Dear Guest, I'm going to refrain from answering your question, mostly because I won't have the answer until I finish detailing my chapter outlines, and the irony of it being asked right before this chapter is amusing to me. If it's straight up smut you're looking for, you won't find it in this story because all of my sex scenes have a purpose and advance either plot or character development.
That said, apologies for the delayed update. I'm not as familiar with S3 as the other two, so I'm finding myself actually having to go back and rewatch all of the episodes instead of skimming ep guides for details because I've only seen them once. I have a general plan laid out, but I need to fill in the details, so this will be a little more stop-start than I like. Bear with me!
Songs: Accidentally in Love by Counting Crows, Let's Go (Geronimo)by Audiogroove
Rain pelted the windows gently, coaxing Emma from her restless sleep. She groaned and stretched her tired muscles before she ever opened her eyes. She hadn't needed to see her surroundings to know that they'd spent the night in Storybrooke. She always felt like crap the next morning, and she almost always woke up alone. This morning was no exception. Regina and Ruby slept on the sofas in the living room as per usual. She groaned and rubbed her eyes.
"This shit is getting old," she grumbled and sat up, fumbling for her glasses. The clock on the nightstand told her that it was just after seven. Why the hell was she awake? Oh right, Storybrooke, shitty sleep, achy muscles.
She slid from the bed, rummaged in her bag for Regina's ring and shoved it into the large pockets of her shorts. She feared leaving it unattended for even a few minutes because Regina found everything. She nearly tripped down the stairs a moment later, equilibrium evading her in the early morning haze. She peeked into the living room, smiling despite her irritation. Regina was curled into a ball, head on Ruby's chest. The wolf sat upright in the corner of the sofa with her hands clasped around Regina's ribs. At least they slept better when they returned to Storybrooke.
Emma turned from the scene, the seductive scent of coffee and bacon beckoning her towards the kitchen. If she was a cartoon character, she'd have floated across the foyer, toes dragging as her nose lifted her from the floor to follow the hazy aroma of deliciousness. She smiled again when she stumbled into the kitchen.
Belle and Henry stood at the stove, both covered in flour. She watched over him anxiously as he flipped the frying bacon, twisting her hands in the apron protecting her yellow sun dress. Leave it to Belle to dress in the most inappropriate clothing possible for a rainy day, not that it would have dampened her spirits any.
"Oh Emma! Good morning," Belle chirped, and Emma literally recoiled from the loud and way too happy tone.
"Coffee, Belle. We've had this discussion," Emma closed her eyes and tried not to be annoyed by the naturally bubbly librarian.
"Oh right, sorry," she whispered and poured Emma a mug of steaming bliss.
"Don't mind her, Aunt Belle. She's always grumpy before coffee. Emma, we're making breakfast," he informed her needlessly, and she bit down on the sarcastic comment about obvious statements. This was her son, and her son was granted a stay of sarcasm no matter how irritatingly chipper he behaved in the morning.
"I see, Bud. It smells good," she humored the boy and fixed her coffee.
"Are they still asleep?" Belle asked casually, but there was an edge in her voice that Emma felt certain reflected her own. She hummed and nodded.
"Ruby needs to get up. I haven't the heart to wake her, but Granny's called twice already." Belle pleaded with her to intervene. She confided months ago that Ruby only really slept peacefully when she and Regina returned to Storybrooke, and Emma wished more than anything that they knew how to break the barrier. Ruby needed to leave Storybrooke as much as she and Regina had.
"Hey Kid, go wake your mom and Aunt Ruby. Gently, please," she added for good measure, not wanting him to be hit when he scared the two jumpy women out of their slumber.
"M'kay. Hey can I go to the diner with Ruby and help Granny in the kitchen?" He vibrated with the thought, and Emma's brows crinkled as she studied her son. He was such an odd child. Who found enjoyment helping a cranky lady make diner food?
"Sure, Kid. Go get your work clothes on and wake your mom on your way back through," Emma consented, and he took off like a shot.
"Thanks Emma!" His words followed him through the foyer, and she shook her head slowly, eyes closing in amusement. God, he was weird.
"He seems happier every time you come back," Belle commented quietly, taking up Henry's station at the frying pan. "Whatever you're doing in Boston is working." She smiled over her shoulder, and Emma returned it. Yes, it was working.
