A/N: So it's technically Monday where I live, but I ask that you don't hold that against me... or do. Either way, I posted this when I posted this. :)
Leave a review/Pm me/ love me forever
Warning: FLUFF FOR DAYZ.
Love always,
~R.
Emma dipped her head down and caught Regina's lips, wrapping her fingers around the brunette's torso. The brunette wove her fingers into the blonde hair and pressed her lips even closer.
"I've really wanted to do that since you opened that door," Emma whispered in her professor's ear.
Regina laughed loudly, her head falling back, "Well it's about time, Emma. I was worried you never would."
Emma leaned over, placing the chicken breasts into the oven and checking- again- to make sure it was set at the right temperature. She turned to face the woman who was sitting on a stool at the island in the center of the kitchen.
"Thanks again for letting me borrow some parmesan, Reggie. It's kind of hard to make chicken parm without it," Emma smiled shyly, still embarrassed that she had to ask for the cheese.
"You're seriously sticking with Reggie?" Regina scrunched her nose in adorable distaste.
Emma walked around the island and up to the woman in question. "Of course, Reggie. What else would I call you?"
"Well, let's see," the brunette pretended to think. She suddenly gasped and threw her hand up in the air, pointer finger sticking out. "I have an idea!" she exclaimed, her sarcasm clearly oozing from the tone in her voice. "You can call me…. wait for it… Regina. Because that is my name."
"Why would I do that when I can properly emasculate you from your cold-hearted persona- that we both know is just a facade- and give a name that shows just how sweet and cute and adorable you can be?"
"I'll show you sweet and adorable when I refuse to give you a goodnight kiss tonight." The brunette stared into hazel eyes, challenging Emma to argue with her.
Instead, she got a small giggle and a joking response, "Is that a threat, Miss Mills?"
Narrowing her eyes and scrunching together her perfectly maintained brows, the woman answered, "It's a promise."
"Fine then," the blonde relented. "Can I at least call you 'Gina?"
"No."
"Reggie it is, then," laughter exploded from the blonde as the brunette reached out and playfully slapped at her.
"No more kisses for you."
"Oh, really?" Emma questioned, smirking. "We'll see about that."
A singular eyebrow raised up to Regina's hairline, "And what exactly does that mean, Miss Swan?"
"Well, I don't know if you noticed, Regina, but I'm kind of irresistible." The blonde pulled her shirt up a few inches and showed off her sculpted six-pack, "I mean, ladies can't seem to stay away from this bod."
Now it was Regina's turn to laugh, though it was strangled by her awe of Emma's body. Sure, she could see the woman was fit, and after this morning's phone call, she knew Emma was a runner. She didn't know, however, how attractive and well-defined Emma's muscular body was. It conjured a multitude of images to Regina's head that had her heart beating faster than it should.
Emma noticed the change in pace and rested a hand on her professor's shoulder, "Are you doing alright, Regina?"
Shaking the seductive images from her mind and shifting her posture, Regina responded, "Never better, dear. Now where were we?"
"Actually," Emma started, "I was about to take supper out of the oven if you wanted to go get Henry."
Regina stood and turned her back to the blonde, walking through the open doorway and down the hall. Emma watched her go, wondering what had been going on in the brunette's beautiful mind just minutes ago. Deciding it would be better to take care of dinner first and try to solve puzzles later, Emma removed the chicken breasts from the oven.
"Perfect," she said, just as Regina rounded the corner again, this time with a sleepy little brunette boy in her arms.
For the first time, Emma finally got a really good look at the boy. He was small for his age, with a mop of brown hair on his head. The ends of his hair flipped out slightly, just like his mother's. He also seemed to have his mother's eyes; a light brown, mocha latte color. Looking between the two Mills in front of her, it was obvious that Henry belonged to the woman cradling him in her arms.
"It seems Henry conked out while he was playing with his dinosaurs. Isn't that right, baby?" Regina consulted the child to confirm what she already knew to be the truth.
Henry yawned, then nodded.
"And are you going to bed as soon as you've eaten dinner?" his mother questioned him.
"No. Emma and I are gonna play dinos, Momma!" the energy was suddenly back in the little boy's body.
