Emma pulled her hands away.
The lack of body heat from Emma's hands created a small breeze to roll across the brunette's back. Against the warm oil, the breeze was enough to draw a quiet moan out of her.
"I take it the oil feels good?"
"Very good," Regina purred.
A few moments passed in silence and Emma's hands had yet to return to Regina. Out of curiosity, Regina turned her head to look at the blonde just as the woman said, "You're right. That feels amazing."
Regina watched Emma pull her right hand away from her left arm as she finished speaking, apparently testing the oil for herself. A second later, Regina noticed she was almost at eye level with red lace. Another second after that, Emma seemed to notice as well.
"Have you ever been with a woman," Emma asked as shifted on the bed.
Regina followed the movement for only a second before she looked up and met Emma's eyes. "Maleficent," she answered as they held each other's gaze.
"I knew it," Emma replied with a proud grin. "The way you looked at her in that pantsuit and hat. Then there's the way you talked about her when you sent me under the library to kill her years before that. There's so much history between you two, it's obvious."
"Yes, well, it was fun while it lasted. There was a bit of an emotional attachment for me in the beginning. I suppose a part of it remained even when I was the Evil Queen, but I was still willing to sacrifice her happiness for my own. I also didn't care enough at that point to know when she'd been pregnant. I didn't ask. I didn't find out until she asked for your help to find Lily."
"Well, there are different relationships for different points in our lives. What you had with her was either something you needed then or was all just part of your life experiences that led you here, made you who you are now. Or at least helped with that."
"And now? What's this? Our relationship. What purpose does it serve?"
Emma smiled. "I don't know yet."
Regina relaxed again, but didn't turn her head away. She closed her eyes and, in seconds, felt Emma's hands on her again. Her breath came out in short bursts at first, her heartbeat a little quicker than usual, but it slowed after a few minutes. She fell back into that same meditative state and thought she might actually fall asleep until Emma's hand pressed into her lower back. Another moan escaped her as she rolled her hips back and pushed out her ass. Her cheeks flared up with embarrassment.
Neither one of them said anything about it, but Emma slid her hands up to Regina's shoulder blades and focused on her upper body for a few minutes. Once the embarrassment subsided, Regina relaxed again and was able to fill the silence with conversation.
"Thank you," Regina said. "For today. You really didn't have to go through all the trouble you did."
"Yeah, I did. I've been living here rent free for years and you've never even asked me to so much as clean out the gutters."
"Because you usually do them without being asked, even though we both have magic and could easily use it to achieve the same results as you getting on a ladder and scraping out the leaves yourself. Except magic is also quicker."
"And less dangerous," Emma agreed with a smile.
"You'd have probably been in the hospital with a lot of broken bones if it weren't for magic," she informed her.
"I'd probably be dead if it wasn't for you after that one bad attempt," Emma corrected her and slid her hands down to the center of Regna's back. "Did I ever thank you for catching my fall when I'd been too stupid to use my own magic to do it myself?"
"Repeatedly," Regina groaned, partly due to the massage and partly because of her frustration with the events of that day. "You even tried to make me dinner that night and nearly burned down my kitchen. But not because you can't cook. Because that would have been too easy an explanation."
The hands on her back slowed before Emma said, "I told you I checked my phone and didn't realize—"
"What was happening until it was too late," Regina finished for her with a hint of agitation, as though talking about it was the same as reliving it. "So you told me. Multiple times."
"Two years later and you still don't believe me?"
"You'd only picked up your phone when I turned around and the burning dish towel right next to you was blindingly obvious. Except you didn't notice until I yelled and put it out."
"You are so hung up on this," Emma laughed a little as she spoke and moved her hands over Regina's sides.
"Because I think you were looking at me and wouldn't admit to it. You still won't admit it."
"I was not—"
"Don't forget, Emma. You're a terrible liar," she said with a smirk.
"If you knew I was looking, why didn't you say anything?"
"I just did."
"Why didn't you say anything then?"
"I was too busy yelling at you for the fire. And then, after that, dinner was burnt, too."