"How are you, Belle? I haven't spoken to you since our last visit." Emma tossed the words out casually, but the simple question always seemed to make the librarian's face light up.
"Thank you," Belle answered pointedly and turned from the bacon. "And I am, well… I'm happily miserable." She smiled weakly, but it never reached her eyes.
"What are you thanking me for?" Emma raise and eyebrow and studied the younger woman's tired face. She knew the feeling. She was tired of this situation, too, but Belle was in the thick of it.
"For asking about me. Not many do anymore. It's either a question about us as a unit or some nosy imbecile trying to pry loose information on Ruby's mental wellbeing. You always treat me like I am my own individual person, and I appreciate it. That's all." She returned her attention to the crispy bacon and turned off the burner carefully. She'd been paranoid ever since she turned it the wrong way and left it on all day about a month after they left for Boston. It had taken Ruby an hour to calm her hysteria, even though the house was far from burning down.
"Belle, since we're on the subject, we need to talk about the Ruby situation. It's getting way out of control," Emma jumped in with both feet and gulped her coffee, needing the boost to get through this. Belle threw up her hands and sighed.
"Thank you!" She slammed bacon onto a plate and tossed it in front of Emma who jerked back at the ire in the normally docile woman's behavior.
"Do you know she has an alarm set so she doesn't forget to call at seven every evening? We have been in the middle of making love several times, and she just gets up and leaves. I'm now quite adept at finishing the job myself. It's not healthy. I understand that they went through something together, but I don't know how long I can keep doing this, Emma. I'm losing my mind." She tossed the skillet into the sink and leaned her hands against the counter, head bowed as she struggled to control her emotions.
"She makes me so happy when she's actually here, with me. Mentally and emotionally, I mean, but sometimes I feel like she'd rather be in Boston with Regina. I can't sleep sometimes because I'm terrified that she's going to cross the line just to forget all of this. I just lay there and watch her sleep and pray that she comes back to me one day." Belle's voice cracked with tears and she hung her head between her shoulders, knuckles whitening with the pressure of her grip.
Emma was on her feet in a second. Belle resisted only a moment before allowing Emma to envelop her in strong, supportive arms. She had known it was bad, but she hadn't known it was this bad. Hot tears soaked onto Emma's chest, and she fought her own. Regina may have spent hours at a time on the phone with Ruby, but when they were together, she had never felt that Regina checked out, emotionally or physically. Whether they made love or shopped for groceries, Regina was always there with her. What Belle was going through was torture of a whole different kind.
"I haven't had sex in three months, Emma. It's driving me crazy. I touch her everyday, but it's like she's not even here anymore. I can't do it. I thought I was her true love, but I'm beginning to wonder if it's all one-sided. True love is a thing of fiction, isn't it? I'm giving her everything I have, and it's just not enough. I'm not enough. Sometimes I wish I'd never gotten my memories back," she confessed, devoid of emotion now that she'd cried herself out, and Emma squeezed her tighter.
"I'm glad we got you back," Emma told her and kissed the side of her head. Belle teared up again and hid her face in yellow hair.
"Aunt Belle, what's wrong?" Henry's voice called from the door.
"Babe?" Ruby's followed immediately. Emma glared at the waitress when she reached for her lover, and she dropped her hands.
"Henry, I need you to take Belle up to your room and read to her. Can you do that for me?" Emma said, not bothering to look at her son. He didn't answer verbally but wrapped his arms around the librarian and smiled up at her.
"Whatever it is. It'll get better, Aunt Belle. I brought the book Nathan got me for my birthday. Want me to read that to you?" He babbled and led her from the room. He was clearly concerned, but she had given him a mission. He always completed his missions, like the good little budding hero he was.
The three other women watched them go, two in confusion and one with a burning rage. Ruby and Regina turned their gaze to Emma when the boy and librarian were no longer in sight. Regina stepped forward first, and Emma held up a hand, not wanting to be touched for fear she'd lash out physically.
"If you need coffee, get it. If not, sit. Now." Emma ordered, voice calm and controlled despite her anger. They glanced at each other and then sat, wide awake after witnessing what they had.
"Emma, what the hell is wrong with my girlfriend?" Ruby demanded, and Emma bristled.
"She's not your girlfriend. She's your punching bag." Emma accused, and Ruby shot to her feet.
