"I hear you defended my honor quite chivalrously." Regina smiled the moment that Emma sat beside her.
"What?" she looked to Ruby who shrugged, unapologetic.
"They were – are idiots. Thank you for taking him."
Regina nodded, allowing Emma to take Henry who barely woke, contented into a deep sleep for the last hour. Regina clearly wanted to say something but though they stood there for countless seconds she couldn't or wouldn't form the words. Still Emma knew exactly what was on her mind.
"You're my friend, Regina." Emma finally said.
"Yes, well thank you."
"This is why you do it, isn't it? Why you keep your professional face on all of the time. It's so you don't have to fight even harder to get people to do what you say, isn't it?"
Regina looked at her for a moment before very slowly she began to sign, her voice in a whisper "talking with my hands-" she held them up and they both watched them flow, "it's unusual. It's unwelcome. People don't know how to respond to it. Not only am I a woman in the workplace but also a woman with a vulnerability - a disability. If I do not prove them wrong, they will walk all over me."
Emma's heart hurt at the raw torment suddenly hinting in Regina's eyes, a lifetime full of hurt. Softly she cupped the beautiful woman's cheek, "I get it. I hate it. But I get it."
Chocolate on Jade. Regina's fingers lightly danced over Emma's as if looking for a landing spot.
"Oh shit, Regina!" she finally had noticed the large splotch of sick across Regina's stomach and thighs.
Regina chuckled.
"I'm so sorry!"
"Don't be," She said, tendering stroking his head. "Let me give you two a ride home."
"What? No, your car!"
"We can get him something to be sick in."
Emma went to protest again but Regina held a hand up, "Would you rather he be sick into a bucket in my backseat or on the El?"
Emma's lips closed. Anyone that has ever lived in a big city has shared the experience of someone vomiting on public transportation; it was the worst.
"Really, really you don't have to! Puke is gross!" Emma insisted as Regina followed her up to her apartment.
"I found a parking spot, Ms. Swan. That alone is proof that I am meant to come up and help you."
Henry moaned and spilled sick down Emma's back. "I'm sorry mommy!" he cried giant tears flowing down his face.
"It's okay, don't worry little man."
Regina took him so Emma could open the door and they immediately headed to the couch. They had just enough time to grab a pot from the kitchen before the poor sick boy heaved. Regina held him tightly, rubbing his back while Emma felt tears of worry fill her eyes. "Maybe we should have taken him to the E.R."
"What's his temperature?"
They took it and found it was 99.9, "That's a little better than before."
"I wouldn't worry then. Wait and see how he is in the morning."
Henry cuddled under his blanket, eyes growing heavy.
"Buddy, if you have to be sick again please tell mommy or 'Gina, okay?"
"Okay, mommy."
She hurried into her bedroom ripping off the stained clothes and cleaning herself up as best she could. She wanted a shower but Regina should have it first so she pulled on a tank top and pajama trunks then brought a pair to Regina, "you should change. Seriously. Take a shower."
Regina eyed the clothes but took them reluctantly.
Emma settled next to Henry who was already snoring and rubbed his back lightly.
She hated when he was sick, even when it was clear it was simply a common flu like this surely was. Hopefully, he would wake with the worst behind him.
Regina reappeared not long after, her hair damp, her face clean of makeup; clothes in the plastic bag that Emma had given her. "Now I smell like you." Regina grinned playfully.
Despite her stress, Emma couldn't help but to stare. Regina in one of Emma's white ribbed tank tops was one of the most startlingly stirring sights she had ever seen, add the small pink cotton pajama bottoms hanging loosely off of her hips and Emma was dizzy. Something about forcing Regina out of her comfort zone, out of her usual stiff attire was so drawing. It was her first full glimpse under the mask of Regina Mills.
"He asleep?"
Emma nodded and did not complain when Regina settled next to her.
"Are you all right?"
Emma nodded, "I just hate that I can't help him."
"You are helping him." Regina sighed, wrapping a comforting arm around Emma. She sighed and let her head settle against Regina's collarbone extremely uncomfortable and awkward, yet entirely sated. She began to relax immediately.
