A/N: Sorry for such a long gap between updates. Hoping that won't happen again with this story. Thank you all so much for reading! I'm so happy that so many of you have really liked this so far. Also, a huge thank you to all who have reviewed! I hope this fic continues to be one that you enjoy. In the next few updates, you'll definitely be finding out more about what Storybrooke has been like over the last three months and Emma will be bumping into some familiar faces. And of course, lots of Emma and Regina to look forward to! Without making you wait even longer, here's the next chapter! Please, let me know what you think.
Chapter 4: Under The Sea
Emma had just lathered her hair with the vanilla shampoo she'd found in the shower, when she heard the light knocking on the door.
"I thought you'd decided to leave them outside," Emma half-teased, after she heard the door click open and saw a blurred Regina enter the bathroom on the other side of the sliding shower door.
Regina appeared to be concentrating on keeping her eyes averted, focusing fiercely on placing the items she held down on the counter beside the sink.
"I decided to be nice. After all, you are a guest; I should be hospitable," Regina answered loud enough over the running water. She tried hard not to think about the fact that a naked Emma was standing under it on the other side of the door that separated them.
With an amused grunt in response, Emma scrubbed the remaining shampoo out of her hair, before turning to grab the matching bottle of vanilla conditioner. "That's kind of you."
"Yes, I thought so."
Emma could hear the smirk in Regina's voice, yet decided not to continue the banter. Instead, she leaned back into the water again, trying not to reflect too long on Regina's kindness or focus too much on the new image of the naturally beautiful woman that filled her mind, even as she saw the same woman moving around out of the corner of her eye only a few feet away. A part of her—the same part that had reached out earlier to caress Regina's lip—ached to touch her again, so Emma dipped her head further back, allowing the warm water to rain down on her face. It cleared her mind and washed away that strangely new, yet familiar, desire the blonde was still unsure about whether she wanted to act on or understand.
"I brought you an extra toothbrush, some toothpaste, deodorant and lotion, if you want it," The announcement came just as Emma slid her head out from under the shower's spray, taking a refreshing deep breath. "I'm also leaving a brush and a pair of my pajamas. I believe that should last you until we can pick up anything else you may need at the store tomorrow?"
"Sounds good. Thanks," Emma said, using her hands to comb through her hair and rinse away any lingering conditioner. When she didn't hear the door close again, she glanced over to still find the mostly black, distinct form of Regina through the foggy glass, adding, "You know, you still haven't told me much about what's been going on during the last three months."
"With Storybrooke and its newest citizens?" The question sounded bemused in response to Emma's obvious curiosity and her need to continue the conversation if Regina wasn't leaving.
"Sure, although I'm mostly interested in what Regina Mills has been up to," Emma smiled, and knew it could be heard in the lightness of her voice.
"I'm afraid there are others in this town with far more fascinating and worthy stories," Regina sighed, and Emma saw her rest her hands on the edge of the smooth sink in front of her, bracing herself against whatever dark thoughts and insecurities had entered her mind.
Emma shook her head lightly, even though, she knew Regina hadn't looked toward the shower since she had entered the bathroom. "Not to me."
They were silent for a long moment, until Regina's face rose once more to stare directly into the mirror in front of her. "Well, you always have had a certain fixation with me," The words were gently mocking and had a soft chuckle added to the end of them. Emma was about to reply with a witty retort when she saw Regina's head droop again and somehow heard the sad-sounding, almost defeated exhale that left her nose, even with the shower continuing to run. "I wish I could see what you find so interesting about me."
All thoughts of Emma calling Regina out on her own apparent fixation toward the blonde in the past—whether it had been out of distrust and suspicion, or maybe, some unspoken attraction—were immediately wiped from her mind. That dejection and lack of self-worth in Regina's voice was a sound Emma identified too easily and knew too well. Only this time it wasn't her own voice repeating it over and over again in her mind, but Regina's speaking it aloud and allowing herself to become vulnerable in Emma's presence.
"Perhaps, I could understand if you had been reading Henry's book again and found the Evil Queen alluring in some way, but me?" Regina's laugh was short and cold, chilling Emma through the steam of the shower.