"Excuse me?" The words were dark and threatening, and Emma sneered.
"Sit. Down. Now. I'm speaking." She ordered, and Ruby obeyed when Regina tugged on her arm.
"Really? Leaving in the middle of sex to call Regina at seven on the dot? Do you not think that's fucking with her head? You have what most people only get to dream about, you fucking idiot, and you're destroying it when you should be fighting like hell to keep it." Emma blew off steam, pacing and waving frantically. Her rage deflated as she told off the wolf. But she was only warming up.
"Is that true, Ruby?" Regina stepped in before Emma's tirade continued. Ruby nodded, head hung. Regina's eyes flared violet, a testament to her own anger and lack of magical control. She met Emma's and the glow faded. Now she understood Emma's rage.
"Ruby, Sweetheart, I love you, but I cannot condone that behavior. Emma's right. You're going to lose her behaving that way." Regina chided, much more gently than Emma.
"She may have already lost her," Emma said coldly.
She cared about Belle. Not only was she fantastic with Henry, but she was loyal and honest and funny and endearingly ignorant of this world. She still called the toaster a "bread crisper," and it made Emma smile every time. She was damn near perfect, and she loved Ruby more than anything. Stupid wolf.
"We all know you got problems, Rubes. We get it. You went through some shit. You have nightmares and flashbacks and PTSD episodes. Trust me, you are in good fucking company. You got the shit end of the stick in the whole Cora situation, and you were willing to give up everything to save us. We love the hell out of you. And with that in mind, I need to tell you to get the hell over yourself.
"We know you're trying, and we know that you are only going to heal when your mind is ready to heal. You can't control that, but you can control your actions when you aren't having a nightmare or a flashback. So, here's what's going to happen."
Emma set her hands on her hips and glared at Ruby, making sure she listened carefully. She did. If her big wounded eyes were any indication, Ruby hadn't realized how her behavior effected Belle, which made it worst because she hadn't cared.
"Henry, Regina and I are going for a walk in the park at five. We are going to go to my parents' place for dinner tonight at six. I estimate dinner to take about two hours, depending on how many things Regina insists on fixing because Mary Margaret screwed it up. We will then go to Granny's around 8:15 and eat a slice of pie and drink some damn hot chocolate. We will return here at nine.
"During those four hours, you will not text or call either of us unless it is an emergency, and by emergency, I mean if someone is in the hospital. If by the end of those four hours, you haven't talked until you lost your voices or fucked until your brains explode, I'll help her pack and move back to the library tonight. Are we clear?"
Emma's chest heaved as she fell silent. Regina and Ruby simply stared. Emma crossed her arms when no reply came from Ruby and tapped her foot.
"Clear," she mumbled, thoroughly and appropriately shamed. She'd never seen Emma so mad, but that hadn't meant that every word she spoke was true. She'd fucked up, and now she had to make it up to Belle before she lost the best thing that had ever happened to her.
"Good, now get your sorry ass upstairs and get dressed. You're late for work." She flung the command with a wave of her hand and then began cleaning the breakfast mess that the inexperienced cook and her son had made.
Ruby moped towards the foyer, and Regina stared at her lover. She crossed her legs, still in skirt and blue silk shirt she'd worn here last night. They were wrinkled, hair tussled from sleep and face a natural slightly tan hue and nearly free of makeup. Emma glanced up at the motion and gritted her teeth against Regina's seductive smirk. God, she loved tussled Regina. This wasn't there house anymore, she reminded herself as she scrubbed bacon greased from the skillet.
When she glanced over her shoulder again, Regina leaned her back against the island and spread her arms over the marble counter. Emma sighed and allowed herself a moment to stare at the bundle of sexual energy that was her very attractive partner. Regina was always ready to go it seemed. Emma jerked and averted her eyes when she realized Regina had spent 28 years living in her sexual prime. Holy shit, no wonder she was primed and ready to go at the drop of a hat, and found turn-ons bizarre things, like watching her brush her hair or when she returned from a jog sweaty and smelly. Best shower sex ever. She even found her nerd glasses sexy and requested that she keep them on and nothing else at times.
This morning, however, she refused to give into Regina's prowess. She wiped down the stove with purpose while Regina stared over her shoulder. Emma grumbled under her breath and moved back to the sink to rinse the rag. Regina Mills had no power over her, not today. She was way too pissed off about Belle's turmoil.
