The next morning, Emma was up before 11, which was a first since she wasn't working. She showered and dressed herself in a tanktop and dark jeans before making her way downstairs. No one appeared to be home, then she heard the sound of rain against the house. The sun was shining which was really weird, so she walked to the back door and found Lily waiting just inside the doorway with her hands on her hips. "What's going on?"
Lily looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Good morning. Sorry we couldn't welcome you with a big breakfast but Ma is at work and Mom is a bit busy."
"Thanks, but what's that noise?"
Lily held something up and Emma took it. It was shiny and black, reflective and made of something strong and thick. It was about half the size of Emma's hand and shaped like a teardrop. "That, my friend, is a dragon scale. Mom's." She motioned Emma forward to see Mal in her dragon form shaking herself vigorously, tossing scales everywhere.
"Is she shedding or something?"
"Yep. Bet you thought we shedded like lizards, leaving giant skins everywhere." Lily laughed. They watched as Mal finished and laid down beneath the shade of the trees to preen her wings.
Emma smiled at the way Regina had reconstructed her garden so a dragon as large as Maleficent could easily move about the enclosed space while still being hidden by trees and flowers and bushes.
"Time to get to work." Lily said.
"Wait, what are you doing?" Emma asked.
"I have to collect all the scales that she shook off. Her and Ma are adamant about keeping track of all of them. You know," she bent over to pick up a hand full of scales. "These things would make the best type of armor this world has ever seen. If you have a dragon, you have an unlimited supply. They're virtually impenetrable, other than against other dragons."
Emma looked up at Mal's towering form. Beneath the rippling scales that made her sparkle so beautifully, her skin was pale gray and scarred beyond belief.
"Not many people get to see a dragon without their scales." Lily said. "It's the ultimate sign of trust."
"She trusts me?" Emma asked.
"I don't know. She trusts Ma and she trusts you, so in turn, we do too I suppose. Help me with this and we can eat."
Emma nodded and they spent the next half hour collecting the scales and putting them in a large plastic bin. She helped Lily carry it down into the basement where there were other bins just like the one they were carrying. "You keep all of your scales and egg shells?"
Lily pushed the bin into place and turned around, dusting off her hands. "We don't like to leave the scales laying around and the egg shells are kept for sentimental reasons. But after a while we drain the shells of magic and throw them away or unless we want to make something for them." She pulled a dark red chain out of her shirt where a piece of her own dragon egg was attached. "I made Tia one when she was little. She never takes it off."
"That was nice of you."
Lily shrugged. "Come on, let's get you something to eat." She smiled and lead the way back upstairs.
"When will Mal's scales grow back?" Emma asked.
"Probably already have."
Emma checked and Mal's scales had indeed already grown back. "Well that was fast."
"Yeah, she speeds up the process." Lily opened the fridge. "What would you like?"
"You can cook?" Emma smirked.
"Don't knock it til you try it." Lily grinned, pulling out four packs of bacon. "Can you handle the pancakes, Savior?" She pulled out a box of pancake mix and made a griddle appear on the table. "Hop to it."
When Mal walked into the kitchen after regenerating her scales, she was surprised to find her daughter and the savior laughing and singing while making pancakes and bacon. Both of them had white handprints all over their faces. They looked up and froze. "Should I? No, I don't think so, call me when the bacon is done." She walked back out and Lily and Emma burst out laughing.
"Well that was fun." Lily grinned, wiping her face. They quickly finished cooking. "Mom! You can come eat now!"
Mal suddenly appeared in front of her daughter and presented her with a small black orb. "I finished it, I perfected it."
"You did?!" Lily leaped up and down and hugged her blonde mother.
"What is it?" Emma asked.
"Tia wanted a way for Regina to shift form into a dragon so she could fly with us." Mal answered. "And I have found a way to do it. Except for one small problem."
"What?" Lily asked.
"I was going to put it in a necklace, but even when she shifts, she'll still have the necklace, and we can't risk her losing it while she's flying."
"Can she absorb the magic in it?" Emma asked. "Like she absorbed the spell over the well when we were coming back from fairytale land."
"That could work." Mal smiled. "If she can."
"Tia's gonna freak." Lily said giddily.
