A/N Thanks for the follows and reviews. I really appreciate it x
Despite the Egyptian cotton bed sheets that she was loosely wrapped up in, Emma Swan tossed and turned in the queen size, four-poster bed that she was supposed to be sleeping in. Emma had resigned herself to bed much earlier than usual, not wanting to be in the Mayors way and now found herself, regretting the impromptu decision. Earlier, the two women had put Baby Neal down to sleep without a fuss and then not long after that Henry had come down stairs to say goodnight. With both the boys tucked away safely for the night, Emma had awkwardly said goodnight to Regina and made herself at home in the guestroom.
She now felt pointedly foolish. Emma's mind was suddenly clouded by the day's events. The wide-awake blonde couldn't stop thinking about the ways in which Regina touched her arms when they were cooking or the way Regina had seemed to stare at Emma all throughout dinner. Emma could admit to herself that she had done her fair share of staring during the day, but it was only because she had never seen the brunette move so freely or laugh so carelessly as she did in her own home. Emma had been somewhat hypnotized by the image of the evil queen, in her pajamas playing with Baby Neal on the floor of her family room. It was an image she couldn't shake. And the more she lay in bed thinking about Regina the more she wished she was still up watching the brunette do what she was doing right now.
Regina Mills was sitting in her home office catching up on all the work she had fallen behind on by missing the day at the office. Or at least she was trying to. The mayor was finding it very difficult to concentrate knowing that Emma Swan was asleep upstairs in her house. She had never expected that she would become such fast friends with Emma. But ever since Robin had left, Regina had found herself spending most of her free time with the blonde upstairs. Regina found Emma's honesty refreshing, and was amused by her occasional coyness. She had recently taken to studying Emma's features. She found herself intrigued as to how Emma could look so much like Snow but have such a sticking resemblance to Charming. It annoyed Regina to admit that she found Emma breathtakingly beautiful, and she illogically concluded that it had nothing to do with genetics and was pure luck. Perhaps magic.
'Damn it' Regina thought to herself, 'Enough Emma Swan. Get some work done, woman'
When Baby Neal started crying at two am, Regina was still awake, working in her office, and so she immediately attended to the infant. She picked him up out of his crib and walked him into the kitchen where she heated up a bottle of milk from the fridge.
Emma had always been a light sleeper, and hearing the noise dragged herself out of bed to check on her little brother. When he wasn't in his crib, Emma tiptoed downstairs to find Regina and baby Neal in the kitchen.
"Hi" Emma said sheepishly, still in a slight state of sleep.
"Emma." Regina whispered, "You didn't have to get up, I was already up." Regina had started to boil some water to heat the bottle up in.
"You were?" Emma queried "why?"
"I am not a big sleeper." Regina shrugged, placing the bottle in the boiling water. Once it was the right temperature the three of them went and sat on the couch in the living room.
Emma took Baby Neal from Regina's arms. "You can go to bed Regina, you don't have to do this."
"I really don't mind." Regina whispered, finding herself drawn to Emma's bedroom eyes and messy hair.
The three of them sat in silence whilst Baby Neal drank his bottle. When he was finished with the milk but still wasn't asleep Emma wasn't sure what to do next. "What do we do now?"
"When Henry was young I used to tell him stories to help him fall asleep. You could try that?"
"I don't know how to just make up a story." Emma looked imploringly at Regina through her sleepy green eyes, "Can you do it? Please."
Regina giggled and nodded her head "And suddenly I have three children." Regina moved a cushion from her back and placed it on her lap. "Lay down with him" Regina instructed patting the pillow "It will help him sleep". Emma lay on her back, her head resting on the cushion on Regina's lap, arms wrapped around Baby Neal and thought to herself that somehow this was far more comfortable than the luxury bed upstairs.