"Emma." Regina paralyzed her intentions with her deep silky timbre. "Come here," she commanded. The rag hit the floor with a slop-smack a moment before Emma pried Regina's knees apart and inserted herself in between. Their hips pressed together deliciously, the stool offering a damn good angle. Emma smirked down at her lover, gripped both sides of her shirt and jerked it apart. The buttons flew as Regina's eyebrows shot skywards. Emma had never destroyed her clothing before.
Hot lips were on her chest before she recovered, and Regina spared a moment to wonder if she had Emma so worked up or if the thought that perhaps she wasn't appreciated worried her still angry lover. If it were the second, Emma needn't have worried at all. Regina knew how much Emma loved her, how much she went out of her way to do little things that made her feel special and sexy and beautiful. Emma was the perfect partner. It was Regina who should have been concerned that she'd made Emma feel similarly to Belle.
Her thoughts left her when teeth sank into her breast. Hips bucked upward and suddenly lifted from the stool. The upward motion gave Emma an opening to slide her hands beneath Regina's thighs and lift her. Regina gasped and crossed her ankles around Emma's thin but muscular hips. She used her spatial memory of the house and guided them blindly to Regina's old study, what now served as Belle's personal library.
Regina's back hit the door frame painfully, and she sighed into the delicious tendrils of arousal flowing towards her belly. Emma grinned and kicked the door shut. Her back smacked the wood again, intentionally this time, and then her feet were on the floor. If Emma had strained under her weight, it hadn't shown. Emma jerked her shirt from her shoulders, holding it at her elbows and effectively trapping her arms at her side. A moment of panic swelled in Regina's chest and then turned into pure adrenaline and arousal when Emma forcefully took control of her lips.
A sharp tug on the ruined shirt pulled her from the wall. One hand slid to the back of her shirt, pulling her arms painfully, and the other hiked her skirt upwards. Emma's knees hit the floor hard when she pushed on the shirt and Regina fell into one of the soft grey arm chairs in the middle of the floor. The fabric of her underwear scraped her hips and thighs as Emma pulled them from beneath her before situating herself between her thighs. Regina struggled against her bonds, and Emma grinned wickedly. She rarely took Regina in this manner, but they both secretly loved it.
She lowered her mouth to Regina's lower lips, sliding it through the slick folds. Regina was so wet, so ready. Emma twisted her fist in the shirt and pulled Regina towards her, rising to her full height on her knees to capture her lips. Regina moaned at the salty taste of herself on Emma's lips. Gods, she loved pissed off Emma Swan.
Her eyes widened when firm fingers wrapped around her throat and Emma leaned past her to whisper into her ear.
"I'm going to make you scream my name," Emma whispered, promised, threatened. Slim fingers tightened with each word, and Regina's mouth fell open, sucking in more oxygen as Emma hindered it slightly.
Both hands remained where they were as Emma slammed her into the chair again, dropping her head between her thighs. Regina gasped and rolled her hips when teeth scraped the sensitive bundle of nerves above her slit. She soothed it with a heavy tongue before clamping teeth around it and pulling back. The pressure of her pearly whites and the scraping motion as she slowly released the skin pulled a hollow moan that nearly sounded like a growl from the woman under her control. It spurred her forward.
She released the shirt as she soothed her lover once more and scraped red marks between Regina's breasts, down her stomach. Regina squirmed and panted. Emma toyed with her, and her frustration grew.
"Emma," she demanded only to have her air cut off with the slightest of pressure added to her already half closed throat. Panic and adrenaline tore through her veins, and she sighed into the pleasure.
Emma lapped at her hole once she settled and closed her mouth. Emma hadn't wanted her to beg; she wanted her to scream. Her tongue returned to the engorged nub a moment before two fingers slid between her gushing lips. She stroked her twice and then added a third. Regina moaned, frustrated at Emma's ridiculously slow pace. She nearly sniped at her teasing lover but froze, wide eyed when Emma's pinky joined the other three inside of her without ever stopping that insanely slow pace.
A small orgasm rocked her body, and Emma stilled her tongue. She studied the resistance meeting her fingers buried within Regina's velvet walls, a grin spreading slowly. She could do this. Her tongue resumed it's gentle stimulation as her hand moved again. A torrent of liquid spilled when she pulled her fingers out. She grinned up at Regina.