"Did you ask Emma if she wanted to play dinos?"
The boy spun in his mother's arms until he met the eyes of the pretty blonde woman, "Will you play dinos, Emma?"
Seeing the hope and excitement light up the boy's face, Emma couldn't help but tell him yes, even if she was pretty sure he'd conk out shortly after they started playing. "I'd love to, kid. Dinos are my favorite! But before we play, we have to eat everything on our plates, yeah?"
"Yeah." the boy agreed with a nod of his head.
"Do you know what it's called when you eat all the food on your plate, Henry?" Emma asked, turning her back and putting the finishing touches on the meal before turning back and dishing a small portion of potatoes on the kid's plate, and a slightly larger portion on Regina's, serving herself last.
"All done?!" Henry shouted, the lilt in his voice posing his excited sentence into a question.
"Actually," the blonde replied, placing half of a cut up chicken breast in front of the boy, "One of my moms used to tell me it was called a 'Happy Plate' because you're happy that you didn't waste a single scrap."
"What if you don't get no happy face?" the miniature brunette questioned.
"That's a story for a different time, kid." Emma smiled, trying to shrug off what would happen if you didn't get a happy plate. She definitely wasn't going to explain to a five-year-old the dark sides of foster care, especially not in front of his mother.
Regina saw the darkened look in Emma's eyes and made a mental note to question her about the "unhappy plate" later. For now, though, they'd stick to happier subjects, like how great the food was tasting.
"This is wonderful, Emma," Regina praised, moaning her approval of the dish.
Sensing no lies in the woman's words, and trying to hide the sudden blush of her skin, Emma returned a compliment, "It really would be nothing without you, Regina. Chicken Parmesan without the parmesan isn't really that great, y'know?"
"I'm sure Henry would love it either way," the older brunette stated, gesturing across the table.
Emma turned her attention away from the gorgeous grin Regina was sporting, and looked where the woman's hand was now pointing. There she found a small boy with brunette hair, mocha eyes, and sauce and cheese spread all over his smiling face.
The boy didn't seem to notice the two women staring, too content to keep eating his food, as he was really shooting for that happy plate Emma had told him about. He would've kept going and going, too, if the blonde woman hadn't broken out into a cacophony of laughter, spurring her date to do the same. The little boy looked up, confused, but joined in minutes later.
"He has no idea what he's laughing at," Emma whispered to her date between giggles.
"You're right, but at least he sees the humor," Regina agreed. Then, turning to her son, "Do you like your dinner, baby?"
"Yup!" He popped his lips at the end, sending a small splatter of sauce in the direction of his mother. "But it would be cooler as dinos."
Both women laughed at the kid's obsession, but it was only Emma who answered, "I'll keep that in mind next time, okay, bud?"
"YAY!"
The rest of dinner passed in relative silence. It wasn't a strange silence, but more of a content one. Emma stealing long glances at Regina, and Regina steal them back. Blushes passing to and fro between the two women. Occasionally, there'd be hums from Henry, or loud laughs when the boy did something incredibly cute.
As he was finishing up, Henry picked up his plate and licked it clean.
"HENRY MILLS!" his mother scolded, appalled. "I've taught you better manners than that, especially with company around. What do you say?"
"But Momma, I was making a happy plate," the boy argued.
"Happy plate or no happy plate, what do you say to Emma?" Regina questioned again.
"Thank you for supper, Emma."
"And?" His mother prodded, knowing he was leaving out the most important part after his lack of manners.
"Lo siento," the boy said, dropping his head.
As Henry's head dropped, so did Emma's mouth. The kid knew Spanish? Did that mean Regina….Holy hell, she'll be the death of me.
The brunette woman in question reached across the table and tapped the bottom of Emma's chin, "Better close that before you catch any flies, Miss Swan."
"Wow. I just mean- wow." Emma turned to Henry, "You speak Spanish?"
"Sí," the boy smiled proudly.
Emma turned back to Regina, "So you speak Spanish as well?"
"Sí, mi bella," Regina winked and stood from the table, grabbing the dirty plates and silverware as she did so. She slowly sauntered to the kitchen door, and turned around just in time to see Emma staring at her, once again slack-jawed. "Flies, my dear. Remember the flies."
