A/N: Alright, new chapter! Sorry for the delay again. I'm starting my last month of university and things are getting wild. Nevertheless, I have the two following chapters already written so I only need to proof-read them, which means that I should update again within a week (At least until chapter 9). I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I don't wanna spoil anything but there's finally some action between our ladies *wink, wink*
Important: Italics stand for dreams (bear this in mind for the last part of the chapter).
Ok, enjoy and let me know your thoughts!
Emma looks up at the sky. Her eyes are wide shut. She lets out a heavy breath, trying to calm herself enough to stop the pounding of her heart.
When she opens them again, she feels more focused and in control of her own actions, which is precisely what she needs right now. Gripping the hatchet blade more firmly in her hand, she takes a few steps forward, all the while trying to not make a sound.
Her target is near, grazing absentmindedly just a few paces away from her, not aware of the threat that Emma's presence presents to its life.
Truth be told, Emma hasn't killed an animal since her time in Fairytale Land, so she's feeling rather anxious now - not so much about chasing away the doe - but for the moment which she has to leap for the kill.
Kneeling behind a thick bush to hide herself, Emma wishes she had Snow's bow and arrow right now. It would certainly make the unpleasant task of killing an innocent creature a little bit easier to carry out.
Emma breathes in deeply and exhales again.
The doe hasn't noticed her yet, which gives her the advantage, since she counts with the element of surprise for the time being. But she has to act soon, or the creature will get away.
Damn, she thinks, so much for the tough Sheriff.
She has to do this; she can't come back to the cabin empty handed. That's simply out of the question.
Emma is sick and tired of only eating fruits and seeds already and Regina may be all zen about it but Emma wasn't born for this healthy green eating habit. Her body craves for meat and crappy junk food, and if she can't have her usual Mac and Cheese, then she'll have meat instead.
Of course Regina had mocked her when she'd say she would go hunting into the woods, saying that Emma would end up chickening out. So it's pretty much a 'do it or live forever in shame' kind of thing for Emma, which can pretty much be translated into a matter of life and death for the blonde, especially when Regina is involved.
Emma doesn't even want to think about how much the brunette will tease her if she comes back empty handed. Probably she won't ever see the end of it.
Emma nods her head in self reassurance. She will do it. She will hunt this doe and bring it back to Regina with a triumphant smile on her face, and the brunette will have to admit to having underestimated her.
Yes, that's exactly what she's going to do. She's going to kill the doe and hung the dead body over her shoulders, like one would do a scarf.
Emma grins. She can already imagine the look of pure shock in Regina's face when she sees her emerging from the woods. It's going to be so much worth it.
Feeling victorious already, Emma tightens her grip on the blade and leaps on her prey.
[x]
Regina dives under water only to resurface a moment later. She takes a big gulp of air, refilling her lungs, and swims closer to the waterfall. She gets under the warm stream, letting the water wet her hair and body.
It's a sublime sensation, feeling the torrent of water pounding her shoulders and back; infinitely better than any masseur.
Ever since Emma showed her this earthly paradise a few weeks ago, she's been unable to keep her feet from moving in this direction, always finding herself standing at the foot of the pool, ready for a swim and later relaxation either on the shore or by doing precisely this: letting the torrent of water from the waterfall pound on her shoulders until feeling the knots there loosening.
Regina closes her eyes and lolls her head back, allowing the torrent to hit on the crown of her head.
The water feels just perfect, not too cold, and not too warm. She can spend hours just soaking there.
Regina runs her hands through her wet locks of hair, massaging her scalp in the process. This is one of the times she wishes she had all those silly products that she had back in Storybrooke, like shampoo. She definitely misses the subtle scent of honey and apples that her shampoo left in her hair when she bathed. Or soap. She wouldn't mind having a soap appearing in front of the cabin every week or so at all.
Instead, she resolves to coming down to the waterfall (she used to go to the river to bathe before Emma found this place) once or twice a day, until she feels her body is rid from the dirt and sweat of the day.
