During the car ride home, Emma sat in a huff with her arms around Regina. It was only once they'd gotten back home, in the safety of their bedroom and away from her mother's ears that she stated glumly, "I wanted to win you a stuffed animal, preferably by showing off my strength or skills." Even as she said it, she knew how juvenile she sounded. "Well, if you're stuck in bed I'm staying with you."
There was no point in arguing with Snow, who was in the kitchen clattering around. So Emma made herself useful and grabbed Regina's pajamas, and while the brunette changed, the savior shaved and took a shower. Washing her hair was so much faster, though as her hands lowered as she washed her body, she paused to mutter to herself, "Don't get any funny ideas." In her haste to get clean as fast as possible, she got soap in her eyes and slid into the tiled wall with a hiss of, "Son of a bitch!"
Several minutes later and she walked out with a towel wrapped around her waist and one bloodshot, irritated eye. "Maybe we could talk them into letting us watch a movie or something downstairs. As long as you're resting, that shouldn't be an issue, right? Unless you want to sleep. I could take a nap with you," She casually added, then moved to search the bags of clothes Ruby had so thoughtfully purchased courtesy of her own damn wallet. "Can you look through this and see if there's pajamas or something. All I have in this one is shirts." Nice shirts, actually, that she paused to admire before hanging them up.
"It is ridiculous that we have to ask permission to watch a movie in our own living room," Regina grumbled. "I refuse to do that." She slipped out of bed and padded across the floor to the closet, where a pair of warm pajamas were hanging next to one of her negligees. "Here you are. We can pretend we're having a slumber party, since we're being treated like children. You'll have to keep your hands to yourself if we lie down together. I heard Snow mention to David that he should encourage you to stay in the guest room tonight. It's like they don't trust you to behave... or maybe it's me they don't trust. Come, get into bed..." She turned down the overhead light and flipped the switch on the lamp next to the bed. Then she slid underneath the covers and patted the spot next to her. "What did you do to your eye?"
"Soap." Emma grudgingly admitted, and felt silly as she mimicked the action when she spoke. "Wiped water off my face and forgot I was holding the sponge." Really, some days it was a wonder how she never injured herself more. The blonde gave up on the variety of new clothes in favor of taking the old, baggy pajamas, and without any thought, let the towel drop where she stood and proceeded to put them on. "I've missed these." Emma's soft tone wasn't sad - it was pleased. The way her hands rubbed the fabric of the shirt she now wore, said she'd known where they were the whole time, tucked away in Regina's closet from before they started talking about getting divorced.
"I'm not sleeping in the guest bedroom. This is our house!" Emma went so far as to stomp her foot, and that evoked a cry of, "Everything alright up there?" from David. Feeling every bit the wayward teen they were treating her like, Emma yelled back, "We're fine! And I am not sleeping in the guest room! We're married for Christ sake!" The noise of her parents arguing was like music to her ears and Emma grinned triumphantly as she turned to look at Regina.
"It's me they don't trust." Emma stated softly, and then waved at herself. "They think just because I'm like this I have no self control. You're not feeling great. They just want to make sure you rest. Which seems unlikely if I'm here." The savior shrugged lightly then sighed and climbed into bed next to Regina, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she murmured, "You know, if they want to treat us like teens, we could totally make out." Emma didn't think for a second that they would, but she grinned as if she did and raised her eyebrows suggestively.
Regina leaned in and hooked one hand behind Emma's head, bringing her face so close to the savior's that their noses touched; she nuzzled Emma and tenderly kissed her lover's lips. "You've always behaved worse than a teenage boy, especially in the bedroom," she whispered, snorting. "Now that you temporarily look like a man, your parents have a problem with it." She rested her forehead against Emma's and then pulled a strong hand closer, laying it on her chest. "If we get caught, this was your idea. I have no desire to be lectured by your mother..."
The surprise on Emma's face must have been comical as Regina pulled her closer, and she nodded quickly with a rushed, "I take full responsibility if we're caught."
With a nip at Emma's mouth, she smiled into her kiss and guided the savior's hand up her shirt.
