Notes: I couldn't find a nice place to divide this one so it's longer than I was trying for (apologies). I needed to get through these emotional scenes before I could move the plot. Next chapter in a few days, (with plot!) Huge thanks again to Race. :)


Well after sunset, Regina sat with her back against the cool porcelain tub and her bare feet on the bath mat. Steam hung in the air, and it was so warm that she only wore a strappy tank top and her pyjama bottoms. She rested her book on her lap, only half paying attention to the same paragraph she'd been reading for the last ten minutes or so, tired enough that the words on the page weren't really sticking in her mind. Behind her, Mal sank low in the hot water, her knees up against her chest and her head tipped back against the lip of Regina's indulgently large bathtub (renovating had been a way to occupy and distract herself during one of her low points after the curse broke).

After a quiet dinner without Cruella and Ursula, who'd moved into their own home, Mal insisted that her skin was unbelievably filthy, and almost - for her anyway - begged to take a bath (meaning she was only slightly rude when demanding it). Regina knew what it was like to be trapped like that, weakened and unable to care for yourself until your very skin seemed to crawl. She sympathized, but Mal could still barely stand up on her own, so after a brief discussion, Regina agreed to sit with her.

She still might need Emma, because eventually Mal was going to want to stand up and get out and the bottom of the tub could be slippery. It was all too easy to imagine the disaster waiting to happen if she slipped and fell and Regina wasn't able to steady her. It would be easier just to teleport her out onto a towel and dry her off there, but then Mal would want to use her own magic and weaken herself further because she was a stubborn pain in the ass (Regina was not unaware they might have had that trait in common) and so Regina stayed to make sure she didn't fall asleep in the hot water and drown, or break a leg getting out.

Surprisingly it was peaceful in a way, the heat, the quiet, the soft sounds of Mal shifting in the water. Regina felt some of the tension from the last few days gradually melt off her shoulders.

"And you didn't see any signs of another nest of beetles near the one you burned?" Maleficent asked. The water sloshed gently, and Regina could picture her dragging her hand across the surface, as she'd done in the huge pool in her castle, a world away.

"We searched the area thoroughly and found nothing," Regina answered, again. Her beetle-torching adventures with Emma had been most of the dinner conversation, because Henry wanted to hear all about them doing magic together and Mal worried about the beetles enough that Regina had started to think they were the herald of something worse. She tucked her bookmark into her book and shut it, setting it aside. "Emma and I saved a few dead beetles, so Cruella can turn another one into a compass to find the other nest, but I think we'll have to wait and see if they attack again, because it's a very large woods and we spent most of the day tromping through it and still found nothing."

Mal made a noncommittal noise, then shifted, water lapping softly at the sides of the tub. When she spoke again there was a hint of amusement in her voice. "At least you were together," she said, almost purring. "You two were very close when you returned."

This gentle teasing and the subtle approval it conveyed was a new side to Maleficent and it still left Regina a bit off balance, her skin heating as she flushed at the implication in Mal's tone. Or maybe the truth of it, she honestly couldn't tell anymore.

"It took a great deal of fire to burn the nest and magical fire is still very stimulating for both of us." Regina said primly. She was facing away from Mal but knew Maleficent could probably tell she was blushing anyway, her neck and shoulders bare beneath the pony tail and thin strapped tank top she wore. "You must have known that when you sent us out."

"I doubt the two of you need much encouragement to be stimulated, even without magic," Mal replied. She sounded far too pleased with herself but though Regina made a face there was something light in her chest. The warmth of Mal's approval...even after all this time, felt good, echoes of strong arms and fierce blue eyes and lips against her skin, challenging her to become more than what she had been.

Regina's lips curled in a smile as she thought about another clear gaze, green instead of blue, sparking with anger and daring her to do her worst. Maybe she really did have a type.

As if sensing the direction of her thoughts, or just taking Regina's silence for acknowledgement, Mal made a soft huff of amusement.

Regina thought about tossing something into the tub, or turning around and splashing the smug look off Mal's face, but she was here to take care of her teasing dragon and also, Maleficent was the kind of woman who always played to win and Regina had no desire to have to clean the entire bathroom up, nor explain to Emma or Henry why the floor (and possibly the carpet in the room beyond) was soaked. Besides, it was such a relief to see Mal able to tease that she was willing to let her win this particular verbal sparring match.