Living in the wilderness, despite being in possession of the comfortable cabin she's now extremely grateful to have, can be hard. Leaves get tangled in your hair; mud dirties your clothes, the sun makes you sweat endlessly and so on.
Life here is hard, but at least there are some perks to it: like this waterfall.
Regina sighs. Yes, she thinks, this place is a real gem.
[x]
Emma runs through the foliage, willing her legs to move faster. Sweat prickles her forehead; she's been running for a while now, trying to get to the waterfall where she knows is Regina. Her hatchet blade is in her hand; her grip strong, perhaps too strong. It betrays how she feels, the anxiety inside.
She needs to find Regina. She needs to tell her what she saw.
When she finally emerges from the woods, it's an entirely different sight that stuns Emma completely. She freezes on the spot, the blade nearly falling from her grasp, now dangerously loose in her grip.
Emma's eyes widen when Regina pulls herself from the water, her olive skin darker than usual thanks to their continuous exposure to the sun.
Regina's back is facing her and, as she rises, waters runs off her skin, highlighting her muscles, making her appear all the more beautiful.
Emma's mouth falls. It's not the first time she thinks of Regina as beautiful; she has never seen Regina as anything but, regardless of the nature of their relationship. After all, one thing does not directly affect the other. However, it is the first time that Emma's breath is literally taken from her lungs by the sight of another. It's even more confusing given the fact that it is Regina whom she's staring at so visibly dumbfounded, like a teenage girl with her first crush.
It's pathetic and it only gets worse when Regina turns around, naked, unaware of Emma's presence or eyes on her.
When honey brown eyes land on moss green ones Regina flinches in surprise and quickly wraps her arms around her torso to cover herself. Her hands and her panties are the only two things that are currently hiding her very naked body from Emma's eyes.
"Emma!" Regina chides, throwing her a dark and disapproving look.
The blonde finally seems to snap out of her reverie and turns around, granting Regina some privacy. "God, I'm sorry." She mumbles, feeling like an asshole for having been caught staring like that. She can feel her blood boiling both from embarrassment and something else she doesn't dare put a name to. Desire, perhaps?
"You can turn around now."
Emma obeys and slowly turns back around to face the brunette. Regina has put her clothes back on and now has her hands on her hips, looking very much pissed at her.
"What did you think you were doing?" Regina asks through gritted teeth. She's furious, if her pursed lips and the way her eyes have turned into slits is anything to go by.
"I, uh…" Emma averts her eyes from the brunette, feeling her cheeks burn with embarrassment. Suddenly, the reason why she came here running like the world was going to end doesn't seem so important anymore.
"Well?"
Emma sighs. She's gonna have to tell Regina the truth, no matter how it may sound now. Lifting her eyes again, she locks them on Regina's and says, "I went hunting…" Emma raises the hatchet blade to show it to the other woman and then lowers it back down again.
"Let me guess," Regina interrupts. She's not very well known for having patience, let alone when she's angry. "You couldn't do it."
"What?" Emma shifts in her position. "No, that's not it… I mean, I was about to do it. You know… kill the doe, but then I saw something."
"What was it?" Regina's icy tone seems to have faded a little. Now she sounds more preoccupied than before.
"A snake," Emma answers, trying not to recoil at the memory of that slithering and disgusting creature sliding through the grass, drawing near the doe she was about to hunt.
Regina snorts, causing Emma to gawk at her. How can she make fun of it? In all the months they've been trapped here, they'd never seen a snake. Maybe Regina doesn't care but Emma knows that snakes loose in the wild are never a good thing, especially if they turn out to be poisonous.
Up until now, both women had wandered through the woods with abandon, not caring about encountering danger at any turn but now, Emma's new discovery changes that dynamic completely. Now they'll have to keep an eye open and their ears trained at all times. Poisonous snakes can be deadly without proper medical assistance… which they lack of completely.
"I don't see how this can seem funny to you, Regina."
The brunette smirks and drops her sparkling brown eyes to the ground. She crosses the distance between her and Emma without raising her eyes. When Emma's feet come into her line of vision, Regina lifts her eyes, finding herself within breath distance from the blonde.