"Speaking of which, I need to go pick her up from Diaval's. Then I'll head to the office. I'll call you if we find out anything. Thank you for helping with the scales Emma." Mal grabbed a handful of bacon and took it with her as she hurried excitedly out the door.
"I can't wait." Lily said, fixing herself a plate. "Damn, she almost took all of the bacon." Emma laughed at her little pout. They sat down and were all set to enjoy their breakfast, when there was a knock at the door. Lily sighed and rose to answer it. "Good morning, Charming, what can I do for you?"
"I just wanted to know if any of you have seen Emma. She ran out last night and hasn't come home. No one's seen her."
"Not since last night, sorry." Lily lied smoothly.
"Okay." Charming sighed. "Call the station if you find anything."
"Emma is a big girl, she can take care of herself. Don't worry."
He nodded and turned to leave and Lily closed the door and turned around to be slammed against it. Emma shocked her with a rather mind blowing kiss and she was only too happy to return it. "Not that I mind, but what was that for?"
"I have no idea." Emma whispered. What the fuck did I just do?
"So are we just gonna kiss or will there be more?" Lily grinned cheekily, not at all minding the slightly awkward situation. "I knew you couldn't resist me."
"Shut up." Emma laughed.
"Don't feel bad about it, very few women or men can. That's just my animal magnetism."
"You're very modest I see." Emma smirked.
"Yeah, I'm a little cocky." Lily grinned again. "No but seriously, what does this mean? The kiss."
"Well." Emma said, walking slowly back into the kitchen. Lily followed and leaned against the doorway with crossed arms. "We both know I don't like to play around, and I would like to give us a try. If that's okay with you. I mean, I didn't try to come here to make a move on you or anything, it's just last night...brought back a lot of feelings and memories. Please say something so I can shut up."
Lily chuckled and smirked. "So, you're over my mom?"
Emma nodded slowly. "I really do love Regina, but at the end of the day, I just want her to be happy. I've had two years to process the fact that that isn't going to be with me, so...yeah, I'm okay with it. Hook was just something to get my parents off my back. Feel kinda bad for using him."
"I'm sure he'll get over it." Lily grinned and stepped towards the blonde to kiss her once again and backed her against the kitchen counter. Emma smiled at how easily they fell into this new relationship. It was an effortless change that yielded quite enjoyable results. Lily suddenly leaned back. "We really should eat before we go any further. In case I need my strength."
Emma smiled. "Sure."
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Emma smiled watching Lily and Tia bounce around excitedly. They were currently standing in a large, empty field. Mal and Regina were a little farther away talking with Diaval resting on the ground next to Mal in his bird form.
"Come on already!" Lily yelled impatiently.
Mal stuck up her middle finger and Tia giggled when Lily's jaw dropped.
Regina took a few steps back, clutching the orb in her hand and slowly started to absorb the magic. She felt the shift begin and the orb slip from her grasp.
"Holy shit." Lily whispered as her brunette mother became a great black dragon, rivaling Mal in size. She had a slender streamlined body, built for speed in flying, with large leathery wings and a long broad tail and a flat spade on the end. 6 black horns stuck out of either side of her head, curved backwards and stretched out like a deer's antlers. Her underbelly was a pale bluish gray but gradually darkened as they reached her shining black scales.
Mal gulped, looking up at her mate. She was so beautiful, so...sexy.
Regina could feel Mal's eyes on her, raking over her body with interest and growled slightly. Sex would have to wait, she wanted to try out her new form. She flexed her wings and rose to her full height, twitching her neck to examine herself. "This is amazing!" She tried to say, but it only came out as a loud roar. Mal waved her hand, granting her the ability to speak. "Teach me, Mal. Teach me how to be a dragon." She turned around, accidently swinging her tail and knocking down a few trees. "Whoops." Mal laughed and shifted as well and began instructing her on the best ways to move. Once she understood how to walk properly and could manage her tail, it was time for flying. Little did anyone know, that flying would turn out to come naturally to the brunette. She'd spent more than enough time watching and riding Mal to know what to expect.
"Whoooo!" Lily screamed as Regina and Mal both soared past overhead. She looked at Emma.
