A/N: So, so sorry this took so many months for me to continue. I really wanted to finish it, though, and finally have had more time to write, so here is the first half of their date. Hope you all enjoy!
Chapter 9: Show You Love
Emma paced back and forth across the gravel trail. Regina would be arriving for their date on the beach any minute, and every little thing that could hypothetically go wrong was managing to creep up into her mind. The heavy pacing and arms that were crossed over her middle were all that kept her from running the rest of the way down the path and back onto the beach whenever she thought about how ridiculous or stupid something she had set up for the date would be. There were moments where she almost considered fleeing altogether and telling Regina she had to cancel because she was sick. The problem with that was that the last thing she wanted to do was lie to Regina or actually cancel on her. She really did want to spend time with the other woman. If only her drumming heart would get out of her throat and the horses galloping in her stomach would disappear.
After their family dinner at Granny's with Henry the night before, and the inability to kiss Regina goodnight when she and Henry insisted on driving his mom home, Emma had thought about nothing other than this date and enjoying some time together by themselves. But she'd also felt overconfident while planning it and was now worried it wouldn't be the perfect first date. She found it funny that they already knew so much about each other, co-parented Henry, and had even had sex, yet she was still worried about the impression she would give Regina tonight. No matter how ridiculous she told herself it was, though, it did nothing to quell her nerves or dry her clammy hands.
Emma's head whipped up in the direction of the trail in front of her when she heard the crunching footsteps making their way down the gritty path, and checked her phone to see that Regina was exactly on time. Emma cursed under her breath. Of course, it would be her luck that the one time she hoped Regina would be late, would be the one time that she was punctual. But as Regina came into view from around the trees-fretting with her hair that was a little wavier than usual, and adjusting the top of the casual black dress that rose over her shoulders to tie behind her neck with the deep purple strings of her bathing suit top—Emma had a feeling she wasn't the only one who was anxious.
Regina must have felt that she was no longer alone because her eyes darted up to lock on Emma's, while a warm smile broke out over her startled face as she finished walking toward the blonde.
"You didn't think I'd get lost, did you?" Regina smirked and stepped closer to Emma, her brown eyes glimmering playfully as she tried to figure out why she was unexpectedly waiting for her halfway up the trail. "I'm fairly confident in my abilities to get from the path to the beach that I've been coming to for so many years."
Emma shook her head with a laugh, beginning to forget her nerves as she reached out for Regina, lightly pulling her by the hips to bring her closer. "I'm confident you could, too."
The brunette sighed contentedly at their new proximity, smiling up at Emma with a knowing look, and lowered her voice. "Worried I'd sneak up on you and whatever you have planned for this evening?"
Regina's fingers reached out to wander over a blonde curl that had fallen forward and settled on the white t-shirt that she could see the navy blue top of Emma's bathing suit pressing against.
"Maybe," Emma smiled back coyly, feeling a shiver tickle her when she lowered her eyes to watch Regina's hand playing with her hair. She brought her own hand up to capture Regina's, running her thumb over the soft wrinkles of her knuckles. "You look beautiful," Emma's voice was low and her green eyes rose to meet the warmth and brightness in Regina's.
"You don't look so bad yourself, Miss Swan."
The hand Regina had settled just above Emma's waist slid to her hip, feeling how perfectly the denim shorts hugged the other woman. Her brown eyes became even darker under Emma's gaze, and she mimicked her, as Emma's eyes fluttered shut. Their lips met tenderly, fitting against each other and holding each other gently for a few moments. But then, Emma lifted one of her hands to Regina's face and began deepening the kiss, taking Regina's breath away, which only had Regina trying to take away Emma's.
The brunette couldn't help but give a small, breathy laugh after they'd finally broken the kiss, "What was that for?"
"I love you," Emma said simply, resting her forehead on Regina's, and then, she continued, "And I wanted to kiss you like that last night, but our son was in the car. Plus, I want this date to be perfect, but I know it's crazy to think nothing will go wrong, so I at least wanted the first kiss of the night to be good."
"Well, I can tell you that it was. Very good, actually," Regina drawled, a satisfied smile appearing on her face. After a beat, she raised her hand-that was still beneath Emma's-to the blonde's cheek, her eyes becoming serious. "Remember, it's only me. I don't need perfect. I'm just looking forward to spending my evening with you."
"Yes, it's only you, Your Majesty. No pressure in dating a former queen," Emma teased lightly, receiving a dirty glare from Regina. She sighed softly and moved to brush her lips against Regina's forehead. "I'm mostly kidding. It may only be you, but that's why I want this to be amazing."
"It will be," Regina glided her thumb across Emma's cheekbone reassuringly, before stepping out of her hold. "Now, shall we finish making our way down to the beach or…?"
A sly grin curled Emma's lips upward and she took advantage of the way Regina had turned slightly away from her to step in and gently snake her arm over Regina's stomach. There was a gasp in surprise and a throaty chuckle, right before she felt Regina shiver in her arms, as she pulled her as close as possible, her lips pressing a warm kiss to Regina's neck, while her hand dipped lower to settle on the other woman's abdomen. "Maybe we should stay here and make sure that this is good, too."