Regina is once again invading Emma's personal space, causing Emma's breath to hitch. The older woman locks eyes with the blonde, at the same time as her hand closes around Emma's wrist, the one in which she's holding the blade.
"It's fine if you couldn't do it, dear." Regina whispers in a way that seems almost seductively and provocative. Emma is sure that Regina is aiming for the latter. "You needn't lie to me about it."
What? So Regina thinks she made up the snake part up as an excuse for not having hunted the doe?
Emma shoves Regina away and walks past her, bumping her shoulder against hers as she does so. She's not going to let Regina deem her a liar just because she doesn't want to believe her. Maybe Regina will come across one or two snakes on the way back to the cabin and will have to bite back her words.
"I'm going home," Emma throws over her shoulder, not caring to chance a look back at the brunette, and disappears into the shrubbery.
[x]
The door to their cabin makes a faint clacking sound as it's closed.
Regina must be back.
Emma cracks an eye open. From where she's laying on the bed, with her back to the bedroom door, she can peek at the window in front of her. The waning sun is bathing half the room in darkness, but there's still some light left; enough to be able to see and make out the silhouettes of the objects around her.
She stays completely still, trying to make out Regina's movements in the adjacent room. It's taken the brunette at least two to three hours to come back home. Not that Emma was expecting her earlier, though. She figures that the brunette must have been avoiding her.
There's a small sizzling sound, followed by a few cracks. Regina must be poking the fire.
It's always hot in the island. There's no real need for the fire, except on rainy days, but the two women like to light it up just the same. It kind of helps to create a homey feeling that calms both of them down when they're edgy or feeling low.
The next thing Emma hears is the characteristic tap-tap of footsteps drawing nearer. Regina is about to come inside the bedroom.
Emma presses her eyes shut again. She doesn't want to deal with the brunette right now. Maybe she's overreacting but she doesn't appreciate being called a liar. She did see that snake and it is something to be concerned about. Regina should try believing in her for a change.
The opposite side of the bed dips and Emma is sure that Regina must be sitting on the edge, taking off her clothes. Her heart starts to beat erratically in her chest, though she's not sure why. Maybe she just doesn't want Regina to realize that she's not as asleep as the brunette believes her to be.
Or maybe it's something else entirely.
It doesn't really matter though because Regina is already getting beneath the covers, trying not to wriggle around too much, possibly to not wake her. Emma's breath is caught in her throat when Regina's cold feet brush hers. The woman is far too close for comfort and Emma is afraid that the now frantic pounding of her heart will give her white lie away.
But Regina doesn't seem to notice. She sighs behind her and moves around a little, trying to get into a comfortable position. Emma remains motionless, all the while trying to get her heart to beat normally again.
It's somewhat of a habit that they've developed: to go to bed this early. They don't have electric lights or candles to light. So once the moon breaks in the horizon, the two of them make an effort to fall asleep. Sometimes it works; sometimes their old Storybrooke routines keep them up longer than intended. Today, it seems, both wanted to end the day even sooner than what they're getting used to doing; even before the sun fully set.
Emma shuts her eyes again. Regina thinks she's asleep and she probably should be. That's why she'd got into bed for this early in the first place. The only problem was that her mind had got tangled up in thoughts of Henry once again, stopping her from relaxing enough to fall into Morpheus' arms.
Soft, deep breathing next to her indicates that Regina has fallen asleep already. Emma envies her for it. She lets out a long and steady breath, trying to relax.
Emma is not sure of how much more time passes but, without really noticing, she eventually falls asleep too.
[x]
She wakes up feeling really hot, as if someone had turned on the heat to the maximum, which is literally impossible because they don't have one in the cabin.
Emma opens her eyes, blinking the sleep from them faster than ever. She's fully awake in a heartbeat, something that doesn't normally tend to happen, but now it does because there's a body pressed up against hers, which is alarmingly enough to awaken even a sloth.