For weeks, no matter how successful everything else proved her to be at her job, Regina felt mediocre and ordinary. That extended to her as a woman-a person, and reminded her of when she had first become queen. She dressed the part and did what she needed to, but always waited for someone to tell her she was doing it wrong. Back then, she took the criticisms and learned from them; challenging anyone to find a fault in what she did after that. It was the result of being raised by her controlling mother. In Storybrooke, however, she had become her harshest critic and longed to exceed the expectations she had for herself personally and professionally. And all she felt lately was blah and inadequate, no matter how much she tried to rise above those feelings. "All I do is keep a small town in Maine running. All I have been successful at is sending my son away to grow up in another world, because I knew it was what he wanted and I couldn't make myself go with him. I'm not interesting, Emma, and I'm far from captivating physically or otherwise, because when I look in the mirror…"
There was a heavy intake of air, but Regina didn't continue. Emma was silent, her body now turned so she was staring directly through the glass at the other woman, who had just spun around to lean her back heavily against the sink, her hands rubbing over her face.
The water was beginning to feel cooler against Emma's warmed skin, and she shivered at the contrast, which caused her stomach to sink more but had the lump in the back of her throat lessening. Her eyes burned with the heavy emotion Regina's admittance had caused her to feel, yet no tears escaped to mingle with the trickling beads of water on her face that came from the mist of the shower.
"Em—Emma, I'm sorry," The muffled apology traveled through the thick air in the room, becoming more weighted and strangled when it reached the woman in the shower. Regina kept her eyes focused on the wall in front of her. "I didn't…If you really want to hear about Storybrooke-about me, we can talk tomorrow. It's just, I'm tired tonight."
"I do want to," Emma said lowly, but it held a certain firmness that told Regina she was sincere. "And yeah, it's getting late. So, tomorrow?"
"Alright, then maybe over breakfast or lunch."
"I'd like that," There was a hopefulness and blooming happiness to Emma's words. She saw Regina nod on the other side of the shower door, and became suddenly aware of the even colder water that was hitting the left side of her body and her feet. She reached her hand out to hastily turn off the stream of water falling from above, and hugged herself to keep warm. "Is there any chance I could convince you to bring me the towel that's near you, so I don't have to walk across the room, while trying not to freeze to death?"
"It's really not cold in here," Regina was quick to reply, keeping herself faced forward, so the shower remained only in her peripheral vision.
"You're not wet."
Emma's words were answered by the heavy sound of a towel being tugged off the rack it was on, before the blonde saw Regina standing next to the shower door, her head turned away, while her hand held the towel out to her.
"Here."
Emma slid the door open just enough, so she could poke her head out and grasp the towel a few inches away. Unsure of what exactly made her do it, she grabbed for the towel and wrapped her hand over Regina's; the fluffy, taupe material becoming trapped beneath both of their hands.
Regina's head whipped around and her eyes flew to Emma's immediately. Emma could see the initial alarm, apprehension, and reproach in the brown eyes that were soon filled with self-consciousness. She expected Regina to scold her or pull her hand away, so she was surprised when she saw that the other woman was waiting for her to give the reason behind what she'd started. It appeared that Regina was also keeping her eyes focused on Emma's more intently than ever, and she wondered if it was to keep them from wandering any lower to try to discover what Emma was hiding on the other side of the glass.
"For the record, your story is worthy. You do matter. And as amazing and distracting as the Evil Queen's wardrobe can be, this Regina is the one who has always impressed, intimidated, and left me in awe."
It was easy to hear the honesty and conviction in Emma's words, and the smallest smile managed to form on Regina's lips in reply.
As an added assurance and comfort, Emma ran her thumb against the back of Regina's hand and the bumps of her knuckles. There was still the doubt and warring emotions in the brown eyes that remained locked on her own, and all she wanted was to ease them away. The most she achieved, however, was a barely audible sigh from Regina, and her other hand coming up to rest over Emma's, squeezing it gently before falling away.
"You have no reason to be intimidated any longer," Regina said quietly.
"I think I do," Emma breathed out. Her hand rose shakily from on top of Regina's to settle hesitantly against the other woman's cheek. Their eyes searched each other's for a few moments, attempting to uncover what the other was feeling, while finding the same fear, tenderness and longing that was rushing through them, reflected back at them.
"Not as much reason as I have to be intimidated by you," Regina's face grew warmer under Emma's slightly wet hand, before she shrunk away from the touch. She took a step back and lifted the towel out to Emma again, her brown eyes betraying her as a flimsy wall of tears turned them glassy.
This time Emma reached out for the towel and pulled it into the shower, Regina's hand falling away. "Thanks," Emma whispered, not knowing what else to say when she was overwhelmed by everything whirling through her head, while also wanting to respect the space Regina had, once again, put between them.