"No, we don't," she replied, ending Mal's teasing with the truth. They never had, truly. Anger, fear, challenge, irritation, determination, care...no matter what she and Emma had ever felt for each other their emotions had always run hot. This was just another type of passion, deeper and more lasting perhaps, but not new, even if it had changed how they came together.

"Good," Mal sighed softly, something like longing in her voice. "That's good."

The silence that followed was weighted, but not uncomfortable and Regina put her book down, giving up on trying to read.

She and Emma had been together each night since the they shared the dragon fire. Mostly so exhausted that touching each other was nothing more than a way to allow themselves to sleep, the comfort found in the presence of someone - no, not someone, of Emma - in her bed Regina had not expected at all, yet they were at ease needing each other's presence.

The practical minutia had also been easy. Emma had gradually moved most of her clothing into the space Regina cleared in her ample closet, her clothes not even coming close to filling half the space. She didn't have much, even after these few years in Storybrooke. Regina had meant to ask her what happened to the bulk of the wardrobe from New York but there always seemed to be something more important, and New York remained a subject as likely to hurt as heal both of them.

The water whispered around Mal's skin and they sat in silence for a time until Mal spoke, breaking Regina out of her musings. "I assume you're taking precautions?"

Regina stopped playing with the pile of the thick grey bath mat and looked up, confused. "With what?"

"With Emma, dear," Mal said. Her wet hand brushed Regina's shoulder, leaving tiny drops of hot water behind. "You both have strong magic. What happened between us, well, you could do it again."

Regina turned, resting her hands on the side of the tub where Mal sat, lean form hidden up to her shoulders in a heap of herbal bubbles. Her smile was both wicked and wistful, and Regina wasn't sure which emotion to address first. She still had a host of questions about how Mal had gotten pregnant, what had happened, if Regina had done something in particular…

"Emma has an implant," Regina began, trying to soothe Mal's concerns. "I heard her speak to Snow White about it after little Neal was born."

Mal nodded, toying with the bubbles between her fingers. If she was relieved, it didn't show in her face.

"We'll discuss it, but I think it's already been taken care of," Regina promised, slightly frustrated with the interrogation, but also touched, because Mal obviously cared about her relationship with Emma, and that pleased her.

Both women were quiet for a moment, Mal apparently entranced with the play of the water through her fingers and Regina just watching her. "I wasn't thinking, when I was with you," Mal volunteered suddenly, voice lower and softer than it had been as she leaned back against the edge of the tub. She smiled wistfully at Regina over the bubbles then closed her eyes. "I should have been more careful, but I was so concerned with revenge that I didn't allow myself much thought for the rest of my life, and you…" Maleficent sighed the word. "You were a beautiful distraction."

Regina's throat was suddenly tight, her eyes stinging and she shook her head, forcing the past and everything that might have been away. Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Regina grabbed the plastic cup she'd brought up from the kitchen and indicated the shampoo because they should get her hair washed before the water grew too cold for her. "Before you get too distracted reminiscing, let me wash your hair," she managed, trying to keep her tone light. The soft glance Mal gave her before moving obediently said she probably failed.

Mal turned her back towards her, leaning back so her long blonde hair fell into the water and swayed lazily beneath the surface. Regina had expected more resistance. Mal must have truly felt desperate to be clean if she wasn't putting up at least a token fuss to try and do it herself. Gently pouring water over Maleficent's head, Regina carefully worked her way around, making sure all of it was wet enough before she squirted shampoo into her palm.

"There are so many ways to clean here," Mal said, sighing up towards the ceiling, her eyes closing in pleasure as Regina gentle rubbed the lather into her scalp. "So many soaps and cleansers."

"It's nice, isn't it?" Regina agreed, remembering the sand she'd used to scrub her skin, and the animal tallow soap that she'd had to wash with, often harsh with lye. Even as queen, she hadn't had soap as pleasant-smelling and soft as she could walk into a supermarket here and easily obtain.

"Almost overwhelming."

Continuing to lather the shampoo against Mal's scalp and down through dark blonde tresses, Regina smiled fondly, trying to picture Maleficent, mistress of all evil, overwhelmed in the shampoo aisle. "We'll help you adjust," she promised and Mal's lips quirked in one of her myriad mercurial smiles.