The teasing kiss turned more heated the moment Regina let go of Emma's fingers and allowed them to roam. Emma gave a thrilled little moan as she touched Regina eagerly. She gripped Regina's breast and thumbed one of her nipples, grinning into the kiss as Regina gasped in shock and excitement at being felt up.
Regina's face was flushed from their activities, and after a while, she felt a familiar ache and flutter in her belly that wouldn't be ignored, though she knew she'd have to try. "... dear, you're going to have to stop. If we continue, it's only a matter of time before our clothes come off. Don't you think?"
How much time passed, Emma couldn't be sure, but as they pulled apart it was with a groan of protest from the blonde. "You're probably right."
Snow rapped on the door, but entered the bedroom without waiting for permission. She brought along two glasses of orange juice and medicine for Regina, all balanced on a tray. "Oh, Emma... I hope you aren't getting sick, too. You look all red in the face... " She pressed her hand against Emma's forehead and reached for the thermometer, which she tucked underneath her daughter's tongue.
Regina tensed, sensing the telltale signs of Emma's arousal and glanced up at Snow, hoping the woman was as unperceptive as she always believed her to be. "Emma is fine," she assured the doting mother. "I'll take care of her... You needn't worry."
Emma shifted immediately to fold her hands over her lap atop the covers and winced slightly. Thankfully Snow stuck the thermometer in her mouth and missed it. The savior spat it back out with a bit of a cough and scowled at her mother. "I'm not sick I've just had a shower." She muttered awkwardly, grateful that Regina stepped in to confirm she wasn't ill.
"Hmm." Snow eyed her daughter then took in her short damp hair and sighed, "The soup will be ready in an hour, try to rest until I bring it up. And drink your orange juice, both of you need the vitamins." With one last look, she about turned and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.
Emma, despite how awkward she felt or perhaps because of it, cracked a grin at Regina then chuckled softly. "That was a close one, huh?" Carefully, Emma handed over a glass of orange juice and the medicine, then shifted uncomfortably as she sipped at her own.
Regina swallowed the pills with her orange juice, although it was hard for her to accept Snow's kindness. She assumed that David and Snow would be unfriendly if not downright furious with her, given all she had put their daughter through. Instead, Snow seemed relieved that Emma and Regina were reunited, even if she didn't know the reasons for their marital troubles or how those issues were resolved in a few days' time. It was such a drastic change from how Snow previously behaved when Regina had done anything wrong.
"It was," Regina agreed, and quietly drank her juice, studying Emma with dark and curious eyes. "Let's see if we can keep our hands to ourselves for the next hour," she suggested. "The one to hold out the longest wins."
Regina picked up a hardcover book she had been reading and put on her glasses.
Emma lifted an eyebrow and then narrowed her eyes playfully as she husked, "Game on." Oh, she could totally win this. So what if they were sitting in bed together? Wearing only pajamas. Inches apart. Her green eyes followed Regina's fingers as the brunette flipped through the book she'd grabbed.
The blonde's mere presence was making Regina restless, but she knew if she and Emma were to engage in any activities that required the total removal of their clothing, Snow and David would likely hear it. She read a few sentences, but the meaning of the words didn't register and she was forced to put the book aside. Her face revealed that her thoughts were less than pure when she risked looking in Emma's direction, and the buzz of magic in her veins was strong.
Downstairs, the plush thick curtain in the living room enveloped David in a cocoon, trapping him against the wall like a chrysalis waiting to hatch. In the kitchen, Snow experienced difficulties with the soup - she cut tomatoes again and again, and onions over and over, and finally began to question her sanity when she realized none of the work was done and fifteen minutes had passed. She stood dumbfounded in front of her cutting board when she finally succeeded in putting together her vegetable soup. Afterwards, she poured herself a stiff drink from Regina's liquor cabinet, deciding that the stress had finally gotten to her.
In the meantime, Regina's fever was spiking again from the magic rush - the bed shook underneath them and the blinds rattled in complaint. She licked her bottom lip and let out a soft, moaning sigh.
It took Emma a moment to realize she had started to subtly roll her hips against the slight weight of the blankets. Horrified, she stilled immediately, but when her gaze returned to Regina the woman was no longer holding the book; she was watching her like a predator getting ready to pounce. Emma guzzled her orange juice and shot out of bed, because there was no way she could trust herself not to reach out and grab Regina and lose the stupid game.