"Now scream," she ordered, tucked her thumb tightly against the palm of her hand and slowly slid inside of her gasping lover.
Her hand loosened its hold around her neck instinctively when Regina's breathing became shallow as she stretched her open. Regina cried out and clutched at her shoulders when Emma reached the bottom knuckle of her thumb and the widest part of her hand. She froze, but Regina nodded fervently.
"Yes, please please, Emma. Keep going. Ah!" Regina cried out and pulled forward bodily when Emma quickly finished inserting her hand with a quick jerk.
She waited as Regina adjusted to the new sensations inside of her. It hurt like a bitch, and Regina smiled into it. Emma's mouth dropped open when Regina flung herself into the chair and rocked her hips against her hand. Her arms gripped the top of the chair, head thrashing side to side as she impaled herself on Emma's entire hand. She snapped out of her shock and met her thrusts.
"Emma," Regina breathed, eyes flying open and locking with hers.
Emma moved her hand again, pulling out as far as the bottom knuckled of her hand and back in. Her heart pounded with the fear of hurting her lover. She'd believed this a good idea until she'd done it. Regina rocked against her, sensing her fear. She barely touched her face with her fingertips.
"I'm okay," she gasped and rocked her hips again. It was all the confirmation Emma needed. Regina was with her and would pull her back if she went too far. Trust your partner, she repeated in her head.
Regina grunted when she began a steady rhythm, moaned loudly and continuously when she increased the speed. Emma stood and leaned over her, hand never faltering once inside of her. She slipped the other into Regina's hair and jerked her head back, forcing brown eyes to meet hers. She wanted to watch this one for sure. Regina held her eyes open as best she could.
Emma slammed into her almost violently, and Regina grabbed the hair at her temples with both hands. Emma gritted her teeth at the sharp pain and repeated the painful motion, faltering when Regina winced, repeated it again when the wince turned into a moan.
"I'm okay, Emma," Regina said again.
Emma punched into her hard, in and out, in and out. Her walls slurped around her wrist each time. She was close. Brown eyes slid shut as Emma's name fell from her lips repeatedly in a reverent whisper. She'd officially sent Regina out of her mind. The name grew in strength each time.
"EM…" She muffled the rest of her name with her lips, catching Regina's moans and breaths as she came undone. She jerked at Emma's hair, her shirt, shoulder, neck. Anything within her grasp, and Emma knew for certain that she had no clue what her hands were doing. Her head jerked back and forth. Slick walls clenched and released Emma's wrist painfully.
Regina stilled, and Emma eased her hand out of her. Regina cried into her mouth again as her body shuddered with another orgasm. Regina's head fell to the side, and an arm fell over her face. She bit her lip when Emma moved again, whimpering as the next wave crashed into her. It was almost like torture. Finally, she pulled free, and Regina shuddered again.
Emma's mouth dropped open when her other hand grabbed her own breast and squeezed. She seriously needed more stimulation right now? Emma cupped her other breast and squeezed gently as the thumb of her other hand slid over her clit. It took only a few swipes before Regina stilled, mouth open in a silent scream, and then slumped into the chair. Emma moved her thumb again, and Regina slapped numbly at her hand.
"Can't," she whispered as her chin quivered, belying the tears she tried to hide with her arm.
"Shit. Baby, did I hurt you?" No response. "Regina, I'm freaking out," Emma confessed with no response. "Baby, please say someth…"
Regina slapped her fingers over Emma's mouth, thwarting a full out panic attack. She hooked a finger around Emma's lower teeth and pulled her forward. Emma chuckled. If Regina acted silly, she was fine. Emma puffed a gust of air against her chest in relief and then pressed a kiss to the bruise forming on the breast she'd bitten earlier. And then the skin in between.
"I've made you cry because of sex twice in as many days. Are you okay?" Emma rested her lips on the damp skin between Regina's breasts and studied the bit of her face that wasn't beneath her arm.
"I want another child," Regina confessed breathily. Her arm fell from her eyes a moment later to find wide, comically terrified green eyes staring at her. "And you don't." She moved to throw her arm over her face again, but Emma stopped it with gentle fingers around her wrist.
"Don't jump to conclusion, Sassy Pants. You just caught me off guard. That's all. Another kid. Uhh, wow. Maybe I won't screw it up this time," she babbled honestly, and Regina wished that she felt her limbs. They still felt like jelly - numb, thick jelly.