A long time ago, in a magical land far away from this one, there was a princess who lived in a beautiful palace. Her people considered this princess, to be one of the luckiest girls in all the land. She had so many beautiful things that other girls in the kingdom could only dream of having. She had handmade dresses of silver and gold and tiaras made out of diamonds. She had rare glass slippers and mermaids' pearls. She had a maid who cleaned up after her and a cook that would make her any meal she desired. The princess had it all.
Regina noticed that both Baby Neal and Emma had already closed their eyes. She paused to check if they were asleep. Placing her hand on baby Neal's back, she could tell that he was.
"Keep going" Emma breathed, almost a whisper.
Regina was feeling brave in the dark and ran her fingers through Emma's long blonde hair. "Neal's asleep, Emma."
"I'm not," Emma silently replied, with a sleepy, almost child-like voice that Regina hadn't heard from the Sheriff before. "Please."
Regina left her left hand on Baby Neal's back and with the other continued to run her fingers through Emma's hair.
But the princess didn't want any of these things. The princess wanted to be outside in the fresh air with her horse. The princess wanted to ride across the land and fall in love and meet interesting people and have adventures of her own. She didn't care about money, or power or being a princess.
But no matter what the princess did, no matter how hard she tried, or how good she was, the princess could never have any of those things that her heart desired. For you see, the princess' Mother was a cruel woman, who kept her daughter as a prisoner in the lavish castle. One day the princess had decided that she had had enough of living in the castle so she choose a rare time when she knew that no one would be watching her and the princess took off on her horse. Together, the princess and her beloved horse rode for miles across the land. The princess had never felt more alive. She was free. She could go anywhere she wanted and do anything she wanted to do. But what the princess didn't know was that the gods had already decided her fate. They had decided that the princess was not to have happiness in her life. That the princess was to always remain a prisoner.
When the princess and her horse neared the edge of the kingdom, the princess began to feel a chill in the air. She rode her horse as fast as she could but she knew she could not escape her fate. The princess' mother had been waiting for her all along, and when the princess arrived at the border, her mother used magic to capture the Princess and force her back to the castle.
The princess begged and pleaded with her Mother to let her go. But her Mother refused. The princess's mother believed that power and wealth was more important than love and happiness and nothing could change her mind.
Angry with her daughter for trying to escape, the princess's mother sold the princess to an ogre who kept her in a castle and forced her to be his prisoner and his Queen.
Baby Neal let out a single small sigh as he slept which shook Regina out of the world of her story and back to reality. Emma moved her left hand that had been resting on baby Neal and entwined it with Regina's hand that was also resting on the babies back. "Keep going." Emma whispered.
"I don't think I should" Regina squeezed Emma's hand, realizing that she had already opened up too much. "It is late, we should sleep. I promised Henry we would do something fun in the morning."
When Regina awoke the bright red letters on her clock radio beside her bed was flashing 9:00am. She could not believe that she slept in, and couldn't remember the last time that she had. The mayor slipped into the silk robe that hang on the back of her door and made her way downstairs where she found Emma Swan in her kitchen, wearing her apron and making breakfast.
"Good morning, sleeping beauty" Emma turned from what she was cooking to smile at the brunette. "Or can I not say that now that she is an actual person?"
Regina smiled back "Good morning, Ms Swan. And I am not sure. It is too early for abstract thought." Regina walked around the island bench to see what Emma was cooking and raised an impressed eyebrow and the omelets cooking in the fry pan "but we can ask Henry."
"He is my go to person for most fairy tale related queries," Emma admitted with a small laugh. "Sit down, I'll bring you you're coffee, and when they are ready, eggs a la Emma"
"Why, thank you." Regina smiled at the blonde. "You're in an awfully good mood considering we were up all night with the baby." Regina moved back around the island bench as she spoke and sat down on the kitchen stool.
Emma sat a fresh cup of coffee in front of Regina. "You were up all night. I was up for about an hour." Emma corrected. "Thank you by the way, you're amazing."
"No need, Emma." Regina took a sip of her coffee and wasn't surprised that it was tailor made to her liking – a double shot with a teaspoon of condensed milk. "Where are the kids?"