"I'm going to grab my cell. I have games on it." She blurted, then straightened up and tried to compose herself despite the flustered way she put both hands on her hips. It wasn't the most effective of poses when she was trying to look serious, which Emma realized immediately when she tried to walk off towards the bathroom. Her confident strut was more of an awkward walk. She shut the door behind her and sighed down at herself. "I hate you." Emma muttered, then went to the sink to collect her cell. For once she was grateful she'd forgotten about it after taking a shower. She'd only just picked it up when she sucked in a deep breath and exhaled with a shake of her head. Her body was tingling and she felt suddenly warm and calmer.
The games were completely forgotten as she leaned against the sink and found one of her playlists. With a swipe of her thumb music filtered into the room, and she set the device inside her shirt pocket before she browsed the medicine cabinet. "Why am I in here again?" Emma asked herself with a bit of a confused chuckle and shut the cabinet. Her hand grabbed for the tube of toothpaste but her reflection distracted her and she watched herself grin. Emma's bare foot began to tap against the tiled floor as she got into the music and her body swayed, the blonde laughed as she pointed to herself in the mirror and brought the toothpaste up to sing along. "I don't do boys, I just do girls, I just do girls with style and class, I don't do boys, I just do girls, I just do girls with kissable abs…"
Emma felt amazing, and a little uncoordinated as she pulled open the bathroom door to dance into the bedroom. When she caught sight of Regina she pointed towards her and carried on singing, completely off key but grinning like a fool, "Girl, it's not your game, but I know tonight you'll come, because girls are best for girls, and when we play, oh oh we don't cheat at all." Emma's voice increased in volume as she made her way around the room, "I don't do boys, I just do girls, I just do girls with style and class, I don't do boys, I just do girls, I just do girls with kissable abs!" Emma then saw fit to rip her shirt open to proudly display her own, then carried on dancing as if she were on a night out.
Regina glared darkly at the savior and swept the blankets back, getting swiftly to her feet and crossing the room in three long strides. She opened the window for some fresh air, but as soon as Emma continued to dance and undress, she groaned in frustration. "You're drunk on magic," she huffed. "Keep your shirt on!" With Emma acting like a complete fool, she started to regret that she hadn't agreed with David when he told her that she and Emma should sleep in separate bedrooms. Her head was pounding when she sank back into bed and drew the covers over her legs. "Lie down before you hurt yourself."
With her back to Regina, the savior finally stopped dancing as she noticed the not so subtle tent in her pants. Curiosity got the better of her and she pulled the waistband out to take a look, then turned to pout at Regina. "I wasn't going to hurt myself." Emma huffed, and crawled up the bed to flop onto her back. "Regina?" Emma shifted restlessly and sat up instead, and leaned towards the brunette. "Regina." She said again, then went on to add, "Regina guess what?" Emma attempted to keep the amusement off her face as she leaned in closer as if sharing a secret. "I'm like, way bigger than Neal." Then she dissolved into laughter.
Regina's lip curled back in disgust, and she again reached for her book, determined to ignore Emma's childish antics until the intoxicated state wore off. "I didn't need to know that," she sighed, though having experienced Emma for herself, she knew the savior was better endowed than the average man.
"Well I didn't need this body but you gave me it," Emma mumbled back.
"Stop the pouting." She flipped to her page in her book and perched her reading glasses back on her nose. "I'll admit that you do know how to use it but let's leave it tucked away for the time being, hmm? Why don't you go and get your book... the one that I got for you last Christmas, which you never read. It's in the guest room."
Emma couldn't understand why Regina was ignoring her, but she saw through the request to get the book and stood up after a slight struggle with the sheets. "I don't want to read." She stated, and then added dramatically, "But I know when I'm not wanted." Emma spun around and walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her. She stumbled down the hallway, almost bouncing off the walls before deciding she didn't want to go to the guest bedroom. Instead, she went into Henry's room, because the kid always had a stash of candy somewhere.