But that's not all. It also turns out to be that it's not any body that is molded fitfully – and very snuggly – against hers though, it is Regina's, and it also happens to be the reason why Emma is almost sweating under the covers. The woman must have moved closer in her sleep and sought out Emma, though for what, she's not sure. Comfort, maybe?
Maybe the former Evil Queen was having a nightmare and had sought out comfort in the only person she could currently find it in, given their situation. But truth be told, Emma doesn't know. Perhaps she should wake Regina and find out.
Emma turns around on the bed to try and wake the brunette. Maybe it's the movement or maybe it's something else, but the moment Emma's back lays flat on the mattress, Regina scoots even closer to her, mumbling something unintelligible in her sleep and draping an arm over Emma's mid-section.
Emma's heart skips a beat when she feels some of Regina's wisps of hair tickling the side of her neck. The worst part comes when the brunette's hand settles against her stomach.
It's the worst part because it sends a wave of desire straight to her core, desire that Emma is pretty much sure she should not be feeling.
"Fuck," Emma breathes out almost inaudibly, closing her eyes and trying very hard to ignore the way in which her sex seems to be throbbing with need. If she thought that falling asleep was hard before, now the task has become downright impossible. How can she with Regina laying half on top of her like this? It's fucking torture.
Her right hand is buried beneath Regina's body but, fortunately for Emma, her left hand is still free. Moving as little as she can, Emma searches for the hand that Regina has lying on her stomach. She takes it in hers and begins to lift it up, in order to put some distance between them. The moment she does, however, Regina seems to stir a little beside her and Emma freezes, stopping her movements completely.
If Regina were to wake up and realize the position they're in, Emma is sure heads would roll and it would not be Regina's.
Emma waits until Regina settles again before moving. After a few attempts, she manages to lay Regina's hand next to her own body rather than on top of Emma's, like it was before. By now she knows that, if moving the brunette's hand was an insanely difficult task, getting her to roll over to the opposite side of the bed is going to be impossible. She might as well look for a needle on a haystack.
That might actually be easier.
She lets out a breath. Damn, Emma thinks. She's in for a very, very long night.
[x]
Languid, loud moans fill the bedroom. Breaths hitch, hands move and grip forcefully.
A loud yelp of pain and pleasure breaks the silence of the room.
A body covers hers, sweat-prickled skin sliding across hers in a sensuous dance. An impatient mouth crashes into hers and they kiss passionately. Their tongues duel, teeth clash and lips bruise with their forcefulness. She moans into the kiss, opening her mouth even more, allowing her lover more room for the rough explorations.
Their kiss deepens and she feels a hot, wet tongue probing and tasting, taking all that she has to offer. Her own tongue is sucked into a warm, waiting mouth. Sharp teeth bite down and she wriggles beneath her lover's form.
A hand slips down their bodies, raking sharp nails across her soft olive skin. Fingers brush over pubic hair and slip further down, cupping her sex tightly, possessively.
She lets out a cry at the sensation and grinds her hips into her lover's hand. She won't be able to withstand her orgasm for much longer. She can feel it building in the pit of her stomach and spreading through her like an unstoppable wave bursting at the seams.
"Look at me, Regina." A voice commands her and Regina complies, peeking through heavy lidded eyes.
Blue/green eyes now dark with desire stare back at her. Blonde wisps of hair fall like a curtain around Emma's face, tickling Regina's skin.
Oh, God. What is she doing?
"Come for me, Regina." Emma purrs seductively in her ear and all Regina wants to do is push her off her body and run away.
But it's too late now. She can feel her muscles start contracting, her climax impossible to keep at bay anymore. Her back arches almost impossibly far off the bed and she cries out Emma's name in ecstasy, coming loud and hard, harder than ever before.
Regina awakes with a start. She opens her eyes and looks down. Much to her dismay, Emma's sleeping face is merely inches away from hers. But that's not all. Her right hand is cupping Emma's breast lightly, as if she'd been claiming the blonde's body in her sleep.
Horrified, Regina moves away from the blonde, but her movements are far too brusque and Emma begins to stir beneath her.