"Well, I wouldn't want you to suffer because of me," Regina forced a teasing smile, but the double-meaning in her words was clear to both of them. Any lightness she had initially communicated quickly dissolved, leaving the sting of the underlying truth and its anguish, to reach out and prick them. "I never wanted to cause you pain with my decision."
Brown eyes lifted to the ceiling, and Emma thought it was a way for Regina to give her privacy as she wrapped the towel around her body. But once Emma had covered herself and stuck her head out from behind the shower door again, she saw the tears Regina had completely lost her battle against.
She stepped out of the shower, ending up inches away from Regina. Mindful of the space she knew Regina had purposely put between them, Emma gave her a chance to move away if she didn't want to be close to her, but Regina shifted ever so slightly toward the other woman instead, seeking her comfort.
"I know you weren't trying to hurt me. You hurt yourself too," Emma's hands reached out to wrap around Regina's upper arms, soothingly slipping over the black silk of her robe. "You let go of Henry."
Regina nodded, another tear gliding down her cheek, and then another, as she stopped being able to hold herself together. It wasn't long before her hand was reaching up to wipe away the wet, salty stains, though. She sniffled and cleared her throat to help her in regaining her composure, unhappy about the way she had begun to break, even if it was in front of Emma.
"I think I should leave you to change into your pajamas," Regina offered, her red-rimmed eyes falling back to Emma's, after noticeably surveying the goose bumps that were forming on the fair skin where droplets of water continued to linger, since Emma had speedily wrapped the towel around her.
This time, however, Regina wasn't as quick to move out of the other woman's hold. The way Emma's eyes observed her with a brief flash of worry snapping through them, caused Regina to feel the need to assure her. "We'll talk more tomorrow. We both should really go to sleep. It's been an exhausting day."
"You can say that again," Emma almost laughed, remembering how it had been almost six hours ago that she had collapsed on her bed in her parents' castle, hoping she'd fall asleep. Good thing she had left the ball early, or else she probably would have ended up falling into Regina's room in the wee hours of the morning. "Lucky for you, I bet there were no ball gowns or dances involved in your day."
"No, just piles of boring paperwork for the mayor to go through and a few meetings."
Emma's face scrunched up at that thought, considering which was worse. "Nah, I'd rather do paperwork than dance with conceited dukes who think they know everything."
An eyebrow rose in curiosity, but Regina didn't inquire further about Emma's dance partner or the resentment she conveyed toward him.
A shiver rippled through Emma's body, now that the heat from the shower had mostly disappeared from the room. She noticed how she could easily see their reflections in the no-longer-foggy mirror that faced them.
"See, you're freezing," Regina chastised, and freed herself from Emma's hands to grab the pajamas on the sink. After pushing them into the blonde's chest, which forced Emma to hug the satiny material to herself, Regina turned and headed toward the door. "Goodnight, Emma."
"Goodnight."
Regina smiled warmly, then left, closing the door behind her.
Sunlight attempted to pass through Emma's eyelids when she rolled over into the center of the full-sized bed in Regina's guestroom. She quickly buried her face into the darkness of the pillow under her head, whining about how fast the new day had started and wishing she could just go back to sleep. It wasn't that the thought of being back in Storybrooke didn't give her some motivation to get up, but she'd had so many vivid dreams taking place in both worlds, that Emma felt she'd spent more of her sleep living through the different situations that had sprung to life in her mind, than actually resting. With a groan she rolled back over onto her side and forced her eyes to meet the clock. They widened in shock when she caught the two straight lines followed by the two zeros telling her it was already eleven.
That was when it hit her that she had wasted her first morning asleep in Regina's house, instead of taking advantage of the time she could be spending with the other woman in the simple town she missed. With a frustrated movement, she pushed the covers off of her and sat up, running a hand through her messy hair. Her eyes floated across the room, noticing a folded paper sitting on the dresser with her name scrolled across it in the flowing handwriting that she knew to be Regina's. She stood up and opened it to read the message that had been left for her.
Emma,
I decided to go to work for a few hours. You were sleeping and I didn't want to wake you. I left one of the pairs of jeans you told me to keep (which I still haven't worn!) since you wouldn't be wearing them in the Enchanted Forest. I thought they would be more comfortable for you than any of my clothes. I left them and one of my shirts in the bathroom for you. I'll meet you at Granny's for lunch around twelve. If you don't show up, I will assume you are still asleep and will bring lunch back here.