Huffily, Regina shut the novel she was reading before scooting out of bed to follow Emma. She found the savior in Henry's bedroom with a bag of bite sized candy bars in her lap. "Where did you find that? Did you buy Henry chocolate?" She snatched the treats out Emma's hand and put them aside, then tried to drag the savior up from her spot on the floor. "Emma...you aren't acting like yourself. It's my magic doing this to you. Just come back to bed, and we'll figure out something to do together."
Emma had been humming along to herself as she chewed away happily, but the sight of Regina coupled with her tone left the savior resembling a naughty child. Emma's wide eyes tried to focus on the brunette and she shook her head despite the fact that not only had she bought some of the candy, she'd also shown her son the best hiding spots.
"I won't force you to read," Regina conceded. "In fact, I'll even let you decide our activity. How about a game?"
The suggestion of doing something together perked the blonde up, and she finally allowed Regina to help her to her feet. One muscular arm slung around the brunette's shoulders as Emma steadied herself, though as she made her way back to their bedroom it was with a whined, "This is so boooorrrriiiiing, and you're so hot, it isn't fair, why can't we have any fun?" Emma let out a groan of displeasure and flopped face first onto the bed to express how she felt. Whatever else she said was muffled by the pillow.
"Ask your mother that," Regina curtly replied, and then gracefully lowered herself into bed; Emma was a pathetic sight before her. She soothingly brushed through the blonde's hair with her fingers. She coaxed Emma's head into her lap and continued to coddle the savior without allowing herself to rationalize why she was enjoying it so much. "You have chocolate all over your face." She snagged a tissue from the box on her night table and wiped the ring around Emma's lips, then kissed away the remnants of the sweet milk chocolate. Her hand stilled as she put the tissue aside and she stared into Emma's green eyes.
"I want to be able to do this in the future," Regina suddenly confessed. "With a child. Our child, Emma. We won't be giving our children sweets, but you get the idea. I want ... to clean off a little face, and sit with a sleeping baby in my lap..."
Emma listened as attentively as she could manage, and reached up to cup Regina's cheek in her large hand tenderly, "You're going to be an amazing mom." She stated a bit slurred, albeit sincerely as her eyes began to fill with tears, only to hiccup. The savior buried her face against Regina's abdomen and nuzzled it as she breathed out warmly, voice thick with emotion. "I know, 'cause you already are." Emma's arms snared the brunette's waist. "We're gonna have another kid."
"If you were sober, I would suggest we work on making that happen." Regina scratched at Emma's scalp to gently stimulate the circulation and allowed herself to slip into a haze of thought, if not contentment.
Snow bustled into the room with a tray that held two bowls of steaming soup and rolls of saltine crackers. "I'm sorry that took forever," she sighed. "I just... got so distracted. Emma, are you feeling alright? Here, sit up, or you'll spill hot soup down your front." She carefully placed the tray in front of Emma and Regina, then perched on the end of the bed, as if she intended to watch them eat every bite. "After you finish eating, you should brush your teeth and go right to bed."
Emma tried to sniff back her emotions. The knowledge that fun could be had if she wasn't so drunk with magic was taken very seriously, and the blonde actively tried to sober herself up. She'd only just half sat up when Mary Margaret walked in with their soup and crackers, and to be honest, the sight of her mother helped Emma focus. The last thing she wanted to do was look drunk in front of the woman. "Thanks." She said with a lopsided grin, before focusing all her attention on eating. Really, this was like a test, because if she could eat soup without scalding herself or making a mess then she was half way sober already. Right?
Mary Margaret stayed perched on the end of the bed and curiously watched her daughter and her wife with a mixture of concern and affection. Only once they'd both finished their soup did she finally announce, "We're going to collect Henry at the fair and we'll take him home with us. Don't you dare think about getting back up." She pointedly looked at Regina. "If you need anything, please call. There's plenty of soup left, and a lovely ginger and lemon tea."
Emma grimaced at the thought of being told what to do, but she managed to grin when she realized the house was theirs again.
Mary Margaret collected the tray up with the empty bowls and paused in the doorway to stress softly, "Rest. Both of you. We'll see you tomorrow for lunch."