Green, sleepy eyes blink open and Regina freezes on the spot. She has one leg draped over the edge of the bed and the other bent over on the mattress. Her eyes are as wide open as those of a deer caught in the headlights, betraying the shock she's feeling inside.
"Regina?" Emma's thick-with-sleep voice breaks the silence and Regina holds her breath.
How on Earth is she supposed to explain what she'd been doing a moment ago?
She can't. There's nothing she can say to explain why she was dreaming of Emma's hot body on top of hers or why she woke up with her head tucked in the other woman's neck and her hand on her breast. Regina can only hope that Emma didn't notice.
The silence stretches and the question still hangs unanswered in the air. Emma seems to sense something is off because she pushes herself up into a sitting position and asks, "Are you ok?"
Regina knows Emma is leaving a perfect opening for her to lie straight to her face. It would be as easy as muttering a "Yes, fine," and that would be it. But when the first words that rise in her throat are exactly the opposite, Regina knows that the only choice left is to flee the room and avoid Emma until she can get a grip on herself again.
And that's what she does.
Regina springs from the bed, not even caring to put on some footwear, and runs out of the cabin, wearing nothing but her pajamas.
[x]
When she left the cabin, she did so in such a haste to get away from the blonde that she didn't even notice that dawn hadn't broken in the sky yet. She is dressed in her night clothes, she has no boots on and there is barely enough light to move as it is.
Well, she muses, too late to back down now.
Regina will be damned if she has to return to the cabin and face Emma, not only with thoughts of her sweat-prickled and very naked body still fresh on her mind, but also having to explain why she bolted from the bed like it was on fire.
It's not something she does. Regina Mills does not run. But Regina Mills doesn't also dream of her son's other mother having sex with her either. Anyone can agree that it's enough reason for anybody to want to run away like the world is going to end.
She lets her feet carry her to the waterfall. It's a much less predictable place for her to be at, should Emma start looking for her.
It's a warm night and the run through the woods has made her sweat.
Regina takes off her clothes, bare and sweaty skin glistening under the dim moon lit sky. She tosses her garments somewhere on the ground, not caring to see where they land and walks into the pool. She doesn't stop until the pool's transparent waters reach her torso.
The rushing sound of the water immediately produce the desired effect on her, calming her raging mind, soothing her tense muscles. Regina will never admit it, but she's grateful Emma chose to share this place with her. It is paradise on Earth.
Regina closes her eyes and sighs, enjoying the feel of the water caressing her skin. The torrent of the cascade is so loud that it helps muffle the thoughts that attempt to rise in her head: thoughts about Henry, thoughts about Emma.
It's the latter who worries Regina the most right now. She finds herself inevitably drawn to the blonde, both mentally and now apparently physically too.
Ever since the day she found Emma getting off in this very same clearing, Regina hasn't been able to completely let go of the mental image that it burnt into her mind. For a while even, Regina would close her eyes and the image of Emma giving herself pleasure would appear in her mind's eye as clear as if she was seeing it live once again.
She's been trying to forget about what she saw but she finds that she can't. Thoughts of Emma naked, touching her own body, touching hers, are carved in her mind and now her dreams too.
Regina doesn't know how much is to blame on the solitude of being stranded on a deserted island and how much is to blame on herself and her own desires. Could it be that she really wants Emma in that way? Could it be that it's not the island, the seclusion, the need for sexual release what has her drawing closer and closer to the blonde each day?
She wonders what Henry would think of her right now. Possibly he'd be horrified. His evil mother thinking about hooking up with the mother he deems a Saviour. He'd most probably accuse her of corrupting Emma.
Then, her thoughts turn into another direction: Henry.
Emma had been so damn lucky in getting that one chance to see him. Regina wishes it'd been her, because seeing Henry, at least for one tiny second, would help ease her mind. Maybe even some of the constant tension she feels would ebb away too.
Regina is glad that at least they know he's fine; trapped in Neverland, but fine. She wonders what happened to Greg and Tamara, though. If Henry is free, it means that something has happened to those two. And it can't be good.