"No, if you knew I was looking, you would have used it against me when you were yelling at me," Emma replied as her hands ran up Regina's side and grazed Regina's breasts.
Regina gasped and clamped her mouth shut as soon as she heard the sound. She slowly, subtly, closed her fist around the fitted sheet beneath her to help her contain any other detectable reactions.
"Maybe I didn't think it was worth mentioning," she gritted out.
Emma lightheartedly scoffed. "Now you're lying. Friends or just friendly, co-parents, or even enemies. It doesn't matter what we are to each other. You'd still tease me about checking out your ass."
Regina grinned. "I never said anything about my ass."
Emma halted her movements before she asked again, "Why didn't you say anything? The truth this time."
Regina sighed. "It didn't seem like an appropriate time to tease you about it."
"Why?"
"I- When I realized what had distracted you, I also realized I liked you looking at me. Although, I was never sure what about me had distracted you until now."
Emma laughed through her confusion and asked, "What did you think had my attention?"
"I always knew it was a possibility, but you could have just been watching me while I washed the dishes. As strange a thing as that may seem, it was also a possibility. And I never saw your eyes looking anywhere below my waist when I turned around."
"In all honesty," Emma said as the blonde's hands moved down her sides toward her hips, "I have watched you do the dishes before." Emma's hands moved up again and grazed the sides of Regina's breasts again before the younger woman's hands slid over and up her back. "I've watched you clean the counters. I've watched you fold clothes while reading something or Skyping with Henry. I've been looking at you for years, Regina."
When Emma's fingers skimmed across her lower back and her thumbs dipped beneath the bedsheets bunched just above her backside, Regina gasped and lifted her hips off the bed again.
Emma stilled her hands. "Regina?"
She slipped a hand between her chest and the bed and held her bra to her chest as she rolled onto her back. Emma's hands fell away from her body as she moved and their eyes locked in seconds.
"You like me," Regina said with a serious, slightly wide-eyed expression. A second later, her lips curled into a smirk. "You like me a lot."
Emma looked away for a moment as her hands went limp against her thighs and she lowered herself onto her heels. "I tried not to be obvious about it for a while, but I kind of figured not moving out when Henry left for school was a big indicator."
Regina's expression sobered again. "Were you waiting for me to figure it out before you admitted it?"
"Kind of," Emma shrugged.
"Why wait? You've accused me of looking at you that way before, so why not say something then?"
"I didn't want to ruin this, whatever it is we have."
Regina exhaled through her nose, slowly. She pulled her bra away and dropped it on the floor beside the bed before her chest rose with her next inhale. She noticed—although anyone would have—Emma's eyes fall to her exposed breasts.
"Regina." Her name fell from Emma's mouth as nothing but a breath. Emma started at her, stunned. There was a hint of awe in green eyes, but Emma was mostly shocked by the exposure.
"Consider this my coupon book for you," Regina said as she took one of Emma's hands and brought it to her chest. She held Emma's right hand against her left breast and added, "It allows you to do a number of things to me. Right now."
"I- I don't want this to be about repaying a gesture or anything," Emma responded as she tried to take her hand back.
Regina tightened her grip.
"This isn't about earning my way into your bed, is it?" Emma asked.
"No," Regina answered. "This about the feelings between us being mutual."
"Oh," Emma blinked and looked own at their joins hands over Regina's breast.
Regina then moved their hands up to rest it over her heart for Emma to feel, for her to understand.
Emma waited two heart beats before she locked eyes with Regina. And then it seemed to click. "Oh," Emma responded with a smile. "So, if I did this?"
Emma let her actions speak for her as the fingertips of her free hand circled around her belly button with the lightest of touches.
Regina bent her knees and arched into Emma's touch as she gripped the sheets on either side of herself. "You're a torturous tease, but I don't mind the touch," Regna replied.
"And if I did this?" Emma threw a leg over Regina and straddled her waist.
Regina let go of the fitted sheet and rested both hands on the tops of the blonde's thighs. "Finally, we're getting somewhere." Emma rolled her eyes, but Regina skimmed her hands further up the other woman's thighs and caused the blonde to lick her lips as her chest heaved. Regina smirked.