"Thank you," Regina softly replied, taking some small comfort from Snow's cooking and concern, in spite of herself. "Please tell Henry we love him. He'll probably have a stomach ache from too much pizza and cotton candy..." Although he was sixteen years old, Regina still worried over her son as much as she did when he was baby. "Chances are he'll go right to bed, but I would like it if he called to say goodnight…"
Snow was out the door before Regina finished her final instructions.
With a smile on her face, Snow headed downstairs to find David. He was sitting on the floor next to the curtains. "We need to leave," he said hurriedly, getting to his feet. "We'll come back when Regina's magic sorts itself out. Besides, I just got a text from our grandson…"
"We are leaving," Snow confirmed, and put on her winter beret and matching, dark purple coat. The couple called out from the bottom of the stairs, saying "good night!" before leaving and locking up behind them.
Regina nestled herself into Emma's side, snugly fitting her smaller body into the savior's larger, muscular one. "Are you alright?" she asked. "We can watch a movie now, if you like. Our wardens are gone. I know I should stay in bed, but rules were meant to be broken, right?"
So focused on making sure her words wouldn't slur, Emma had wound up staying silent. It wasn't until Regina curled up next to her that she realized what she'd been doing, and promptly grinned. "Mmhmm." She hummed with a nod, then like a mischievous child, got out of bed and snagged Regina's hand and grabbed the blanket with the other. "Rules are seriously meant to be broken." There always would be a hint of her past lurking under the surface. The thrill of doing something she shouldn't. "We should watch…" Emma trailed off as she thought, then shook her head. "Something good." She added assertively, and pulled the brunette out of the room with a grin.
Downstairs, Emma ushered the brunette to sit down and gave her the blanket. She only tripped once over her own feet as she scrambled to turn on the television and grabbed the remote. The blonde settled heavily onto the couch, evidently proud of herself, and began to flick through the channels. Various images flashed in front of their eyes, and Emma paused once or twice when something caught her attention before inevitably passing the remote over. "You can pick." Emma's tone was breezy, as if she hadn't a care in the world, and the way she smiled at the brunette would convince anyone it was true.
Regina sank down on the sofa and folded her legs underneath her; she put the remote aside and took Emma's hand, pulling the savior down beside her. As soon as Emma was seated, she scooted into her true love's lap and draped her arms over broad shoulders. "I think I changed my mind…"
Outside, the wind roared and an ice storm froze the streets, followed by the snows promised in the forecast. The power went out, plunging them into darkness as magic sizzled around them.
"Wonderful," Regina grunted. "I would light a fire, but I might burn down our home in my current state." She appeared content to lie back in Emma's arms and shut her eyes, bundled up in the warmth of the blankets and the savior. "I'm sorry my magic is having this affect on you. I'm not sure why it turned you into a man, and now you're a stupidman at that... "
Emma pouted at Regina's not so subtle insult. "Hey I might be a man but I'm not stupid!" The words were bitter as Emma settled back against the couch, and her arms dropped from around Regina. The intent had been to cross them, but she couldn't with the brunette on her lap. "I'm street smart." She muttered under her breath, clearly offended.
"Dear, you aren't acting like yourself right now... That's all I meant." Regina wore a severe frown, eyebrows knitted together in consternation as Emma withdrew his strong arms. Her soft, mellow eyes darted up to Emma's although the savior's expression was hard to make out in the darkness. She pressed a few playful, noisy kisses to Emma's neck, but the faint smile she mustered up began to wane when she saw that her actions had no effect.
For all her accomplishments, for all she'd managed to do in Storybrooke, Emma would forever have a sore spot over being a high school drop out. It was easy for her to take it Regina's teasing seriously.
With a quiet sigh, Regina moved away from Emma and curled up on the far side of the couch. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "I didn't mean to upset you. I love you, Emma."
The savior slumped, already feeling bad and missing the warmth of the brunette. "Come back." Emma leaned over to lightly grasp Regina's forearm. With gentle insistence she pulled Regina closer and wrapped her arms around her again. "I love you too." Emma stated softly, then pressed her chin against the woman's shoulder. "Sometimes I feel stupid." The blonde confessed in a whisper. "Then I worry that everybody else thinks it, but because I'm the savior nobody mentions it."