Emma told her that Henry was fine, that he even looked happy. Regina wishes she could feel the same way as her son: happy. But she doesn't. She's angry and worried and sad all the time. Sometimes she manages to forget, because the routines they have to carry out here keep her mind busy for the most part of the day, but there are other times when she has nothing but free time, and that's when the thoughts resurface, stronger than ever, wearing her out, tensing her up.
Regina is so caught up in these thoughts that she doesn't hear the water move behind her, but she startles when a warm hand snakes around her waist. Immediately, she tenses and her mind goes into full on alert-mode. She doesn't turn, she doesn't utter a word. She waits.
She waits for Emma's next move.
The blonde presses the front of her body against Regina's back. Two hard nipples brush across her skin and Regina gasps.
Emma is naked.
The realization doesn't help to ease her tense stance but, much to her surprise, it doesn't make her shove the blonde away either. Regina remains perfectly still; the only thing moving frantically is her heart, which is hammering in her chest.
Emma doesn't say a word either, perhaps because her lips are busy trailing a path from Regina's shoulder to the underside of her ear. When the goal is reached, a wet, warm tongue perks out of its hiding spot, coming to lick at the shell of Regina's ear and making her shiver.
A thought rises in Regina's mind then. This is wrong, they have to stop. She wriggles in Emma's arms, trying to break free from her loose hold on her.
"Don't," Emma whispers in her ear, stealing yet another involuntary shiver from the brunette.
It's like Regina is no longer in control of her own body, as if she's been reduced to this primal need to own and be owned. The thought scares her to death.
Emma seems to sense the change in the air because she presses her palm flat against her stomach, stopping Regina's feeble and half-hearted attempts at breaking free. "Stay," she whispers again, her breath tickling Regina's skin. And it sounds so hopeful, so honest.
And so she does. She stays.
Regina shuts down all the thoughts in her head: the ones telling her that what they're doing is wrong, that they have to stop now before is too late. For once, she decides to stay, to let go of her worries, her fears, and to dive into the unknown, the uncertainty that is Emma Swan.
Emma lets out a breath, long and steady, and her body relaxes, molding to Regina's back. The blonde's free hand finds purchase in her hip bone and she squeezes the flesh there, all the while pressing into Regina's backside with her hips.
Regina arches into Emma's body, letting her head drop and rest on the other woman's shoulder. The new position allows Emma more room to rake her hands across Regina's smooth skin, teasing, caressing every bit of skin she finds until she maps Regina's entire torso.
Emma's touches begin to grow more bold and confident with every expanse of flesh that she explores. It gives Regina the impression that Emma is also trying to wrap her mind around the idea that this is real, that this is happening.
And it is happening, it is real.
Regina tries to stifle a moan when she feels hands moving along her sides, sliding over her stomach, slowly traveling across her skin, before those very same hands grip her breasts, kneading the firm, rounded flesh, tweaking and pulling her stiff nipples until her legs buckle under her.
Emma tightens her hold on her, supporting most of their weights combined with one hand, as the other begins a journey down Regina's torso.
"I know," Emma groans into her ear, never once stopping her hand from moving further down.
The blonde's words snap Regina's mind back into attention.
"I woke up," Emma continues, as her fingers brush Regina's pubic hair, wild and untrimmed, "and found you…" she runs a finger through her folds, feeling with wonder the wetness accumulated there, "laying half on top of me."
Regina moans. A blush erupts in the skin of her neck and quickly spreads across her chest.
"You really thought I didn't notice?" Emma's thumb flicks over the sensitive nub between Regina's legs and the woman whimpers and presses her butt more firmly against Emma's crotch.
"Don't worry," Emma purrs seductively into her ear, "I wanted this too."
Then, it happens all at once. Regina turns in Emma's arms, clashing her mouth into the blonde's, at the same time as Emma inserts two fingers inside of her, causing her to moan into the heated kiss.