As soon as Emma saw the smirk, the younger woman leaned in and brushed her bottom lip against Regina's top lip. Emma flashed a brief, victorious smile when the smirk was wiped right of Regina's face. Then, the two of them maintained contact while Emma pulled away but continued to hover above the brunette.
"The hand over your heart gesture," Emma said. "What did that mean exactly?"
Regina rolled her eyes. "You know what it means. If you didn't, you wouldn't be on top of me right now."
"Maybe. Or maybe I just thought you were giving me more encouragement to feel you up."
"What do you want? You want me to say it?" Regina was flustered, but tried to bury any emotion that wasn't irritation. If she didn't bury it, she'd be far too vulnerable. Even if she trusted Emma implicitly, she hated vulnerability.
"Yeah, I do," Emma answered.
Regina sighed. "What's unclear about my heart? More specifically your hand on my heart?"
"Just…say it? I want- I need to hear it."
The words were a plea and the sad but hopeful look in her eyes expressed just how strong the need was for Emma. She understood that need, remembered when she craved the words herself when she hadn't heard them—or felt their meaning in her heart or soul—in a while. Then it became easy for her to be vulnerable with Emma, because Emma was already vulnerable with her.
"I love you," she choked out the words as her eyes watered. "I'm in love with you, Emma."
Emma lit up almost immediately and her green eyes shined with warmth and tears. In an instant, Emma crashed their lips together in a slow, searing kiss.
Regina melted into the bed and parted her lips to deepen the kiss without any insistence from the blonde. Not long after she gave Emma access, Regina hummed as she felt the other woman's tongue in her mouth.
Emma slid her hands up the bed toward the headboard and stopped them on either side of Regina's head, slipped them under the pillow the brunette's head rested on. The position of her hands and the weight she put on them and her forearms caused her to slide her concealed sex against Regina's bare lower abdomen. The friction of panties on heated flesh made both women moan. When they pulled away from the kiss, Emma bit her bottom lip as she smiled. The blonde released her lip a moment later and said, "I love you, too. I'm in love with you and I have been for a while."
Regina let out a wet chuckle. "Probably not as long as I have. I just…didn't admit it to myself. Well, no. That's not true. I felt it and I fought it, especially when you were with Hook. And then Robin… After what Tink had told me, it felt easier at first. But it wasn't really."
Emma frowned. "Why not?"
Regina laughed again and shook her head. "Because nothing has ever been easy with you and ever since you showed up here, everything I've done has involved you somehow."
"But you still love me anyway," Emma replied with a bright smile.
"Not if you push your luck," Regina said with a hint of a smile.
"Mm, I think I probably could. I think you probably loved me in some way before you fell for me."
"Oh, really?" Regina arched an eyebrow.
"Mhmm."
"And how are you so sure of that?"
Emma licked her lips again while Regina ran a hand through long, blonde hair where it cascaded over the woman's shoulders.
"Because the same thing happened for me. After Henry and I came back from New York, I started falling for you. I already cared about you by then, but I really started to understand there was something more to my feelings. But then my abandonment issues got in the way and I didn't act on them."
Regina's chin wobbled. With a watery smile and a tear trolling over her temple toward her hairline, she said, "When I gave you those memories…that's when- When you two left, you took my heart with you. And not just because you had Henry."
"You- You were in love with me then?"
She didn't reply until Emma wiped away the tear with a thumb. "Yes. And when you came back with Hook, that's when I started to fight it and allowed myself to let Robin in."
"Considering how things turned out with Hook, I wish you would've said something sooner."
"It probably would have saved a lot of time and trouble," she agreed. "But we're here now, and half-naked. One of us is a little more stripped than the other, though."
She looked own at her bare chest to make her point.
Emma followed her eyes and the younger woman's lips curled into a small smile. "Then let's not waste any more time, shall we?"
Emma sat up as she continued to straddle Regina and crossed her arms over her torso before she grabbed the hem of her tank top. The blonde peeled it off and revealed her red bra. Emma tossed the top over the side of the bed and then reached behind herself to remove her bra. "You should enjoy this brief moment while it lasts," Emma said as she fiddled with the clasp. "My underwear hardly ever matches."