There was another lull in the conversation, Maleficent almost purring in pleasure and Regina enjoying the simple act, the soft smell of the shampoo and the silky texture under her fingertips. The last time she had taken care of another woman's - girl's really - hair had been...Regina pushed the memories away. Snow was not part of this.

"I didn't think I could get pregnant," Mal admitted after a pause. "I wasn't careful with you, because I didn't anything would happen to either of us."

Fighting to keep her face even, Regina focused on rinsing the shampoo from Mal's silky hair, taking her time so all of it was clean and Mal wouldn't have to dunk her head under the water. "Why?"

"Dragons are famously infertile. Our lives are too long, if we conceived easily, there would be too many of us. Conceiving a child, especially with a human, was a shock I wasn't at all prepared for."

There was something so soft and sad in Mal's voice that Regina set down the conditioner and stroked her forehead instead, trying to soothe the worry lines. "I thought it must have been you. Something about your power," she replied softly, guilt dragging at her words and squeezing her chest.

Mal lifted her head, looking over shoulder to meet Regina's eyes. There were no accusations in her clear blue gaze, only understanding and shared regret. So many mistakes littered between them all they could do was stumble forward now, together. "It was you, dear," she said gently. "Something in you was more determined than anyone I've ever met, and as it took hold of me…" she trailed off, her expression lost.

"What," Regina swallowed, her throat tight. "What was it like?" she managed. Maybe she had no right to know, but Mal had been carrying her child and she'd missed it, and a part of her longed for even the tenuous connection of shared memories.

"I realised why my mother had always warned me that it was hard to carry a child," Mal said wryly, although her lips pulled up into a fond smile. Slowly, moving with great care, she turned all the way and stared at Regina over the edge of the tub. "I was so sick at first. I didn't know what to do. It's very difficult to maintain a veneer of strength and control when your head's pounding and your stomach's forcing ash up your throat."

"You were sick more than once?" Regina had always thought it was the one time in the forest. Mal hadn't complained, and she thought if Mal was ill, she'd complain, because she wasn't the kind to bury that.

"I was sick for months," Mal admitted, looking past Regina towards the darkness outside the frosted glass bathroom window. That enigmatic smile was still in place when she looked back, but Regina could see the deep sorrow just beneath. "Magical pregnancy takes everything out of you that it can, affecting you not just physically and emotionally, but magically. My abilities spiked and faded, and spells that were easy were sometimes fiendishly difficult, and then the next week demanding spells would be too easy. Ursula and Cruella came to protect me because I was afraid. Dragon slayers earned much glory in that land and I could barely defend myself. They still haven't let me live it down that I asked for their help, of course."

Regina treasured the words even as they twisted inside her, guilt and remorse like acid in her stomach. She wanted to insist that she would have protected Maleficent. She had been The Evil Queen by then, had the strongest, best equipped army in that region, but Regina knew better. She had been at war; her heart consumed with revenge and if Maleficent had come to her for aid, even for their child, she wasn't truly sure what she would have done. She'd needed her soldiers to hold off the threat of Snow and Charming's army, and she'd been utterly consumed by the process of casting the dark curse. Mal and a child would have been a distraction, something that took her away from her revenge. It was all too easy to imagine that she wouldn't have taken that well. Maybe she couldn't have believed that she could have any part in the making of a child, or felt that caring for Mal and a child a weakness that she couldn't allow. She wouldn't have trusted her old self to do anything to protect anyone else, not even Maleficent. Not even their child.

"So you hid behind the sea bitch and the dog whisperer and never told me," Regina said. She struggled to keep her tone light. Her only anger was for her past self, not the woman in front of her. The steady blue gaze looking back at her told Regina Mal understood all too well. "Turn back around so I can finish your hair, please," she said, glancing away. Regina felt fragile and battered, as if there was a bruise on her heart that ached with each beat.

Instead of complying, Maleficent reached up and stroked Regina's cheek with her wet hand. "You see, dear, this you, I would have told."