"Not in any real way. I guess –" Emma never got to complete her thought because Henry woke ready for his Exorcist impersonation with a fury.
They made it through session one remaining clean but worried.
"How do you think he got it?" Regina asked as he was just falling back to sleep resting on her knees, bouncing lightly.
"I have no idea. I haven't been sick. Who is he exposed to except me?"
Round two was a nasty throw-down; it was Emma and Regina against the incredible vomiting boy. It wasn't until the early A.M. the women that won the battle, Henry's last session finally weak. When the sleepy boy was able to hold down a glass of Pedialyte the women relaxed into the couch, sure the worst was over.
Emma was about to whisper to Regina that she could go home when she was woken by a tickle across her nose.
She swiped at it but the tickle just continued. Slowly, groggily she opened her eyes and found that the thing tickling her nose was a brunette wisp of hair.
She blinked, confused as to how she had gotten in this position. She and Regina were still sitting up half a cushion apart from one another but their shoulders and heads had made the distance to lean heavily on the other, Henry a tiny ball between their hips each with a protective hand on him.
Emma didn't move. She couldn't move as thoughts raced through her mind recalling the previous night. She needed to have a talk with Killian. She couldn't be in a relationship with a man who was more concerned with his shirt then helping to take care of her sick child, what was the point? She understood completely. When she had first had Henry all of the unpleasant smells and liquids he seemed to spew had disgusted her. It wasn't until the second time the boy had covered her face in spit-up during a rousing game of airplane that she had grown used to all of it. She couldn't expect anyone without children to step up to the plate in the same way she did. And yet here was Regina, clothes in a bag in the corner because her son had covered them in everything he had to offer. Despite that, she was still asleep with the little boy wrapped in her embrace. What was it with Regina? She had hinted that she wanted children of her own. Could it just be that she wanted one so badly that she had taken Henry under her wing almost instantly, latching onto the closest thing to her in need of a secondary parent? It was obvious when you saw the two together that Regina was getting just as much out of the boy as he was getting out of her. Was this something she should encourage or should she perhaps limit their time together and avoid future hurt feelings? Her instincts told her to limit their time while her heart said they could gain so much from the other.
Emma groaned as her sore back registered. Regina felt her stirring and sat up, yawning and seeming slightly confused. Emma stifled a giggle at her flattened hair. This seeing Regina under her professional shell thing was addicting.
"I guess we fell asleep."
Regina nodded and stretched.
"Mommy?"
"Hey little man, how are you feeling?"
"When's breakfast?" he yawned.
Two weeks later the biggest day in Emma's life was here. It was three days to September and Henry was yanking hard on her arm to get her to hurry up, excitement bubbling over. "Henry, wait this can't be right!"
Her phone's GPS swore this huge warehouse was the location of Regina's apartment but for the life of her, she couldn't see how. The warehouse was shoved into the busy bustling's of Michigan Ave, not far from where Regina had taken her to see The Bean. The building looked abandoned and there was a homeless man sleeping in the doorway.
She had gotten the impression that Regina not only made a great deal of money but also came from a very wealthy family. Where was the doorman? Where was the valet?
Why hadn't she made it over in the past two weeks just in case? They had spent every single day together, how had they never made it to the brunette's home?
Carrying Henry past the snoring homeless man, they entered into the lobby to find it stark, empty brick walls, wood flooring - nothing to write home about. The only thing that alerted Emma at all that they might be on the right path were the two security guards eyeing her from a small counter against the wall. She smiled awkwardly and moved passed them only to stop when she realized the elevator required a key to open. Slightly nervous from their uniforms as anyone with a troubled past could attest to, she approached the formidable looking couple, "Hi, we're here to see Regina Mills. How do we get up there?"
"Name?"
"Swan."
He looked through his paperwork and cleared his throat. Without speaking, he approached the elevator and turned the key. The moment the elevator was open she knew she was in the right place as the inside were shining mirrored silver walls reflecting back the black marble flooring, a small table to the right held a vase of beautiful white and lavender Lilies as well as a small handmade sign that read Henry Swan's birthday - PNTHSE. They stepped inside and waited a few moments while the man stared down at his iPhone. When it flashed he turned a second key into the lock next to the number menu, "all the way to the top."