See you then,
Regina
Emma smiled to herself at the thought of being able to wear her old jeans, and the smile only grew with the thought of having lunch with Regina. That is, until she realized she had less than an hour to get ready and meet the other woman. She hurried down the hall to the bathroom, closed the door behind her and immediately pulled off the pajamas she was wearing, so she could wriggle into her jeans and the white button-down shirt hanging on the back of the bathroom door. She then, rushed to wash her face, brush her teeth, and finally, her hair, pleased, when she appeared slightly more like herself and way more put together, than when she had first caught her reflection in the mirror.
Emma quickly finished freshening up, deciding it was probably wiser to just forego any makeup (instead of searching for Regina's without permission) and left the bathroom. On her way past Henry's old room, Emma tried not to stop, but she couldn't fight the need to know what was now behind the door. She turned the knob, swallowing the thick tension in her throat, unsure about whether she really wanted to find out whether Regina had transformed the room into something that held no reminders of the boy or kept it the same.
With a heavy exhale, Emma pushed lightly against the door, poking her head inside. The first thing her eyes fell on was the bed covered with the same blue blanket that had been there, since the first time Emma had come to their son's room. Her heart grew heavy at the sight, confirming for her that Regina had still kept this piece of him intact.
She opened the door more to step inside, her gaze wandering from the dresser to the desk, taking in all of the things her son hadn't had enough room in his bags to take with him. There were drawings, old school projects, and toys lying around. The room wasn't too messy, but Emma could tell Regina hadn't touched anything to try to make it tidier, leaving it looking lived in and as if it was still occupied by their eleven year old.
Emma walked across the room to lift up the frame she noticed lying with its back up on Henry's desk. She was fully aware of whose faces she would find smiling at her through the glass when she turned it over. Yet, that knowledge didn't stop the heat from rising into her eyes, creating a few tears that she blinked back when she flipped the picture in her hands and saw the familiar faces staring up at her.
As she looked down at the photograph, Emma's thumb traced around a slightly younger Henry, still the cute little boy that had shown up at her door almost a year ago and not the sprouting, attractive teenager he was quickly becoming. Then, her eyes drifted to Regina standing behind him with her arms wrapped around him. Both of them looked happy. It was a perfect picture of a mother and her son. Before any tears could fall or she thought too much about the unhappy separation that had come between the two, Emma had placed the frame back on the desk, the photograph inside once again hidden away.
She turned slowly and headed back to the hallway, shutting the door almost reverently. After taking a deep breath to quell her emotions, Emma finished her walk to the staircase and made her way down to the first floor, not stopping again, until she was out of the all-too-familiar mansion. The house filled her with both good and bad memories of other times she had been there, and there was no way she wanted to think about them when she was alone.
Next thing Emma knew, she was at the end of the walkway and closing the gate behind her, before making her way down the sidewalk and taking the route she would never forget, from Mifflin to Main Street. Once she had gone a few blocks and made a turn, she discovered more life in Storybrooke. Not far from the main drag, there were faces she recognized but couldn't put a name to and many others she'd never seen before, walking by her, crossing the street, and taking care of their daily errands.
Distracted by the people crossing her path, she hadn't yet looked far enough in front of her to notice the man who was squinting at her a block away; almost like he wasn't sure he was actually seeing who he thought he was.
"Emma?" Jefferson's eyes did a double-take as he walked a little faster in his approach to the blonde.
Upon hearing her name, Emma's eyes jumped from the woman right in front of her, whom she had never seen before, to the face of the man a little further in the distance, appearing dumbfounded, as he stared at her. "It's me!" Emma called to him and a delighted grin formed on his face.
"You're back?" He asked, stopping in front of her. His eyes were questioning and still looking confused as to how they weren't seeing a hallucination. "Didn't think any of you were ever going to come back here."
"Yeah, well, there were a few extra beans and I needed a break," Emma shrugged.
"Oh, don't tell me that land isn't everything you hoped for and more," Jefferson smirked, sounding as dramatic as ever.
"I didn't have any expectations, so I can't say it's disappointed me," Emma explained trying to make sense of her feelings toward the Enchanted Forest. "It's just that it's…it's different."
"That it is," Jefferson nodded his agreement with a sigh.
"Sorry," Emma apologized when she wasn't sure what else to say. "I can't really stay and talk. I'm supposed to be meeting Regina at the diner for lunch."
"Ah, lunch with the one and only Mayor Mills," Jefferson drawled. "I'll walk with you."