The touch, the tenderness in Mal's voice, it made the back of Regina's eyes sting and she had to struggle not to let herself be overwhelmed. Sensing her turmoil, Mal shifted away and Regina blinked, grasping at the familiar safety of their banter. "I'm glad my character development pleases you," she teased, relaxing as her vision cleared and her lung opened. And she was glad. The road behind her was littered in painful memories, wet with her own blood and tears, but she wouldn't change where she was now. Not anymore. Mal admitting weakness and fear wasn't something she would have done in the past either; they'd both changed. She massaged conditioner into Mal's hair, letting it slide over her fingers and thinking of another's blonde hair, dark and warm with water slipping between her fingers. Thinking of Emma's hair brought a soft curve to her lips, and she realised she could picture Emma here with her in the bathtub, someday, when they had more time to themselves.

"I was a coward, dear, don't blame yourself," Mal kept her eyes shut as she confessed her old secret.

"Now that's something I never saw you as," Regina replied, still working conditioner through the ends of her hair. Mal's words stirred that sick feeling in the pit of her stomach again. How evil had Regina been if Maleficent, a dragon, was afraid of her?

Mal lifted her head, and Regina nearly chastised her for moving, but the words didn't come, the way she stared at the wall was so vulnerable that Regina kept quiet and waited for Mal to explain. "I didn't know what you'd do."

And there it was, the truth Regina had somehow known yet feared. The words pushed at her ribs, her shoulders, making her want to curl inward, ancient human instinct to protect a wound that wasn't truly there but ached all the same.

"I might have hurt you-" Regina said for her, but Maleficent cut her off.

"No," She said, fierce and bright, turning once more to look at Regina before softening. "No dear, not that. I never thought- you wouldn't have hurt me, I wasn't afraid of that." Regina could only sit stunned, off balance even if she no longer hurt as she had moments ago. She was even more shocked when Mal looked away, toying with the last of the bubbles, staring at her wrinkled fingers because she couldn't meet Regina's eyes. "I feared that you'd come with me."

"What?" Regina dropped her hands to her lap, forgetting about the conditioner still on them.

That sky blue gaze flickered up then away again and Maleficent sighed, something ancient and weary and not human in the single release of breath.

"If I had told you of our baby, and you'd left it all behind - revenge, your kingdom, everything you'd fought for - I wouldn't have been able to keep you at a safe distance. I couldn't have kept myself apart. I'd lived alone for centuries before I lost my heart to Briar Rose. I'd been independent, travelled, cared for nothing that I couldn't take with me. Then she tamed me, grounded me, made me think that there really was more to life than a handful of gems and a spellbook. And when she left me...she broke me, turned me to dust and cold and ashes. I'd all but given up when you arrived. I was well on my way to cursing myself into oblivion before you knocked on my door." Pulling her knees up again, Mal curled into herself. "Falling for you would have been infinitely more dangerous and I was afraid, not of your darkness, dear, but my own weakness. I was afraid of losing everything, and I knew, this time, it would be everything."

"I still should have looked after you," Regina insisted, trying to ignore the way her heart raced in her chest. She'd been worthy of love after all, and she knew all too well how terrifying it was to be faced with the prospect of a tenuous, insubstantial happy ending. "I should have protected our daughter."

"I couldn't," Mal whispered, and Regina heard her voice steady. She leant her head back again, rebuilding her walls. "It wasn't your fault Regina. None of it."

Regina couldn't find the words to reply to that.

"What was she like?" She finally asked, lifting her hands to rinse Mal's hair a section at a time, which relaxed her because it was something useful she could do. The soft scent of conditioner mixed with the steam of the bubbles, returning at least a tiny sense of normalcy.

"I remember the weight of her on my chest. How she was both too light and far too heavy, and how she smelled like everything right with the world and like nothing before." Mal's closed eyelids creased tighter shut, holding back tears. "That memory of her, is all I have."

"I got Henry when he was just weeks old. He didn't seem real, just a tiny wriggling thing but he became my whole world the very first time I held him in my arms. He's the best thing to ever happen to me." Finished rinsing Mal's hair, Regina stroked her forehead again, wishing she could do more, hating the feeling of helplessness that goaded her. She wanted so badly to bring this child back, to give back Maleficent's hope and repair at least some tiny part of the damage she had caused.