She nodded, looking down at Henry who was staring at the man wide-eyed. Just before the elevator doors closed the frankly scary looking man, looked down at Henry and gave him a quick wink. Henry collapsed into quiet giggles behind his hands. "Momma, did you see?"
"I did! He's funny, huh?"
"Yeah!"
As the elevator rose, so did Emma's stress level. She was beginning to wonder from the marble flooring and the armed security how for these past months, she hadn't really been aware of just how well off the woman was.
Does it matter, Emma?
Emma's background had been poor – always. Most of the foster homes she had passed through had consisted of two people who used the subsidies from fostering as their main source of income. She had spent her teen years stealing food and clothes for herself and her foster siblings because of it. Even now, she and Henry were comfortable but you didn't exactly go into classical music expecting - well a house with two armed security guards. Her mind warred with itself; Regina had never made her feel poor and truthfully Emma didn't care much about money. Did this new revelation change much about their friendship?
Was she really surprised?
No. So shut up, Swan.
The elevator door slid open and Emma's first impression of the room was white and black. It was startling to the eye. They stepped through the door and onto a high catwalk that followed the length of the long and thin room in either direction before either end bubbled open into large suspended and open rooms. To the left Emma could see a suspended living room, comfortable with a TV and few couches. Along the back wall of that room, an industrial-looking set of stairs led up to the open space of what seemed to be Regina's bedroom. To the right the catwalk led to an office with a computer and a fold up treadmill. The view in front of them, however, was the most breathtaking thing. The floor to ceiling grid windows showed a wonderful view of the patio containing a midsized pool, a table and chairs and a large outdoor barbecue grill. Beyond those things, the view suddenly exploded into the skyline of Chicago, up and over Lakeshore Drive, the park and onto a huge glittering view of Lake Michigan.
Henry leaned over the wrought iron railing to look at the floor below them. Under the lofted living room was a huge kitchen, filled with a stainless steel island and appliances Emma was sure she wouldn't know how to use. Below the floating office was a pair of huge glass doors, black curtains were half drawn over them but the bedding inside hinted at a guest bedroom. The huge open space in the middle of the room contained a few couches and tables but for the most part of left stark, the sparse look clearly something Regina enjoyed.
As they were standing there, mouths open in shock, a device Emma could see sitting on the table below began to lightly ring with what she knew to be a typical iPhone-like ringtone. What surprised them was that as the phone rang purple lights flashed in the corner of each room. She knew that the deaf had their own type of phone and wondered for a moment if this was it.
"'Gina!" Henry squealed, finally setting eyes on the woman outside by the pool. He ran down the industrial stairs just to the left of them but Emma was frozen in place. If the sight of the loft had been beautiful then Emma wasn't sure she had a proper term for what she was seeing now. Regina stood; still perhaps unaware of their presence, hands on her hips looking down onto a table littered with food a scowl on her picturesque face. The woman stood in nothing but a light sea foam green bikini, her eyes hidden behind huge Breakfast at Tiffany's sunglasses, two thin gold chains that fell lightly crisscrossing from her curvaceous waist and over her hips. Emma's eyes lingered there for a moment before she took the rest of her in, mouth falling open; the woman's arms, legs, and stomach were tight as if she and the gym were on a first name basis and in the afternoon light her skin glowed a slightly pale bronze of skin that rarely saw the light.
Regina caught sight of Henry and smiled largely, her hands moving quickly. He vaulted into her arms and kissed her cheek sloppily.
Whoa, she spotted the sign for mom and knew that any moment Regina would spot her standing just inside the entrance ogling. She headed downstairs and though she was intimidated by her surroundings and though she was mesmerized by the awesome beauty of the woman in front of her she glued a smile on her face and joined her son, teasing, "Wow, yeah, this place doesn't look like you at all. It's so cluttered and unorganized. How can you live in this mess?"
Regina smiled, "I like structure. What can I say?"
A bright yellow light flashed twice behind them and Regina made the sign to Emma for 'door'.