For a moment, Emma considered telling him he didn't have to, but she decided against it, feeling a certain comfort toward the first person she had encountered, whom she had been acquainted with, other than Regina. "Okay."
"I have to say, Emma, I was a tad disappointed you didn't try to find me and say goodbye before you left."
"Well, you weren't exactly on the top of my list of people to say goodbye to," There was a hint of coldness in Emma's tone, reminding them both of the time he had kept she and Mary Margaret at his mansion against their will. Realizing she was dwelling on something that no longer really mattered, Emma softened slightly. "Besides, I was a little busy making sure Henry and Regina had some time together before we left."
"I suppose I can forgive you for that," Jefferson smiled in understanding. "Henry's a good kid. Grace always speaks very highly of him, even now."
Emma smiled appreciatively at the compliment, even though, she was aware that Regina was more deserving of it than she was. "You know, I never got the chance to ask you after my parents told me you decided to stay here, but just out of curiosity, why didn't you come back with us?"
Jefferson sighed, and visibly took the time to consider his words, staring ahead of them and collecting his thoughts. "I've seen a lot of places, Emma. Ones that you've only read about in books and seen in movies. There's always that same feeling, though, when you travel from one to another. At some point, you realize only one of them is really home."
"And this is yours," Emma concluded.
"I have my daughter here and I'm happier than I've ever been. No more traveling, hat-making, helping to corrupt young queens," Emma saw darkness creep into Jefferson's eyes. She wanted to ask what he meant by that, never having really been told the whole story between he and Regina, and sensing there was more to it than Regina keeping Jefferson from Grace in the past. Yet, she decided not to question him about something that had brought out something haunted and wicked in him.
"If Grace and I had returned with you, who knows where I would have ended up? Maybe we would have been separated again. Wonderland wasn't somewhere I wanted to return to, and I didn't want to risk losing my daughter again."
"I can understand that," Emma nodded.
"I've become a firm believer that if you're handed a second chance take it and don't mess it up."
Emma considered his words for a moment, before continuing with their conversation. "What do you do now? Please, don't say you opened a hat shop."
"No, no, no," Jefferson shook his head adamantly with a chuckle. "As I said, no more hat-making for me. Not even here. I opened a tea shop, actually. Grace helps me with it. We make our own brews, as well as, importing some of our more exotic ones. Of course, that only earns us some extra pocket money, so I also got involved selling real estate here."
"That was smart."
"I think so too."
"I'm glad everything's going well for you," Emma told him genuinely, finding his happiness contagious. "Is Grace glad you stayed here?"
"I think so," Jefferson met her eyes. "She says it's a lot less boring being a teenager here. And I feel she has many more opportunities."
"Probably," Emma muttered, noticing they were getting closer and closer to the diner. "Snow and I are trying to work on that. We're building more schools and encouraging women to become more independent. We hope many of them will start some kind of job or career, especially when so many of them had them in this land."
"I suppose such changes were inevitable, after the lives everyone experienced here."
"Yeah, it wouldn't have been easy to go back to how things were before the curse."
"Speaking of curses," Jefferson cleared his throat, his eyes shifting less-than-subtly across the street, which caused Emma to follow his gaze. She saw Regina walking in their direction on the other side of the street, dressed in a plain red dress with her arms covered by her black blazer.
"How has she been doing?" Emma lowered her voice, even though she realized Regina wouldn't be able to hear her with that much distance between them.
"Given the circumstances, I think she's kept the town and herself going quite well," Jefferson said honestly, understanding what Emma was really asking. "We could all tell it wasn't easy for her in the beginning. Those of us who stayed, weren't very receptive of her continuing to be mayor, at first. And, of course, she tried to hide how much she missed Henry, and maybe even, you. But we've all adjusted, and having new citizens has helped a lot. Fortunately, she and I have made amends to some degree."
"Really? That's good, I think," Emma kept her eyes on Jefferson, so she wouldn't meet Regina's and cause her to suspect that they were talking about her.
"I believe she realized what she took away from my daughter when she left me in Wonderland. About two months ago she started taking Grace under her wing."
Emma lifted her eyebrow in surprise and question, as she couldn't help but briefly look to Regina who was almost parallel to them on the other side of the street.