Emma smiled and sat back into her chair, whistling in appreciation. Every second she found out more and more about this amazing woman she was now dating.
I am the luckiest person in the universe. She is a perfect mother, she speaks foreign languages, she-
A small voice broke off the blonde's thoughts, "Can we go play dinos now, or…."
"Yeah, kid. Let's go." Emma moved to the small boy and helped him down from his chair onto the hardwood floor. You go in the playroom and get everything out, okay? I have to do something real quick."
"Okie dokie, Emma," the kid took off down the hallway, a giant bundle of enthusiasm and energy.
Emma watched until he was safely in what she assumed to be the playroom. Then, tiptoeing to create the least amount of sound possible, the blonde snuck through the kitchen door and behind the brunette woman who had occupied her thoughts every moment of the day.
Quickly, Emma wrapped two arms around the woman, not missing the squeak of surprise that escaped her captive. Then, ever so softly, Emma ran her hands up the brunette's sides and kissed her cheek.
"You're perfect, Regina."
Then, just as quickly as she came, the blonde left, leaving not only herself, but the woman currently standing in the middle of the kitchen, hands dripping with sudsy water, with a warm, giddy feeling bubbling inside them.
She thinks I'm perfect. She is….. amazing.
Twenty minutes later, the dishes were dried, the counter cleaned, and the stovetop scrubbed. Regina slipped herself through the door of the kitchen and walked down the hallway. Turning the corner, she noticed her son was sitting in Emma's lap and couldn't help the smile that upturned on her face.
The blonde in question turned her upper body ever-so-slighly to catch the intruder's eye. She place a finger over her lips and mouthed 'Shh.'
That's when Regina saw it. Henry was pressed back against Emma's chest, curled up into a small ball, cradling his favorite stuffed dinosaur in his hands.
"He conked out about five minutes in," Emma whispered. "I wasn't sure what you wanted me to do with him, so I let him sleep."
"I've got him from here, thank you," Regina leaned down, taking her son in her arms.
"Momma?" He questioned, stirring slightly.
"Shhh, baby boy. Momma's right here," she soothed. "I'm going to put you to bed, alright?"
"But, but… dinos with Emma," the boy mumbled, barely able to keep his eyes open.
Emma stood and walked towards mother and son. "How bout we play next time. Is that alright, kiddo?"
"But-" he protested again.
"Pinky promise," Emma offered up her smallest finger, linking it with Henry's. "Night, bud."
"Nighty night."
Emma watched as mother and son left, the former cradling the latter in her arms. It was beautiful, really, this side of Regina. It was so different from the Evil Queen persona that was thrown off at school. This side of the woman made her more real. Loving, adorable, and real.
Emma wasn't sure what time it was or how many minutes had passed when Regina descended the stairs again, but she reached out her arms and took the brunette into them, not really caring about the time at all. She pulled the woman close to her chest and slowly started moving them across the hardwood floor. Regina sighed in contentment while they swayed together, and giggled when Emma took the opportunity to spin the brunette.
Regina looked up into Emma's eyes as the blonde pulled her closer again, and found herself drowning in hazel. She leaned up on her tiptoes, catching Emma's mouth in a soft kiss, and smiling at the blonde's hum of approval.
"I think I'm going to go get us something to drink," Regina offered.
"Don't leave," Emma joked, pulling the brunette back to her. "I've finally gotten you right where I want you."
The professor turned around and swatted at the blonde's chest, "Let me go, Miss Swan, and I'll promise to come back."
"Fine, but you better come back, young lady, or I'll have to come after you."
Snickering, the brunette retreated from the room, only to return a few minutes later, two glasses of red wine and a bottle balanced in her grasp.
"Trying to weaken me up before taking advantage of me, professor?" the blonde joked, taking a sip of her wine. She barely caught the wince of said professor over the top of her glass, but paused when she did. "Shit, Regina. I didn't mean it like that."
"I know, I know." Regina sighed, "I just. I don't want you to feel like you have to keep seeing me to get a good grade or something."
"What?!" Emma asked, borderline outraged at the suggestion.