"Who?" Emma sighed, clumsily signing back. She could swear every time Emma tried to sign to her the woman colored ever so slightly.
"I don't know." Regina shrugged, "Killian or the Mommy and Me kids. Will you say hi for me? Feel free to use the restroom and change. It's the door at the bottom of the staircase."
"What?" Emma called to the person who had turned her back to her, unable to hear her. The thin gold belly chains had distracted her again and she had missed her instructions.
"She told us to go to the bathroom and change!" Henry rolled his eyes at his inattentive mother.
Emma waited for another minute to greet the person, who turned out to be the parent of a recent play date, before slipping into the lavish downstairs bathroom to change. She had spent days choosing the perfect bikini for the occasion, although she wasn't wise enough at this point to be sure who she wanted to impress.
She had only seen Killian twice in the two weeks since Henry had been sick. The first time she had been so angry with him that she had decided it would be best to inform him they would speak next rehearsal and then promptly ignored him. The second time, he had appeared at the rehearsal with roses; though Lilies were her favorites the roses were nice all the same. He had apologized and while Emma had understood she decided that Killian would simply not be invited to the little birthday. She was not really ready to see him with her son anytime soon. But he had overheard Regina, who was not the best at volume control, speaking about the party and Emma had felt she had no choice but to invite him.
She pulled her hair back into a ponytail, studying it in the mirror before stripping down and pulling on her black athletic bikini. As much as she wanted to wear something flimsy and wispy as the little red number she had just spotted Ruby in she knew that a full day of chasing Henry would threaten the very life of the little strips of cloth.
Still she had shaved twice and manicured everything that could be manicured. Regina or Killian - or both - she didn't know, would hopefully approve.
When she stepped out of the bathroom Killian was standing awkwardly just inside the door above her.
"Hi."
"Hi!" He looked thankful to see her and came barreling down the stairs already in his swim trunks and nothing else.
Whoa, gah! So much body hair.
"Change already?"
"No need. It's a nice day, just wore this here. Where's the birthday boy? Swimming with the crocodile?"
"Killian." Emma warned but he just laughed and kissed her cheek.
Her boyfriend headed outside to find Henry, so she headed over to Regina waving for her attention "anything I can do?"
Regina froze, eyebrows arched high and visible over the tops of her sunglasses.
"What?" Emma looked around for the problem, her heart catching in her throat.
Had Henry fallen down? Was there blood? Shit, where is he?
With a smirk, Regina pulled off her sunglasses and bit the earpiece, grinning. Emma felt the hot flash start at her face and slam down her body only to hit her toes and ricochet back up shooting through the top of her head. "Is there anything I can do?"
Regina cocked an eyebrow and slowly shook her head, still nibbling on the glasses. "Oh stop it." Emma pulled the glasses away and plopped them next to her on the counter before turning and heading outside to find her son, feeling two sets of eyes following her Regina's and Killian's.
The day was a happy one, perhaps even a perfect one. Killian, never quite as amorous as he was that afternoon, was on good behavior. This was possibly the result of being behind enemy lines. She found his hands on her at all times that day taking advantage of her bare skin. For once she didn't mind, charmed as he laughed and cannonballed into the pool for the delight of the children, sprinkling her with water the moment he was beside her again. The man was all smiles, giving Henry piggyback rides and volunteering to be the bottom person in an amateur game of Chicken in the pool that made both Emma and Regina wince.
Despite her lack of annoyance, Emma found her eyes constantly seeking out the sea foam green bikini. She watched as Regina flew between the house and the food table, the house and the pool that she pointedly refused to get into; smiling each time she cuddled Henry or smothered him with kisses. Henry was alight the whole afternoon, bouncing at all of the love showered on him.
Sometime after most of the guests had found their way into the pool, Ruby put music on the heavy speakers. She wasn't sure exactly why a deaf person owned such industrial speakers but she was glad for the music, the party immediately lifting as the children gathered around the speakers and began jumping up and down in their five-year-old dancing. Henry almost pulled Ruby's arm from its socket trying to force her to dance with him. She joined in without a single thought, spinning and laughing as she held his hands above his head, her long wide smile shining toothily
"Your kids a natural." Killian laughed by the side of the pool, his arms tightly around Emma as he joked. "The question is, does he take after his mother?" He buried his scratchy face under her jaw, making her squeal at the tickle. She was never a big fan of hair, especially in places like the face and chest and it sent pins and needles down her spine.