"Maybe if you invest in some lingerie," Regina replied as she looked from green eyes to the red bra that slipped down when the clasp was released. "Stick with me and you will."
"Don't you already know, Regina?" Emma pulled the straps off her shoulders and discarded the bra in seconds. Regina stared up at pink nipples that stiffened when Emma swept her fingers over one of her breasts. "I'm gonna stick by you. No matter what."
Regina's lifted until she locked eyes with Emma as the woman beamed at her. Regina remembered the last time Emma had said those words to her, how she'd protected Emma as best she could from Rumple's plans while Emma had tried to protect her from getting involved and getting in over her head with the Queens of Darkness. Those words were a promise then, one Regina knew Emma would have stopped at nothing to keep, just as they were a promise in that moment.
"I know you will," Regina said.
Emma leaned in again and their breasts brushed, skin on skin, before they kissed just as slowly and passionately as they had after their initial confessions. Emma pulled away from her mouth a minute later and trailed kissed along Regina's jaw from ear to ear.
Regina tipped her head back and to the side when Emma started to kiss below her ear and gently raked her nails up the other woman's thighs even before Emma flicked her tongue over the sensitive spot. Once the blonde did that, Regina arched up into the woman and dug her nails in close to the apex of Emma's legs.
Emma hummed against her skin and sucked at the patch of skin that made Regina writhe beneath her. As she kissed lower and lower down Regina's neck, the quicker Regina's breathing became.
Regina slid her hands up red lace and curled her fingers inside the waistband of Emma's panties just as Emma found her pulse point. Regina moaned and dragged the panties down the other woman's hips.
Emma licked and sucked at Regina's pulse point, sure to leave a hickey, as she rolled her hips and helped Regina slide her panties down to her knees. She lifted her knees off the bed one at a time while she continued her loving assault on Regina's neck and Regina tugged the panties to Emma's shins.
She released Emma's panties where they stretched, and were most likely to rip, across her own hips. As she pulled her hands away and brought one of them up into blonde hair, Emma relinquished Regina's neck and sat up.
Emma tried to keep herself balanced as she stood up on the bed, her feet on either side of Regina's hips, and bent at the waist to finish the removal of her underwear.
Regina had other plans as she sat up and grabbed the panties to finish the job herself. She slid the material down semi-toned legs until the panties pooled at Emma's feet.
Emma lifted a foot and stepped out of one leg of her panties before she sank back onto her knees and reached over to pull the panties off her other foot by herself. When she was free of them, she flung them aside somewhere and continued to kneel while Regina stared at newly revealed skin.
Regina took a moment to admire Emma's naked body before her eyes roamed upward and locked on Emma's again.
Emma shuffled backward, down Regina's body, and her movement tugged down the bedsheets just enough to expose the waistband of shorts Regina still wore.
"Tell me again how one of us is more stripped than the other," Emma teased with a smile.
Regina smirked and tucked her thumbs into the sides of her shorts and panties. She arched her back and slipped them both down to expose only a teasing amount of skin. She paused there.
Emma shook her head with a smile and, impatient, curled her fingers inside the waistband beside Regina's. The younger woman hesitated again and asked, "Is this okay?"
Regina's smirk melted into a warm, loving smile. "Yes, Emma. It's okay."
Emma's smile brightened before the blonde pulled the shorts and panties down the rest of the way.
Regina let go when the shorts reached her knees and settled back onto the bed to watch Emma remove the last two barriers between them. "Come here," Regina instructed once they were discarded, and Emma complied as the younger woman fell forward and met Regina's lips with her own for yet another kiss.
Their lips and tongues connected with each other less patiently than their first few kisses. Regina's hands wandered south and she grazed a knuckle over Emma's clit, which caused the blonde to whimper and twitch, and slid a finger through the other woman's slick folds. When her knuckle teasingly, ever so lightly, pressed against Emma's opening, Emma's previous whimper became a more vocal moan.