"I'm not saying that is something you'd do, dear," Regina soothed the blonde's mind. "I just don't want you to feel trapped. I promise you that I would never use my professional life to get back at people for personal reasons. I'm not that kind of woman."
"I never thought you to be." Emma reached across the space between them and grasped Regina's hand, pulling it up to her lips before bringing the woman to sit next to her on the leather couch.
"That being said," Regina smirked. "I also will not mark grades you don't deserve, even if you start warming my bed at night."
"I would never expect it," Emma rethought her words. "The marks, I mean. I do hope that at some point I can warm your bed. Maybe more than that. I'd rather not be just a booty call, though I'm sure you're fantastic at booty calls. Or anything in the bedroom, for that matter and-" Emma was cut off by soft plump lips.
"You were rambling, again," the professor giggled. "I'm glad, though, that I'm not the only person who has put thought into this, and, maybe it will appease your mind to know this: I don't do booty calls."
Emma looked straight into the brunette's eyes, "Honestly, Regina, all I've ever done are booty calls and one night stands." She watched the professor tense. "But, I want so much more than that from you. If you're willing to give it. I don't mean today. I don't mean next week. I mean whenever you're ready- if ever- I'll be here."
Tears started to form in Regina's eyes. She was not used to such open honesty, not since Daniel had passed. And here it was, being presented to her in a whole nother package. Some people weren't even lucky enough to find happiness like this once in their lives, and here was Regina, being presented with it a second time.
A soft hand reached up and wiped away her tears, "Even we you cry, you manage to be stunning. The only problem is," Emma turned the brunette's head towards her, kissing away what was left of the tears, "I never want to see you cry again. Not sad tears."
Regina smiled up at the woman, then turned to lean into her chest. In less than a blink, she felt strong arms wrapping around her shoulders. When the body moved away, Regina's face fell, but her worries were soon assuaged by a hand gently tugging on her arm.
"Lay down with me," Emma asked quietly, waiting as Regina obeyed. "Ask me anything you want. Anything, and I'll answer honestly."
Regina wrapped her arms around a petite waist as two wrapped around her own. She stared into Emma's eyes, contemplating where to start. She thought about the short time that she had known Emma, and picked for any question that would come to mind.
Finally she decided, what better way to start than at the beginning.
"Were you always in foster care?" She questioned.
Emma winced, clearly not liking having to talk about that time. "Yeah. I guess I was left on the side of some road as a kid. All the families that took me in ended up sending me back to the home. I hopped around a lot, didn't really have any material possessions, except the blanket I was found wrapped up in. I still have it."
"If you don't know your parents, how do you know your last name?" the brunette was slightly hung up on this one.
"What? Swan?" Emma questioned with a smile, "That's not my birth parents' last name. Remember how I said 'Miss Swan' reminds me of a mom I had once?" she questioned back.
"Yes."
"Well, that's just it. When I was young I had stayed with a family for awhile and the name stuck, kind of." Emma explained.
"If the name stuck, why didn't the family stick?" Regina wondered aloud.
"Well, the mom got pregnant and they realized they could have a real family of their own without some little reject child."
Regina stretched out a hand and placed it on Emma's face. "You are not a reject," the brunette said, boring her eyes into Emma's. "Anyone who gave you up missed out on so much."
The blonde smiled gratefully, placing her hand on top of the other woman's, "Next question," she prompted.
Deciding to drop the topic of bad times, Regina smiled as she thought of her next question, "Why so many flowers."
Emma matched her smile, stroking the brunette's hair, "I was trying to find something to compare to your beauty, so I kept buying and buying, but I realized after a few thousand that none could ever compare. It was too late to send them back, and I really did think you'd enjoy the scent and color it adds to everything, so I thought I'd keep it."
"You're wonderful, Emma."
"You're too good for me, Regina."
The brunette slid her hand back into the blonde's hair and pulled her into a sweet, serene kiss.
When she pulled away she looked straight into hazel orbs, "You deserve the best, Emma. You do."
"And I've found it."
Regina slid her head down onto the blonde's chest and snuggled in. She could get used to being held, being protected, being loved again.