"Henry is outside playing with Baby Neal." Emma replied moving an omelet from the pan onto a plate and garnishing with fresh basil that Emma had picked from Regina's garden. "I wouldn't let Henry wake you, but he wants to know if we can go to the beach today?"
"Of course. That sounds perfect." Regina agreed, taking a bite of the eggs Emma placed in front of her. "Just like your omelet, it appears."
Emma, Regina, Henry and Baby Neal were the only people on the beach that day, which wasn't surprising considering the beaches in Storybrooke, Maine were often deserted due to the cold weather. It was Neal's first time at the beach and Henry relished in showing him how to build his first sand castle. "Mom Ma check this out" Henry and Baby Neal had built a castle and used a stick in the sand to write 'Swan-Mills Castle" in the sand surrounding it.
"Truly a masterpiece" Regina exclaimed reaching for her phone to take a photo to send to Snow and David.
"An artist, just like your mother" Emma gushed smiling at Henry and then Neal and lastly Regina.
Regina rolled her eyes "I am hardly an artist"
"Sure you are Mom." Henry jumped in. "Ma, have you seen all of Mom's paintings in the basement?"
"What?" Emma turned to Regina "You've been holding out me!"
"They are not that exciting, Emma"
"Can I see them?"
"Would it make a difference if I said no?" Regina questioned the blonde
Emma shook her head "Afraid not."
"I'll show you tonight, dear."
Henry jumped up and interrupted his Mothers who seemed to be somewhat lost in each other's eyes. "Um, speaking of tonight. Can I still stay with Nicholas and Ava?"
"Oh Henry, I completely forgot about that." Regina admitted "Do you have to do it tonight, it isn't often Emma comes to stays with us."
"Hey, no it's cool" Emma chimed in. "If the kid has plans I don't expect him to cancel last minute." Emma caught a glimpse of Regina staring at her. "I mean, if it's cool with you."
"If it is okay with Emma it is okay with me. You can go."
"Thanks moms" Henry kissed both Regina and then Emma on the cheeks before high fiving Baby Neal.
Later that evening, when Regina had returned from dropping Henry off at the Zimmer household she could see that Emma had both feed and bathed Baby Neal all on her own and now the two of them were sitting on the couch playing with Neal's abacus.
"Look at you" Regina commented proudly as she walked in and sat down besides the due of her couch "you are a natural."
"Thanks" Emma gushed at Regina "I am learning from the best."
The two women were silent as the watched Neal laugh in joy as his moved the beads on his wooden toy. Regina shifted on the couch to be closer to the two, tickling Baby Neal, and knocking knees with Emma. Emma was the one who finally spoke "So, what does a Queen do on a Saturday night when her son isn't here?"
"Well, I might normally start by opening a bottle of wine" Regina raised her eyebrows at the blonde. "If you're interested?"
Emma's eyes glistened at the suggestion and stood up with Baby Neal in arms. "I'll put this little darling down for the night and then come join you in the kitchen."
Regina stood up and placed a kiss on Baby Neal's forehead, "Good night, little prince."
By the time Emma returned to the kitchen Regina was already preparing a salad and sipping on a glass of red wine. Resting on a coaster on the kitchen bench was another glass of red wine, obviously meant for Emma. Emma lifted the glass and took a sip before walking around the kitchen bench to the side Regina was standing on. Emma moved around Regina, placed her left hand on the brunettes lower back for just a moment, before asking, "what are you making?"
Regina's breathing hitched as she felt Emma's fingertips on her body; she took a moment before answering "I was just quickly putting together a salad and there is some left over lamb from last night that I thought we could have for dinner, If that's okay with you."
"That sounds perfect. Can I help?"
"Everything is basically done, you could set the table"
Emma moved around the kitchen as if it was her own. She set down two plates and two sets of silverware and hesitated before deciding to light the candle that was already sitting on the table.