"He's hardly a child anymore," Mal pointed out softly, and oh Regina hated the truth in those words. Henry had raced ahead of her, changing with time that hadn't moved for her for most of his life. She supposed it was every parent's truth, that they felt their children grew up too fast, but she had lost so much of him because of her own mistakes. Now time moved for both of them and the anger and hurt of the past years had been laid to rest, but she still wasn't ready for how independent he was, how brave and resourceful. Even with her shortcomings as a parent, Henry was extraordinary.

"He's not moving out just yet," Regina reminded her. She still had several years with him before he'd be fully independent and leave home. They hadn't talked about university, or what path he'd liked to take. She'd read about the options in the modern world, but Emma would be able to help him more.

Mal opened her eyes slowly, and rubbed them with the back of her hand. "Then you are fortunate."

"I know," Regina said. She touched Mal's bare shoulder, wishing she had more to offer to soothe her but there were some wounds that never healed.

Instead Regina merely stayed quiet, fingers resting on Mal's skin, her thumb stroking a small arc on over the point of her shoulder. It was empty comfort, she knew, but it was all she had to offer.

They sat that way, neither moving or speaking, until Mal sighed and shifted, making a face at the water which must have gone cold by now. It broke the weighted silence, bringing both women back to the present and the practical realities of their situation.

Reaching for the plug, Regina got to her knees and pulled it free. "Stay seated until the water's gone. I don't want you to fall," she ordered, hiding a smile at Maleficent's predictable huff. Still she might have rolled her eyes, but she waited as the water slipped away around her.

Standing and trying not to grimace at the ache in her knees that complained of sitting on the floor too long, Regina grabbed two large fluffy towels, draping one around Mal's shoulders as soon as the water was low enough. She kept the other one on the floor, using it to supplement the bath mat.

"I'm hardly going to break," Mal said, irritation creeping into the words.

"You were very broken not long ago, so forgive me for being cautious," Regina chastised, tone sharper than she'd meant. The horror of seeing Maleficent suffering and weak was still so very close and some of the fear must have shown on her face because Mal quieted and did as she was told, standing slowly and reaching for Regina to steady her. They took the step out of the tub with great caution, Mal's damp hands firmly on Regina's shoulders while Regina held Mal's waist. It seemed almost silly that something like a bath should make her so worried, but once Mal stood on the mat, Regina could suddenly breath again as the worry left her in a rush. Trying to cover just how tense she'd been she concentrated on helping Mal dry off.

Either mindful of Regina's wishes or just tired even from standing, Mal was still, allowing Regina to help her. In the damp warm air of the bathroom, there was an intimacy to their closeness, a gentle weight to the silence. Regina hadn't been this close to Maleficent in decades. She was still beautiful, long-limbed and slender. The curve of her ribs and the bones of her shoulder blades were too pronounced, but that would fade now she was strong enough to start eating real food again. Her skin where Regina's fingers brushed it was as silky and she remembered it pressed against her. She remembered the taste and texture of that skin in her mouth and the way it felt fevered with want. But it was memory only.

Maleficent had been tempered by time and grief, as beautiful as ever, and Regina still cared deeply, fiercely about her, but her heart didn't race in her chest, her cheeks remained unstained by the blush of arousal. Whatever they had been to each other, the fire of attraction had burned out long ago. In its place was something gentler, deeper maybe, if Regina were lucky, lasting.

Rubbing the fluffy towel across Mal's stomach, she paused, staring at the fine silver lines across her belly that she hadn't seen before. Her memories of Maleficent's body were as vivid as ever. These weren't part of her knowledge, they were were new.

"They're all I have left," Mal explained, fingertips tracing the marks her pregnancy had left behind.

"We're going to find her," Regina promised, concentrating on wrapping her up in the towel. "Emma and I will find her and bring her back. You'll see her again. We will see her again."

Gentle fingers on her face stopped her, tipping her chin up until Regina's eyes met that familiar blue gaze. Mal's eyes could be as cold as glaciers or as hot as flame but in the soft warm light of the bathroom they looked like a gentle summer's day, the exact colour of the sky a dragon had once flown beneath, bearing a young queen on her back. Carefully, Maleficent bent her head and pressed her lips to Regina's forehead.