The blonde smiled with a shake of her head. "Go ahead."
"Thank you." Lily grinned and shifted, throwing herself into the sky after her mothers.
Regina instantly fell in love with flying. There was no greater feeling than feeling the wind rush over her scales, except for maybe sex with Mal. Mal flew at her side, repeatedly touching her or letting her wingtip touch Regina. The brunette knew exactly why the dragon queen was so touchy feely, but she decided not to act on it. Lily flew beneath her, upside down and playfully touching her stomach. Regina snapped at her and spiraled back to Emma, Diaval and Tia. Then it hit her: She had no freaking idea how to land.
Emma grabbed Tia and Diaval and pulled them to safety as Regina slammed shoulder first into the dirt, shaking the earth and creating a massive trench in the field. Lily and Mal landed and ran towards her.
"Regina?! Are you alright?" Mal cried.
Regina rolled over and laughed deeply. "I am amazing! That was so much fun!"
"I'm glad you liked it." Mal smiled and hugged the brunette. "You're a natural."
"Thank you. Wait, where's Tia? I didn't hurt her did I?" She was answered when her daughter suddenly slammed into her chest.
"You were great Ma! And your dragon self is so beautiful."
"Thank you baby." Regina sighed. "I am exhausted, my back is killing me."
"Newbie." Lily grinned.
"Let's get you home." Mal said. "I'll give you a back massage."
"That sounds heavenly."
Mal waved her hands and poofed them all home. They ordered pizza and ate in the living room, watching Eragon. Mal was standing behind the couch, slowly kneading the tension out of Regina's back while Tia and Diaval played with the dogs on the floor. Emma followed Lily into the kitchen to fix some popcorn.
"You guys are so laid back." She said to herself.
"What do you guys do differently?" Lily asked.
"Basically the same thing, it's just...this house feels so...warm. At home, everything feels so hectic. Here, it's so relaxed."
"We all need a break sometimes, especially the Savior." Lily smiled.
"Are we gonna tell Mal and Regina about us?" Emma asked softly.
"Mom probably already knows to be honest. As for Ma, we could tell her. Or we could wait a bit. You know, see how this goes." Lily looked up at her, waiting for her answer.
"Sure, whatever you think is best."
"No, it's whatever you want." Lily countered, pulling the popcorn out, completely ignoring how hot it was and poured it into a bowl. "It's completely up to you, Emma."
Emma nodded and they turned to go back into the living room and froze at the sight of Regina leaning against the doorway. Regina gave her signature eyebrow raise and jerked her head at her daughter. Lily lowered her head and quickly walked out.
"What did you want to tell me, Miss Swan?" Regina asked.
"Um, I wanted to tell you that, um-"
"You're dating my daughter?"
"Well, dating isn't exactly the word I would use. We haven't exactly gone out yet. Look, Regina, if this bothers you-"
"Then what?" Regina cut her off. She suddenly grinned and stepped forward to hug the blonde. "You being happy will never bother me." Emma smiled and returned the hug. "I'm glad the two of you reconciled."
"Me too." Emma said as the Regina leaned away from her.
"So you talked about this?"
"Yes."
"Then tell me something." Regina said. "Is she pregnant or not?"
Emma laughed. "No. She's not."
"Good. One pregnancy is enough for right now."
"Honestly, I didn't think you would...approve of us being together."
"Honestly, I can't believe you would assume that. I love you dearly Emma, and I just want you to be happy. Lily too. But just so you know, I will kick your ass if you break her heart. And I can clip her wings if she does the same to you. Or I can just kick her ass too, I'm not adverse to it."
"I appreciate that, but I don't think it'll be necessary."
"Good." Regina smiled and lead the way back into the living room.
Emma sat down next to Lily and Lily handed her the bowl of popcorn and put her arm around her. Emma smiled and leaned against her.
"Leelee has a girlfriend." Tia sang. Lily rolled her eyes and threw a handful of popcorn at her.
Regina was about to sit back down when Mal grabbed her hand and poofed them to the nest. "Mal, what the-" Mal shut her up with a kiss and slammed her against the wall. "Mal." She growled, slipping away from the blonde. "Mal, your libido is out of control. You may have the stamina of a dragon, but I am still very human, dear, and I cannot keep having sex 5 times a day and like 10 times a night. Although I must say I am fucking amazing to have kept up with you this long. I had to take a 5 hour energy one night. Guess what, it wasn't enough!"