Regina is the first to open her mouth, wanting to claim Emma's, and the blonde is only too eager to comply. The kiss quickly escalates into a hot and passionate make out session, tongues fighting for dominance, teeth clashing and biting hard enough to pierce the skin, lips kissed hard enough to bruise.
Emma fastens the pace of her fingers, pumping them in and out of the brunette, enjoying the way Regina is reacting to her touch.
It doesn't take much longer from then on.
Regina sucks Emma's bottom lip into her mouth and bites down hard on it when her orgasm explodes inside of her, making her see white stars. Her knees give way with the force of her climax, so Emma wraps her arm more firmly around her and helps her get back on her feet once the last of the pleasurable waves of her orgasm die down.
When Regina's breathing returns to normal, Emma retrieves her fingers from within the brunette's sex and waits.
Regina slowly turns in Emma's arms, brown eyes finding green ones. Suddenly, the passion and abandon that had overtaken them both is gone, leaving them with awkwardness and hesitance.
It takes them a long moment to break the uncomfortable silence that has fallen between them.
Possibly knowing what is transpiring in Regina's mind, Emma says, "It's only sex, Regina."
Brown eyes widen at the statement.
"It doesn't mean anything else."
Hearing Emma lift the weight off their actions helps her let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. She's thankful to the blonde for not trying to turn this moment into anything complicated or difficult to deal with. They both needed this, the release, the connection. They both know that, that's why the both gave in to it but they don't need or want anything out of it. It would only make matters more complicated than what they already are.
Right now, this new silent and tacit agreement between them is enough. Maybe time will tell a different story in the future but, for now, this is exactly what they need.
[x]
A warm breeze blows in, and she breathes in deeply along with it, as if that is going to make her stop her own tears from spilling out.
Her eyes are trained on the sea, that stretches before her like a mirror, still and smooth. Today, there are hardly any waves and the afternoon sun is shining on the sea, stealing sparkling speckles from its waters. It makes the sight even more surreal than she sometimes finds it to be.
Thanks to the waning sun, the purple glimmer of the magic veil is hardly visible in the distance. She's thankful for that. It's at least one less reminder of her loss.
She doesn't even remember why she came here in the first place, but she doesn't really need a real reason to. Coming over to the cliff and hanging her legs over the edge has become second nature to her.
She wonders if she does it to torture herself, to remind herself of Henry's loss. She wouldn't put it past her to unconsciously be doing that just to hurt herself more than she does every day. After all, she was never good at letting things go. She's always worn her hurt skin deep.
The thick grass behind her makes a crunching sound, which is followed by the sound of footsteps.
Two pairs.
She doesn't have time to wipe her tears or put on a smile before she feels a tiny body hit her back, little arms wrapping around her form and holding tightly.
"Regina," Emma says, coming to a halt right behind her. There's worry in her voice.
The brunette turns her head over her shoulder to look at a pair of big, wide blue/green eyes staring back at hers. Short, auburn locks frame a tiny, beautiful face that is currently smiling at her, oblivious to the sadness in her brown eyes.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't keep her at the cabin." Emma adds, still standing behind her. "She's a tiny stubborn monster. No doubt she's yours."
Regina chuckles at Emma's comment, but doesn't tear her eyes from those sparkling blue/green ones locked on hers. Chubby, tiny baby's arms reach up and Regina takes the little girl into her lap.
After two years of living in the island, the two women have become so used to the cliff that they don't worry about bringing the child with them here. They feel more comfortable and safe up here than possibly any other place in the island.
Finally, Emma moves and sits down beside her. She waits a moment before saying, "You're not replacing him, Regina."
The brunette tenses beside her, so Emma reaches out and takes her hand in hers, giving it a gentle but reassuring squeeze.
"She came for a reason." As if on cue, the tiny body in Regina's arms moves a little, settling more comfortably against the woman's chest. Regina runs her free hand across soft auburn tresses, feeling the child relax under her ministrations. "She's not Henry's replacement, Regina." Emma whispers, letting go of the brunette's hand to cup her chin and draw those teary brown eyes to her. "She's your new hope."