"There's my little ridiculous optimist," Mal said, and smiled. It was weary, but it was a smile and Regina felt herself answering in kind. Maybe she was spending too much time with those idiot Charmings, or maybe she was just learning to have faith in what she and Emma could accomplish, but Regina had to believe they would succeed. Maybe it wouldn't be a happy ending for Maleficent and their daughter, but perhaps it could at least be a better story.

She let the towel fall and Regina helped her get dressed. Once she had her settled in bed, Regina tucked the covers around her carefully, laying a hand against Mal's cheek and telling her to sleep before moving quietly to pick up the mess in the bathroom. She tugged one of Emma's oversized hoodies on over her tank top and went downstairs to drop the towels in the laundry.

The chore was normal and comforting and Regina felt a little more like herself by the time she found the rest of her family. Henry sat on the sofa with the storybook, half-reading it next to Emma as she finished one of the levels in that game both of them were so fond of.

Emma glanced up from the game as Regina entered the room and her smile...the voice in Regina's mind that would always sound like Cora whispered 'weak' and 'foolish' but the rest of her ignored it because Emma's smile lit her entire face, her full attention on Regina. It was like being hugged from across the room. That smile drew her in and it was easy, so easy to go to her and bend down, to brush a kiss to the corner of Emma's mouth and the top of Henry's head before settling next to Henry. Emma returned her attention to the slaughter on the plasma screen and Regina settled back against the cushions, letting this moment of quiet take her over.

Everyone was safe; even Ursula and Cruella were starting to get settled in their new home. They'd invited all of them over for dinner and drinks next week, which meant all of them were hoping Maleficent would be up to leaving the house by then. A week was a good deadline, and Ursula wanted time to get their kitchen sorted before they tried to cook in it, and although Regina knew they were 'villains' the two of them planning their house together was oddly adorable, especially when they directed all their teasing at each other instead of her or Emma.

They still had devouring beetles to hunt down, and Henry hadn't found anything about them in the book. He hoped Maleficent would be willing to help him find more information from the books in the library, but again, that would have to wait until she was well enough to leave the house. Regina reached out, resting her arm over his shoulders, and when he merely smiled and leaned into her, continuing his reading, she let herself close her eyes and just be, grateful for these moments that she could only silently hope lasted.

"Did you put the dragon to bed?" Emma asked, finally finished with her quest. When Regina nodded, she set down the controller and grinned at Henry. "Ready for nightmare difficulty?"

"You wanna bet?" Henry teased, moving away and setting the book on the coffee table. "You haven't seen nightmare difficulty until I play it, with a crusader, not your silly overpowered wizard."

"You don't think wizards are overpowered when you play them," Emma said, bumping his shoulder.

Henry rolled his eyes, and yes, it did look very much like the way Regina did it. "You know your gear is ridiculous. You got lucky."

"I think you're trying to say that I got skills," Emma joked, flopping onto the sofa next to Regina, taking up the space Henry had just left. "Maleficent all right?"

Regina nodded, and leaned in when Emma nudged her shoulder. She had every reason to be so tried, exhaustion had been their companion all week, but Regina wasn't ready to sleep just yet. She could still picture the faded marks across Mal's belly, and part of her mind supplied that they would have formed with the growing of their baby. That was something she missed getting to see. She'd never really been that close to anyone pregnant. Snow, of course, but she'd spent most of her time trying to keep her older sister and the ghost of her mother away from Snow's baby, not talking about stretch marks and sore breasts.

"Come here," Emma said, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close. Regina slipped into her arms easily, curling into Emma's chest as she watched Henry carve a swathe through the creatures in his way. Emma kissed her head, then toyed with her hair in a way that made worrying about Mal's loneliness less painful. Maleficent was safe now, and they'd find their baby. She couldn't fix the past, but she could help Emma make sure the future had promise, for everyone, not just the ones the book deemed heroes.

"In bed by ten," Regina reminded Henry and he nodded.

"Yeah mom, I have a watch."

Emma smirked, then kissed Regina's head again. "Come on sleepy. It doesn't seem like you're going to make it until ten. 'Night, Henry."

He waved them both off. "Night moms. Pancakes tomorrow?"

"If you're up early enough to help," Emma said, walking Regina towards the stairs with an arm around her back.