"Stop it!" she laughed, only kind of teasing when she shoved his face far away from her skin, "No skin to skin contact until you shave!"
He laughed and buried his face again, holding her in place as her skin squirmed and her legs kicked, nails on a chalkboard.
Henry quickly signed across the room to Regina, catching Emma's eye. Regina laughed, nodding and made her way to the speakers. The two had a brief conversation, Henry standing studiously as he questioned her, Ruby distracted and dancing with the only single dad in the lot. Emma watched as Regina nodded exuberantly and held his little hand to the speaker. He squealed, jumping up and down and nodding. Then to Emma's surprise, a huge smile plastered on their faces Henry began to jump and spin again as Regina's hips began popping perfectly side to side and back and forth on the beat, her shoulders swaying – dancing.
A flood, yes a flood, of pleasure swept through Emma balling tightly in her nerves as she watched the woman move.
Holy shit balls.
"So I was thinking," Killian started somewhere in Emma's consciousness, far, far away.
Regina looked up and into Emma, her grin perking up in the corner. Biting her lip she beckoned to the woman with one finger. The pull was something that Emma couldn't refuse; she pushed away from Killian, excusing herself and danced over to her son and her friend, boogying in a circle with them, not at all surprised when Ruby joined again completing the circle.
Emma reached forward and ran just one hand down the side of Regina's twisting stomach.
She ran her nose down the slightly glistening collarbone, feeling her hair tickle her forehead.
She ran her hand over the back of the pulsing thigh –
"I didn't know you could dance!" she blurted out.
Ruby laughed hard beside Emma, her silky chestnut hair flying, "Oh if you only knew."
"Oh?" She looked back to Regina and faltered just a bit, losing the beat for just a moment as she found that look in Regina's eyes again, the look that had rocked through her at the bar, the sexy raw predatory look. Emma could feel it even from behind Regina's sunglasses.
"Cake!" she heard from the kitchen. The moment that her son had heard the word he was running from their circle and into the kitchen. Emma looked around confused; she was supposed to announce the cake. Why had Killian done it? She caught his eye and frowned at his scowl.
"What happened?" Regina asked watching Henry go.
"Cake." Ruby laughed.
"Ah."
They followed Emma, Regina and Ruby huddled around Henry who was laughing happily as he covered himself in chocolate before ripping through his gifts. Finally, the evening grew cool, hinting at fall in the future and the guests were forced inside and eventually to their individual homes.
Wrapping himself around her at the door Killian kissed her deeply, his belongings gathered in his hands to go, "Don't make me go, Swan."
"Do you want to stay and hang out here? Because that's what we plan on doing."
Killian's grin spread, "No. I want to come home with you."
Emma laughed to cover her annoyance. He had been so sweet all day; of course he would have to ruin it. She pushed against him lightly but he held his ground.
"Come on, Emma. At some point –"
"Hey, a few months of dating before sex is completely normal. How many times are we going to go through this?" She spun him around, ignoring the clear lust in his eyes and shoved him toward the door of the elevator but he just wouldn't go.
"Swan –" he checked to see if the coast was clear and then pulled her tightly against him, pressing every part of him openly into her body.
"Um, whoa." Emma cried, glancing around for her son, eyes wide.
"I want to come home with you," He said slowly again, making his point clear. "Please. I want this for us. Don't you want that for us?"
Emma thought about it. Did she want that? It was true; man or woman, by now she normally would have jumped in with both feet. What was holding her back?
He growled in his chest and kissed her deeply, reaching for parts of her not to be touched in public but she pulled back, worried about Henry's possibly watching eyes. "Emma! Come on!"
She pushed him a little, "Henry could be watching."
"Swan you've used every excuse in the book not to be close to me. What is it? What's the real problem? I'm beginning to think you don't want to do this."