Mal glared at her, eyes black with lust. "You know I need you, Regina. Especially after seeing how you look in dragon form. I have never seen a more exquisite dragon in all of my years. Please, one more time and I'll give you a break. Please, you know you drive me crazy and I love you so much." She made a horribly cute puppy dog face.
"We both know you're not going to follow through with any of that."
"Then shut up and let me fuck you." Mal suddenly pushed her down into the cavern and she landed on a thick bed made of furs. The dragon queen was immediately on top of her and ripping away her clothes.
"Dammit Mal." Regina hissed, rolling them over. "Fine, you win."
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It was three days later at night, when Emma walked into the kitchen and found Mal sitting to the table. Pepper was sitting just in front of her on the table balancing a treat on her nose. "Mal, have you seen Regina?"
"She's still sleeping." Mal answered without breaking eye contact with the dog.
"Your dog is sitting on the kitchen table."
"Worry not, she gets cleaned with magic so she's probably cleaner than the table is."
"That's not what I meant- but okay. Regina's been sleeping for like two days straight."
"Don't worry." Mal slowly held up her fist and opened it. Pepper snapped the treat into the air and ate it. "She's just...extremely exhausted."
"Why?"
"Sex." Mal smiled and petted Pepper's head. She turned to the younger woman and motioned for her to sit. Emma did and Pepper hopped off the table into the dragon's lap. "So, how are you feeling, Savior? I know I'm not the most talkative person, but I'm always here to listen."
"Thank you, and please call me Emma. I've been living with you for almost a week now, I think we're on a first name basis by now."
"So be it...Emma."
"I'm feeling much better, thank you for asking. I guess I'll be ready to rejoin the world soon." She looked down at her hands. "Kinda don't want to leave."
"Why?"
"I don't know. I love my family and my house and my life, it's just...being here feels like a whole other world. One where the Savior doesn't even exist. You are twice as strong as me when it comes to magic and you can change into a fucking dragon. All of you can now. Even Tia could probably kick my ass. Storybrooke doesn't even need a Savior with you guys around."
Mal laughed. "The Savior is here for a reason. Once you learn your true potential, you could probably defeat all of us with little difficulty. You're the product of True Love."
"I kinda just want to be me right now."
"Then do so. You can't be forced to do anything you don't want to do."
"Yeah, but I kinda have to protect the town."
"I thought that's what you're parents are for." Mal rolled her eyes and Emma smiled.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Okay."
"If Storybrooke was being attacked by...a monster or something, would you kill it? To protect the town?"
"I have complete faith that you could do that."
Emma laughed. "What if I was incapacitated?"
"Are you trying to figure out if I have goodness in me?"
"Just the way you think."
"I can't leave Storybrooke. I would crumble back into the dust I was before Regina revived me. And Tia, I have no idea if she could leave or not. I would protect it, for my family. I can't exactly say anything about the rest of them. Especially that stupid dwarf, Grumpy. What's his name now, Leroy?" She wrinkled her nose. "I want to eat him, but I might throw up at the taste."
Emma chuckled. "Thank you...for answering that."
Mal shrugged. "I'm glad that you chose to be with Lily. The two of you are good together. You make each other happy."
"I'm glad Regina chose to be with you. You two are good together. You make each other happy."
Mal flashed a genuine smile. She let Pepper down and rose to her feet. Emma stood up as well. They both turned as Regina came to the door wrapped in a black silk robe. "Hey Emma." She said nicely, before turning to the dragon. "Mal, get your ass into bed. I want to cuddle." Emma smirked as Mal playfully rolled her eyes and walked towards Regina, effortlessly throwing her over her shoulder and carrying her upstairs.
Lily walked in looking confused. "Okay...come with me." She said, taking Emma's hand and quickly leading her to the backyard.
"Where are we going this time a night?" Emma asked.
"On our first date."
"Is it in the backyard?"
"No, we have to fly there. Hold on."
Read and review! sorry for any confusion or mistakes