"I remember when you two argued about what order the cereal and milk went into the bowl," Regina remembered aloud, shaking her head. "I was judgemental about your lack of parenting skills then. Now look at you."

"Playing violent video games and trusting him to manage his own bed time?" Emma shrugged. "I'm a paragon of parental responsibility."

But Regina cupped her face, bringing Emma back to look at her. "You're a good mother, Emma Swan," she said softly, pressing a gentle kiss to Emma's lips. She was more than that of course, she was Emma, and her presence here had changed everything for the better, but there would be time later to tell her that, to make her believe it. Emma didn't say anything in return, but the shine in her eyes and the way she held Regina's as they turned and walked up the stairs was all the response Regina needed. They both had their scars but Regina was truly starting to believe they could do this, whatever it was.

They had to, because doing without was no longer an option.

They checked on Maleficent on their way to bed, and she was fast asleep in the guest room. Regina ticked that off as another small victory and followed Emma into the bathroom for their evening ritual. It was a large enough master bath that both of them fit, but they'd already fallen into a routine where Emma washed her face, then flossed while Regina washed her own, because if Regina didn't keep her there, she'd try to get away without it. Emma usually finished first, and tonight she peeled off her clothes, tossed them all in the hamper, grabbed a t-shirt and pyjama bottoms to set by the bed case anyone needed them during the night, and then crawled into what was slowly becoming their bed, completely naked.

Regina smiled over her shoulder as she more carefully removed her own clothing. She hung up her bra so it would maintain its shape, then stepped out of her panties. Emma sat up, grinning as Regina circled to her side of the bed. The sheets were initially cool, but Emma's side of the bed was already warm, so she slid over and pressed their bodies together. The soft fabric slowly absorbed the heat of their bodies, and she turned over to smile at Emma in the darkness.

"Hey," Emma whispered, kissing her forehead, her nose, the corner of her mouth. "We made it through another day."

Her touch, her lips, Emma was so gentle with her, it made Regina ache, made her sigh and yearn closer, seeking the warmth of Emma's skin against her own. Emma's mouth found hers, slow and gentle, then more, deeper, warm and slick and good. Emma's arms pulled her tighter, closer, and Regina gave herself over to it, her palms against Emma's muscles, letting the worries that the beetles might be a threat, that Maleficent's loss would never truly heal and that she had a daughter fade into the back of her mind for the evening.

She was tired, muscles heavy and slow, but Emma's touch made her heart quicken. Sure hands swept up and down her back, followed the curve of her ribs and eased her back, pressed her down so that warm touch could reach her breasts, her stomach, the point of her hip, the length of her thighs. There was no real urgency to Emma's movements. She touched Regina as if they had all the time in the world.

In the darkened room, only the soft silver spill of moonlight slipping through the curtains, Emma's eyes were colourless and ethereal, her expression almost unreadable, but Regina didn't need to see her to know what she felt. Everything Emma wanted to say she put into the way she pressed her lips to Regina's throat, the way her hands cradled and caressed and worshipped.

And Regina couldn't help but return in kind, the soft weight of Emma's breast in her palm, the feel of a nipple hardening under her touch, the way Emma's breathing hitched, caught; it was addictive, heady and soothing, humbling and powerful all at once. Regina's hand moved lower, over the silky skin of Emma's hip, below her navel, and there she paused. She couldn't see them in the low light but she knew Emma's body now, could trace the faint lines in her mind's eye as clearly and she knew the marks below her fingers, the direction they traveled and the changing colour of the skin. Like Maleficent's but different, a fingerprint of another life. These were Henry's marks and he'd left them on Emma's body just as he daughter had left hers on Mal. The scars of motherhood Regina bore lay under her skin and she cherished these, faint stories of a time long past but forever important.

"What?" Emma asked, kissing her shoulder while she waited.

"Mal has the same marks you do."

Puzzled, Emma stroked Regina's hair, toying with it with gentle fingers. "Marks?"

"From being pregnant, I... they're beautiful," Regina finally admitted, flushing slightly in the darkness.

The sheets whispered and Emma pulled her closer to kiss her. "They itched, a lot," she said quietly, her voice distant. "One of the other women gave me some lotion and it helped. I never liked them." She finished carefully and Regina felt the tension in the body pressed against hers.