"Are you kidding? You're the only other person in this town who has a brain, aside from me and Henry." Regina sensed the savior's discomfort and unwillingness to continue the conversation. She predicted Emma would change the subject before she even felt her pulling away.
"We should eat all of the ice cream in the freezer before it melts," Emma announced, heading for the kitchen.
"Now that sounds like a smart idea," Regina quietly replied. She went after Emma, holding onto the wall to keep from tripping in the darkness. "I'll make you a sundae..." She opened the fridge, and using a flashlight, found a carton of vanilla ice cream and caramel topping, which she scooped into a glass dish for Emma.
"I hurt you... a lot of the time, without meaning to - " Regina whispered. "And I really hurt you these past six months... but you still forgave me. How do you do that? Why do you let it go so easily? I expected you to hate me for what I did... "
Emma watched the beam of light cascade over the surfaces of the room as Regina easily made her way around, confident now that she could see better. "I'm not perfect, Regina. I screw up. I did a lot of bad stuff growing up. I made a ton of mistakes. I gave birth when I was in jail. I was terrified and that was without knowing about magic and curses and Evil Queens and… Everything." She lifted her spoon and twirled it, but waited to dig into the ice cream.
"I can't… I can't hate you for reacting out of fear the same way I did," Emma whispered. "Okay, it's different - but not really. I still got rid of my kid out of fear, and that was my choice. Neal had no idea I was pregnant. I had no idea I was pregnant, until it was too late to even consider the alternative. So why would I hate you for doing what you did when I did the same?"
"But... you didn't kill Henry," Regina protested, feeling her stomach clench in reflex; her eyes were wide and shining, focused only on Emma. "You gave him away." She drew a shallow breath and leaned heavily into the corner cabinet, clutching it for support. "You were eighteen years old. Alone, frightened, without a home or any resources of your own. I had you, Emma... " She hung her head in remorse, remembering how she stood in the same spot years ago when Owen had posed a very important question to her.
"Why aren't you a mom?"
She swallowed thickly and ran a trembling hand through her hair before tucking it under her arm and out of sight.
"Did you ever think of Henry, after you gave him up and before that night when he showed up at your apartment? You probably wondered what he was like…."
Regina paced the floor and dropped the ice cream scoop into the sink with a loud clatter. "We don't get to experience that with our daughter, Emma. We'll never get to know her. She's gone and it's my fault. I killed her."
"No, Regina, you didn't kill anyone," Emma cut in quickly. Perhaps it was the seriousness of the conversation or Regina's magic was wearing off, but the blonde was feeling a little more coherent. "Of course I thought of Henry. Hell, not a day went by that I didn't question if I'd done the right thing." Emma pressed her lips together and took a moment to gather her thoughts. When she spoke, her voice was low, husky, "Regina if I've learned anything in life it's that you can either wallow in the past and be consumed by it, or you can take a look around and move forward. I choose to look forward. If you really want to have a baby, then you can't… We can't… Get stuck on this. We have to repair our relationship, and keep moving forward together."
Regina shook her head to show she understood, even if she didn't agree; she shut her eyes tightly and turned away from Emma.
She would never overcome her past. All that she had done and everyone whose lives she affected seemed to follow her around like strategic pieces on a chessboard, constantly keeping her on high alert and making it impossible for her to live her life without worry of being caught. She continually found herself bombarded by threats, and she was the biggest threat of all to herself because fear often drove her to make the wrong moves. When would she get it right?
Emma watched forlornly as her wife withdrew She'd seen the brunette like this before, seeming so small, an invisible force crushing down on her shoulders. One thing was for sure, Emma wasn't about to let Regina carry it all herself. The blonde took a step closer and wrapped her arms around the woman's small frame and pressed herself up against her as if trying to blanket her in warmth. "You can do this, Regina." Emma whispered with conviction, her lips finding her lover's ear to state softly, "We can do this. I know we can. Together we can get through anything."
AN: As always, your reviews are so appreciated. We're excited to have a lot of new and returning readers! Please keep leaving us your comments.
The last few chapters have been a bit fluffy, but Regina and Emma have a lot of work to do as a couple. More angst to come, but also more romantic and comedic moments. And Emma will be changing back to herself after the next chapter.