Emma spread her legs wide and it bought her sex closer to Regina's pelvic bone, which also forced Regina's knuckle just the slightest bit inside the blonde. Emma tensed for a brief second and broke their kiss to pull away only far enough for her to look into Regina's eyes. "This is supposed to be about you," Emma told her.
"If that's the case then you can go first," Regina replied with smirk before she turned her hand over and dipped a finger inside Emma.
Emma bit her lip and tried to remain still in what Regina assumed was supposed to be resistance to get her point across, but Regina was persistent and Emma was turned on.
Regina slid her finger almost, but not quite, completely out of Emma before she plunged back inside. She grinned as Emma's mouth fell wide open. "Do you know what I want right now, Em-ma?"
"No, I don't," Emma breathlessly answered.
"I want to watch you cum for me. Again," she said with a thrust of her finger. "And again." Another thrust. "And again." A third thrust and Emma whimpered and bucked against her.
"It's your day," Emma barely managed to reply. "Whatever you want."
Regina chuckled and said, "Good, because I want you." She started a steady pace, but added a second finger almost instantly while Emma leaned in again. As soon as she was close enough, Regina peppered the valley between her breast with kisses both chaste and wet. Emma stared to meet Regina's thrusts and made it hard to keep kissing the other woman, so Regina stuck two fingers in her mouth and wet them.
She smirked around her fingers before she withdrew them, Emma's eyes on her as she sucked and removed them. It encouraged Regina as she brought her wet fingers to one of Emma's nipples and rolled it between thumb and forefinger.
Emma moaned and leaned closer as the blonde all but lay sprawled out like a starfish on top of her. Emma started to ride her fingers as she pressed sloppy kisses to Regina's collarbone, jaw and lips. The puffs of breath against her neck and face while Emma kissed her, as well as slight flutter of Emma's inner walls against her fingers, spoke to the younger woman's needs, so Regina sped up her pace and started to curl her fingers.
Emma panted audibly against her skin before the blonde lifted her head and tried to toss her hair over her shoulders as a sheen of sweat started to form on fair skin.
When Emma sat up just a little too far out of reach, Regina directed the fingers she'd used on Emma's nipples to stimulate Emma's clit. Immediately, she was rewarded with a loud moan that Regina worried would wake Henry. Emma didn't hesitate to buck against her again as she rubbed circles over the bundle of nerves as quickly as she pumped in and out of Emma.
"Fuck," Emma exhaled before she squeezed her eyes shut and clenched a little harder and a little longer around Regina's fingers.
"If you're going to be loud, soundproof," Regina warned.
A small cry escaped Emma before she managed to hurriedly flick her wrist. The spell almost wasn't complete before Emma orgasmed with a sharper, much louder cry only seconds later.
Emma shuddered and heavily exhaled when her body finally went slack. She leaned forward onto her hands and panted for another moment as she tried to catch her breath. Then she said, "That was embarrassingly fast for me."
"It usually takes you longer?"
"Unless you go down on me, it usually takes about ten minutes to work me up."
"Mm, good to know I have a special effect on you," Regina purred before she smirked up at Emma and finally removed her fingers from the other woman. "I'd like to have that effect on you again, if you don't mind."
Emma smiled. "I'm here to fulfill your every need."
"Excellent," Regina grinned and grabbed the other woman's hips before she flipped them.
After Emma's back hit the bed and Regina nestled her hips between the woman's legs, the blonde said, "Just don't tire me out because I plan to return the favor tenfold."
"You do?"
"I have a few things I'd like to try. I have some theories about what you might enjoy."
"Theories, hmm?"
"Yeah, good ones. If you want to know what they are, you'll keep my orgasms to a minimum before I give you at least one."
"Sorry, Miss Swan. No guarantees," she replied with a grin.
Emma bit her lip, but released it seconds later when Regina pushed her legs farther apart and kissed her way down the younger woman's torso.
"Let's see just how fast I can keep you cuming," Regina said when she hovered above Emma's lower abdomen.
She started with teasing, curious flicks and progressed to steady strokes. Emma rewarded her with whimpers, gasps and bucking hips that Regina quickly had to restrain with her hands. She looked up Emma's body and found blue-green eyes. She smiled and watched Emma, propped up on her elbows, as she wrapped her lips around the other woman's clit.