"Grace was having some problems—the kind teenage girls have that fathers are often useless in helping with, or so that's what they claim," Jefferson rolled his eyes and Emma chuckled. "Regina saw her outside the library one day and could tell she was upset. After a few hours with some ice cream, girl talk, and one of Grace's favorite movies, she was feeling better and Regina was staying for dinner. Now, they go shopping together and Regina never forgets to invite Grace along for a girl's day when it's time for her to get her nails done again."
"I was right, then. That's good," Emma decided with a hint of relief, as they started crossing the street. "I'm a little surprised with what your history with her is, but I'm glad you're getting along. She was a great mom to Henry. I'm sure she's one of the best people you could have looking out for Grace."
"I wanted revenge for the way she ruined my life, but when I saw her laughing with Grace, while they were eating their ice cream…I realized I ruined her life, too. It dawned on me that there must have been a time when she was like my Grace, but life, her mother, Rumpelstiltskin…all of that changed her and took away everything I'd never want my daughter to lose."
"Jefferson," Regina greeted cheerily, and Emma coughed lightly in an attempt to release the tightness in her throat, composing herself after what Jefferson had said, before she turned to the woman who was standing in front of them.
"Emma, you're early," Regina noted with a smile.
"I decided to go for a walk and head over here. I bumped into Jefferson on the way," Emma jabbed her thumb in his direction. "We were talking, so I wasn't really paying attention to the time."
"No, it's fine," Regina assured. "I just didn't expect to see you here before me."
"Well, ladies, I have some tea to sell. Enjoy your lunch," Jefferson tilted his head forward in a kind of bow and took a step forward to continue walking down the street. "It was good seeing you Emma."
"You too, Jefferson," Emma raised her voice a little, so he'd be able to hear her. "Thanks for the talk."
"Maybe I'll make your goodbye list this time," He called back.
A bright smile broke out on Emma's face. "You just might."
Emma could feel Regina watching the exchange curiously, her eyes flicking from the man they were facing to the blonde beside her. Once Jefferson had walked far enough away, Emma brought her eyes to Regina's. She waited to see if Regina was going to comment on anything, but the brunette just stared at her, allowing Emma's green eyes to see the millions of things racing through her mind that she wasn't saying.
"We were just catching up," Emma's smile remained bright during the half-shrug she gave.
"I wasn't aware you and Jefferson were friends."
"We weren't…not really," Emma admitted, noticing how tense, almost cautious, Regina appeared, until she hurried to add, "But it was nice to talk to a familiar face. It seems like staying in this world has done him a lot of good."
Regina smiled at that, and Emma saw any defenses and distrust fading from the other woman's hardened gaze. "Yes, he's been very successful in real estate and his quaint, little tea shop is quite popular."
Glad to see that a gentleness had returned to Regina's eyes, Emma decided not to bring up Regina's odd reaction that she sensed had stemmed from protectiveness and possibly, jealousy (something Emma had not expected and was surprised by, to say the least). Instead, she commented on another unexpected twist to Regina's life in Storybrooke. "It was nice of you to reach out to Grace. She's a sweet girl. It's not always easy being a teenager without a mom or another woman to talk to."
"I can't say it was a completely selfless decision…"
Regina trailed off but there was no regret or apology in her confession. Emma nodded with an understanding that Regina believed no one else would ever be able to offer or give her. It reminded her that the younger woman had always recognized the world for the shades of gray and imperfections it was made up of.
"I'm sure you have your reasons," Emma tucked her hands into the pockets of her jeans, taking a moment to revel in the old habit that had been forced to die when she left all forms of denim behind. "Either way, I'm sure she's grateful and appreciates it."
"She's a lovely girl," Regina smiled. "In ways, she reminds me of myself when I was her age."
Emma regarded Regina for a moment, watching the way the wind weaved through her hair, lifting the dark strands lightly, until they fell back into place. She saw the youthful glow in Regina's face at the more enjoyable memories of her childhood that she must have started to recall. She could also feel the natural maternal warmth radiating from her, and couldn't comprehend how Regina had so easily claimed she wasn't beautiful the previous night. "Like I said to Jefferson, I can't think of a better person looking out for her."
With the tender brush of Emma's fingers over her arm, Regina looked into her eyes. They were knowing, honest and so many other things that left the older woman grateful.
"Lunch?" Regina finally managed to croak out, and took Emma's hand in hers.
"Lunch," Emma agreed, her previous grin returning, as her fingers grasped onto the hand that rested against hers. She let the conversation drop and didn't mind that her compliment had been pretty much left to hang in the air. Regina's silent gratitude was enough. Holding her hand was enough.