Two hours later the bottle of wine sat empty on the kitchen table. "But you promised me that you would." Emma whined as she stared at the brunette sitting across from her.
"I made no such promise." Regina objected playfully and with a laugh. "But I can see that you are not going to give up on this."
"You see right, your majesty." Emma stood up in front of Regina and offered the queen her hand to take. Regina clasped Emma's hand with her own and Emma pulled the brunette from her seat. "Now, take me to your paintings."
"Very well." Regina began to walk forward with her hand still entwined with Emma's "follow me."
Neither woman let go of the others hand as Regina lead Emma through the hallway and down a set of stairs that lead to a basement. When Regina used her magic to make all the lights turn on Emma gasped at what she saw. The entire basement was set up as an art studio. There were four easels set up, each with unfinished paintings on them, a stack of blank canvases, an artist's desk set up with different types of paints and paint brushes. There was paint-covered material on the floor and a 5-foot tall speaker in the corner. Best of all, there were Regina's paintings everywhere.
"Wow, Regina. This is…" But Emma couldn't think of the right words to describe what she was feeling. She had no idea that Regina was an artist, and the newfound discovery had her wondering what else she didn't know about the woman whose hand she was still holding onto. "May I?" Emma asked Regina, motioning towards the room.
"Please do." Regina squeezed Emma's hand before releasing it and motioning to the blonde that it was ok for her to enter.
Emma decided that she had two favorite paintings. One was of Rocinante standing over a faceless girl, a girl that Emma realized could have easily been a young Regina or Snow. The other was a self-portrait of Regina looking into a mirror, but instead of her reflection it was Henry's face looking back at her. There were also paintings of Snow when she was younger and a there were a lot of canvases that had been painted with dark abstract images that Emma didn't quite understand but she could see they represented pain and loneliness.
"So, where have you hidden all your painting of me?" Emma joked, turning from the paintings to face Regina.
"I had to destroy them after I had put a hex on them." Regina deadpanned at the blonde.
"Ha-ha, very funny." Emma raised her eyebrows at the Mayor. "Wait. That was a joke wasn't it?"
"Yes, Ms. Swan" Regina rolled her eyes "Only an amateur would waste a hex on a painting when the real life subject is always hanging around."
Emma lowered her eyes at Regina before nodding in agreement "actually, that does make sense." Emma was once again moving around the room and touching things that stood out to her. "So, can we paint something?"
Regina raised an eyebrow "You and me?"
Emma nodded and smiled.
"I'll need more wine."
Nearly an hour later, Regina had painted Emma's portrait. In the picture the Blonde was wearing her token red leather jacket and skinny jeans and standing in the Mayor's driveway, facing the doorway of the Mansion. Behind Emma, the hedges of the Mansion were dark and over-grown, blocking any exit from the driveway. Emma had also been busy painting and her side of the canvas was covered in stars and swirls of galaxies.
"Ms. Swan. How exactly do your stars and swirls fit in with this painting?
"Umm…" Emma hesitated. "I am not actually sure; I just thought it would be pretty."
Regina glared disapprovingly at Emma before smiling. "You're right. I love it." Regina laughed, flicking up her paint brush and marking Emma's cheek with a dot of red paint.
"Hey!" Emma objected at the same time as lifting up her own paint brush to flick yellow specks at the Mayor.
Regina retaliated by dipping her index finger into a pot of paint and running down Emma's arm.
Emma retaliated by smudging paint all over the palm of her hand and placing palm prints on Regina's shoulders.
Regina took a step towards Emma, touched her nose, painting the tip pink.
Emma took a step towards Regina and drew a line of red down Regina's neck.
Both women's movements were beginning to slow down; their eye contact was as piercing as it had ever been; they were close enough to hear each other breathing.
Emma moved a strand of wayward hair from Regina's face.
Regina blushed and broke eye contact with the blonde.
"I have an idea." Emma was smiling as she voiced her brilliance. "But you have to trust me."