"Emma, you didn't screw it up this time. Henry knows that you love him, and that is by far the most important thing. He's angry, but he's working through it. He'll be just fine," Regina soothed, managing to brush one finger over her arm. She watched the different emotions dance thru Emma's eyes.
"I guess I'll be carrying kid number two as well?" Her forehead scrunched, knowing that Regina's infertility was something her lover hadn't yet to come to terms with.
"Either that or adoption," Regina offered, not wanting to put the responsibility solely on Emma. The blonde shook her head, curls bouncing into her face.
"I want to carry your egg. You can't, but I can. Then it will truly be ours, you know. You'll get your bio baby," Emma smiled, tears swelling in her eyes when Regina's lit up.
"You'd do that for me?" She asked, unbelieving, and Emma rolled her eyes, causing her tears to spill onto her cheeks.
"I'd do anything for you," she promised. She tangled her fingers in sweaty black hair, thumb tracing the hair line at her temple.
"Marry me, Regina." Her voice was soft, barely there, but the sharp breath told Emma that Regina heard her.
"What?" She managed, her brain swirling out of control. Emma's grin spread.
"Marry me," she repeated, eyes flitting back and forth as she searched the darker ones above her. Regina gritted her teeth.
"Emma Swan, I will not accept a proposal of marriage while in the throes of passion," Regina sniped, and Emma smiled wider. She had Regina on the run, and now she had to chase her down again.
"It's not. I mean, yes, it is, but it's not," Emma babbled as she pulled the ring from the pocket her shorts. She grabbed Regina's shoulders and pulled her into a sitting position and planted one foot firmly on the floor. It wasn't the grand romantic gesture that she'd been trying to plan, but it was so totally fitting for them.
She opened the box and held it in front of her. "Regina Mills, I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?" She asked confidently, no doubts in her voice or eyes. Regina gasped and touched the ring with one finger.
"Emma, this is beautiful. Yes." She looked up from the ring and met Emma's gaze. "Yes, I will be your wife, Emma Swan." The vein in her forehead throbbed, belying the excitement beneath her shy smile.
Emma squealed and flung herself into Regina's arms, wiggling until the sat shoulder to shoulder on the oversized chair. Emma's legs hung over hers. She pulled the ring from the box and hesitated. Crap.
"Regina?" They turned their heads in unison, one in confusion and one in embarrassment. "Which hand does it go on?" Emma whispered, and Regina laughed, deep and throaty and rumbling in all the right ways. Emma had only heard it a handful of times, but when she did, she savored the moment.
"This one," Regina held up her left hand and even lowered all of her fingers except the ring finger.
Emma's hand shook as she lowered it into place. It fit perfectly as it should because it had taken her three weeks to snag one of Regina's other rings for the jeweler to measure. Regina wiggled her fingers, adjusting to the new piece of jewelry she intended never to take off, and then held it up for inspection of how it looked on her hand.
"I love it," she smiled and then pressed it to Emma's cheek as she pulled her in for a kiss. "I bet Snow will, too." Regina whispered and pressed her forehead into Emma's, smiling at the responding groan.
"Please, Babe. Just a little longer before the 'I'm my own grandma' jokes start." Emma face palmed herself, pulling her hand to her mouth to meet Regina's suddenly wide eyes.
"Oh dear god, you will be, won't you?" Emma nodded, and Regina laughed again. The giggles petered out, and Emma slid her fingers into Regina's, loving the feel of the ring she'd designed pressing against her. This was real and happening.
"Annabel," Emma said suddenly, calmer but still with a smile.
"Annabel?" Regina's forehead bunched in confusion, desperately trying to follow her lover's thoughts.
"Annabel. For a girl, I like the name Annabel," she clarified. Regina's face softened.
"Annabel Ruby Swan," Regina finished. Emma considered it and looked up with insecure eyes.
"You want my last name?" Regina settled her head against Emma's shoulder and traced nonsensical patterns into her white tank top.
"If that's what you want, then yes, absolutely. Queen Regina Mills has been dead a long time. I'd like my name to reflect the person I've become." Regina's voice was quiet, like she feared Emma's rejection even after everything they'd gone through together.
"Then we shall be the Swans, as beautiful and temperamental as our namesake."