Emma threw her head back and moaned loudly while her thighs twitched.
Regina moaned against her in response and Emma let out a strangled sound of pleasure.
"Regina," the blonde nearly sobbed her name.
Regina groaned then, completely turned on and willing to give Emma everything then. She didn't hold back anymore and slid two fingers inside the younger woman. She pumped in and out just as steadily as she'd licked Emma earlier and alternated between licking and sucking Emma's clit. Full swirls, half-circles and up and down motions led to Emma tightening around her fingers and, not long after that, Emma trembled through a second orgasm.
Regina hummed as she slowed to a stop and removed her fingers. She lapped at Emma's sex before she pulled away and licked her lips, her eyes on the blonde as Emma tried to control her seemingly pounding heart and rapid breathing. She crawled up the woman's body and rolled onto her side to curl up against her partner.
"That was… You are a very good gift giver," Emma said between breaths. "And it's your birthday."
Regina grinned. "The sounds you make and the way your body reacts to me are some of the best gifts I could ever hope for. You shouldn't take that lightly either. For a long time, I was very selfish lover. Of course, that only happened after I became the Evil Queen, but—"
"I'm totally okay with you being selfish," Emma confessed with a blissful smile. "I also loved what just happened. If there are ever any days you want to just touch and not be touched, I can do that. If there are any days you want to be touched without reciprocating for whatever reason, I can do that, too. But then some of those times I might need to finish myself off. Hopefully you won't deny me that if I need it?"
"I wouldn't, but I don't think that'll be a problem. Although, I'm certainly open to the idea of watching you masturbate."
Emma's eyebrows jumped toward her hairline. "Seriously?"
"I'd even love to tell you how to touch yourself on occasion."
Emma groaned and cupped the back of Regina's neck before pulling her in for several intense kisses. When they pulled away for air, Emma rhetorically asked, "Have I mentioned I loved you?"
Regina smiled and happily pecked Emma's lips. "I'll take that as a yes, you'd be okay with that, too."
"Definitely."
"Good. Now, should we move your stuff in here tonight or wait until morning?"
"Whoa. Wait. What? You- You want me to move in here? Like, into your room?"
"Our room," Regina corrected. "We could just as easily wait until we've had a few dates like most couples, but I don't see why we'd waste any more time. Unless…there's another reason you don't want to?"
"Hey, no. Regina. I never said I didn't want to. You just…" Emma sighed and tried again. "Ask me."
"What?"
"Ask me to move in with you."
"Why? You already live here. It's just a matter of moving your things from one room to another."
Emma propped herself up on her elbow and shook her head. "No. I suggested I come to live here out of convenience for Henry's sake and you agreed, but never asked me. And now, we're taking an actual first step into what went on unspoken between us for so long. So, I need you to ask me."
The raw emotion in Emma's eyes overwhelmed Regina and she understood almost immediately. Emma still had abandonment issues and needed to know she was wanted, needed to know their living arrangement was more than just convenience.
"Emma, I want you to move in with me. Completely move in. Not because it's easier or makes more sense than anything else. I want you here. I want to share my home, my room, my bed, my life with you. Is that okay?"
Emma smiled a wobbly smile as her eyes filled with tears. "Yes. Yeah, I want all of that."
"Okay then." Emma rolled onto her in an instant, kissed her and wrapped her up in what resembled a bear hug before she got her next sentence out. She laughed at the absurdity and loved it all the same. Her laughter came through in her next words when she offered, "I say we should make a day of moving you in here. It shouldn't take more than an hour, I'm sure, but no magic like I was going to do if we'd moved you in tonight. We can take advantage of Henry being home this weekend. We'll make everything official and, as much as it'll probably pain me, we'll have your parents over for dinner with all of us. How does that sound?"
"Like something permanent and everything I've ever wanted," Emma said a little breathlessly before she made Regina lose her breath. And her voice. Several shared orgasms later, with every intention of sharing Regina's bed without, they fell asleep wrapped up in each other for the first of many times to come.
fin