Something twisted deep in the pit of Regina's stomach, her own shoulders tightening as guilt swept her, that for a moment she had forgotten how much pain those memories must have held for Emma. She started to apologise but Emma dipped her head, pressing soft soft kisses on her mouth and beneath Regina's hands hard muscle shifted, relaxed.

"It's okay Regina. You can like them even if I don't," Emma promised her, her expression and voice soft. "Carrying a child you don't get to raise is a special kind of pain. I have an idea what she's going through, but-"

Regina traced Emma's lips with her finger. "We'll find her."

Kissing that finger, Emma caught her hand and pulled Regina closer, nipped at her lower lip and smoothed her hand down, down, until her fingers slipped between Regina's thighs, making her gasp. Distracted, Regina hadn't realizsd how her arousal had been building. She'd been thinking of Emma, not herself, and without realising it, the warmth in her chest had sunk between her thighs. Emma's searching fingers found her slick and swollen and hot and her hips rocked eagerly to meet that gentle touch.

Emma steadied herself with her other hand, leaning close to kiss Regina, soft and quick, deep and slow, their faces so close, they breathed the same air, gazes held as tightly as hands and Regina felt safe, so safe. They kissed again, and this time Emma sucked on her bottom lip just enough to make her moan, make her arch and twist and open her legs and oh..oh. Emma's fingertips parted her, trailing the length of her sex and teasing her clit, never as hard as she wanted, as she needed but so good, so very good. And then Emma shifted, pressed, those steady strong fingers inside her and Regina cried out softly, head thrown back and eyes shut tight.

Only for a moment though, because Emma kissed her and said, "Hey, look at me, please?" and how could she ever resist such a soft plea?

Emma above her was silvered and pale, she was parted lips and eyes lost to the shadows and hair falling like a tangled curtain over her shoulder. She was beautiful, and she was Regina's.

Regina's own hands were clumsier, already half drunk on the sensation of Emma within her, palm against her clit. They shifted and strained, Emma trembling to hold herself so Regina could be inside her. They were hot soft skin and the slick sounds of flesh, eager mouths and bitten lips. Regina twisted her fingers, drawing a moan from Emma's mouth and Regina kissed her, moved again, felt that moan in her own chest. It was enough to made Regina shiver. Emma kept their eyes locked, staring at her as Regina thrust her hips into Emma's hand, wanting her deeper, harder, as her own fingers pressed into the slick dark of Emma. Green eyes fluttered closed, teeth biting her lower lip and Regina wanted more. More. Emma had more control, though, her strength, her weight, she moved inside Regina and Regina lost her rhythm, lost everything but the feeling of Emma above her, against her, in her and when Emma told her to let go and just feel, she did. She held onto Emma's gaze and let her magic go, felt it slip through their skin and slide into Emma as sure and deep as Emma was in her. Now it was Emma's turn to arch, to cry out and falter, but not for long.

Their magic came together like currents, pulling them both under and away.

Orgasm snuck up on her like a slow tide, building in the back of her head and the base of her spine until Emma's eyes in the dark were all of her world. She clung to Emma, holding her, racing towards Emma's own release while she surrendered.

Afterwards, Emma wrapped around her, warm and supple against her skin. Regina held her close, arms over Emma's. She traced meaningless patterns on Emma's arms, listening to her breathe. Such a simple sound, and Regina found it lulling her to sleep almost every night now. Languid and sated, tonight was no exception.

Half asleep, Mal's words suddenly drifted across her mind and Regina nuzzled Emma's shoulder.

"You still have that implant you told Snow about, right?" she asked, voice rough and half-slurred with sleep.

Emma wasn't any better when she replied, words barely a whisper. "You worried?" she asked and Regina could hear the smile in her voice. Lips brushed Regina's neck, and the sensation of safety filled her. Tired and warm and content, she didn't resist it. She'd lost so many people she loved, but Emma somehow she trusted, somehow she knew. Emma would stay. Their story wasn't over, but it was theirs now. Regina had just enough faith left to trust that.

"Mal was," she replied, sinking deeper into the warmth of Emma's arms and blankets. "But it's okay."

"Yeah," Emma promised her. "Everything's going to be fine."