"I'm sorry, I'm just not ready and frankly you pushing me so hard is not going to make me feel ready any faster."
"Emma." He pulled her close again despite her pushing arms and nibbled at her neck.
"Killian, stop!"
"Just try relaxing for a moment. You're always so tense with me."
"Killian! You're not listening."
Killian yelped as he was suddenly ripped away from Emma. Surprise turned to a gasp of humor when she saw Regina holding the grown man by the tender part of the ear tossing him easily into the elevator stating simply, "Not in my home, thank you." She mashed the down button and the elevator closed with a ding.
She knew her eyes were wide when Regina turned on her, face set.
She knew that what had just happened to him wasn't exactly fair. But the fierce twinkle in Regina's eyes made her laugh, a protected warmth spreading through her chest. "He's going to kill me, you know."
The scowl on Regina's face cracked, "Was that rude?"
"Regina, I'm willing to bet you are entirely aware of whether or not that could be considered rude."
Regina's lips twitched harder, the fire in her eye melted into a glittering humor and an obvious pride at her deed against the hairpiece.
Emma couldn't help it; she started to laugh reaching for the woman and pulled her into her arms for a tight hug. She heard the woman audibly gasp at the contact but a bit to Emma's surprise she returned the hug willingly.
The moment Regina's arms closed around her she wished she hadn't done it. Everything shifted from first gear to fourth in a sputtering, angry fury as her nose rested against the woman's temple. She could feel every inch of her skin instantly, wildly aware of the shorter woman's mouth resting politely against her collarbone, her hair tickling her chin, their stomachs and thighs grazing as they seemed unable to remain completely still in the embrace. Lightning crackled and sizzled. Fire roared to life, was doused and caught again.
Her head swam as if suddenly and heavily intoxicated.
Emma released the woman almost instantly, her poker face settled in place, "Thank you for doing this for Henry and thank you for that."
Regina nodded, barely looking at her as she headed down the stairs.
"Regina?" Confusion fluttered nervously in her core as felt the cheer she had been filled with all day drop away from her. Had she just gotten herself into trouble? Made her friend uncomfortable? Emma followed, "are you okay?"
Regina stared hidden behind her glasses.
"Oh. You're mad at me." She realized uncomfortably. "You're mad at me. Why are you mad at me?"
"Hey Henry," she heard Ruby say, "you want to show me your new basketball? The lobby is huge. We could play some one on one."
Emma watched the two go, feeling as though she wished she could hide behind them. Killian – that had been so rude! They had been so rude! Oh god, she shouldn't have touched her. What was she thinking?
Stupid, Em. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
"Look it was wrong of Killian to do that in your apartment. I'm going to have a talk with him, I'm sorry. But really" she squirmed uncomfortably as she dredged up things unsaid, "I shouldn't have hugged you like that, I'm sorry. I'm sure it, uh, you know, made you uncomfortable and-"
Regina shrugged.
"Regina!" Emma caught the woman's arm as she turned again, "Why are you mad at me?"
The brunette studied her for a moment from behind her glasses before deciding to speak, "I'm not mad at you, I'm frustrated." The words came out of her mouth harsh, quick as if she had wanted to yell them for a very long time now but had been holding herself back.
"What? Um, why?"
Regina put some distance between them, her hands on her hips, "I cannot for the life of me understand why you're choosing to be this girl, Emma."
"What girl?" She could feel that her eyes had blown wide in surprise. She was really in trouble!
"The girl who dates a guy because, what? He's attractive? Because other women want him? I just do not understand why you're seeing him. You don't even like the man romantically or socially."
"Whoa, wait, who says I am dating him because he's attractive? Who says I don't like him?"
Regina scoffed, her arms crossing over her chest, challenging her to prove her wrong.
"Don't tell me what I do and do not like, Regina!"
"And you defiantly don't want him! Not in the way he wants you anyway." Regina continued over Emma's protests.
"Don't tell me what I want!"
"Are you sure? Are you sure, Emma, because I think I can tell you exactly what you want."
"And what's that?"
Regina laughed, her head thrown back over her shoulders as if the answer were the most obvious thing in the world, "Me. You want me."