Regina closed her eyes, feeling Emma's breath tickle her neck as she spoke, before she savored the way Emma lowered her lips against her skin again. She tilted her head to expose more of her neck, accepting the kisses the other woman placed there, and heard herself moan when Emma lightly sucked her pulse point, almost having become completely lost in her lover's ministrations.
Instinctively, her arm arched up and her hand slid behind Emma's neck, weaving into the soft hair there, as she held the blonde's head in place to keep her from stopping the attention she was paying Regina with the strokes of her tongue, nips of her teeth, and pressure of her lips. Regina's other hand slipped down from where it sat on the arm Emma had wrapped around her, to the hand that the other woman had somehow controlled from moving any further down her belly. The brunette squeezed it, and then, laced their fingers together, before rubbing their joined hands across the smooth material of her dress and the warmth of her body that penetrated it, until she guided them even lower. A rough hum erupted from both of their throats when Regina cupped their hands over her center and stilled their movements. The heat beneath them could be felt through the dress and thicker material of the bottoms of her bathing suit.
"I believe this will be more than very good no matter when or where it is," She whispered with her eyes still closed, feeling Emma's nose brush her cheek when she turned her head a bit. "And I also believe that once we start we won't be leaving wherever we are for a while, so the trail might not be the best place."
Emma inhaled deeply beside her and released the air in a staggering breath, while the fingers that were still joined with the other woman's, slid over Regina's sex, tenderly stroking the sensitive area beneath them, and causing Regina to barely suppress a whimper.
"You have a point," Emma muttered her reply, and managed to open her eyes, seeing the flush of lust and arousal on Regina's face.
"Of course I do," Regina exhaled softly, sluggishly lifting their hands and untangling their fingers.
Emma sensed the bit of reluctance Regina brought their hands away from her body with, and waited as the other woman turned fully toward her, spinning around in the light grasp of the arm Emma still held her with.
Regina lifted her head to place a lingering but chaste kiss on Emma's lips, then, opened her eyes as she pulled back.
A smug smile formed on Emma's face when Regina looked at her. "Good thing I asked Mary Margaret and David to tuck Henry in and read to him after they get back from the movies."
"No phone calls this time," Regina nodded her approval. "But what if-"
Emma seemed to know what she was going to say, rightly expecting Regina to think of their son's needs first, and she placed a finger over Regina's lips. "I may have made a deal with Henry that if he let me off the hook with tucking him in tonight, I'd read three chapters with him tomorrow night instead of two," Emma told her proudly, then added, "Unless he really, really needs me. Then, he's allowed to call."
"I see," Regina's grateful smile faltered, and there was an uncharacteristic nervousness in her eyes. "Is he aware of why the deal was made?"
"Oh yeah, I sprung the fact that we're dating on our son, right before I brought up that his moms need some alone time to have sex," Emma said sarcastically, and gave a short laugh, letting Regina know she was teasing and not seriously trying to insult her. "Trust me, those are not conversations I'll be having without you."
Regina rolled her eyes. "I was mostly referring to whether he knows that you're with me at all, not necessarily on a date," The reply was a little snippy but spoken softly enough to not cause Emma to want to put her guard up or retaliate. "In other words, what reason did you give him for not being home tonight? I don't want to accidentally mention to him that I was with you, if he thinks you're out catching up with Ruby or had a last minute appointment with Dr. Hopper."
Emma chuckled lightly at the concern and hint of exasperation in Regina's voice, which had the brunette raising a less-than-amused eyebrow at her reaction.
"Please, enlighten me as to how any of what I just said is funny," Regina took a step back and crossed her arms. "Because any of this could easily ruin the fragile relationship I have with our son. It could ruin yours, too. Oh, and what did you say to your parents when you asked if they could watch Henry this evening?"
Seeing how serious Regina was, had Emma losing the smile on her face. She had no doubts that the woman was worried, but she hadn't considered how afraid Regina might actually be that the truth might come out and cause Henry to succeed in pushing her away for the thousandth time. Emma stepped toward her again with a more understanding smile, before she reached out and placed her hands comfortingly on Regina's arms. "No, you're right, it's not funny. It's just that you reminded me of what I love about you."
"What you love about me makes you laugh?" Regina narrowed her eyes at her, continuing to be defensive, or at least, pretending to be.
"Hey, don't act like you don't get it," Emma smirked, knowingly. "You're always trying not to giggle at things I do."
"First of all, I don't giggle. And second-"
"You should know by now, and trust me enough, to get that this matters to me as much as it does to you," Emma cut her off, moving her thumbs in circles over Regina's arms. "We're in this together."
Emma bent her head to kiss Regina reassuringly, and was happy when she felt the other woman respond. When a few seconds had passed, Emma slowly pulled away. "I told Henry that I was having dinner with you. I said it was because we needed to talk about some stuff. I figured it was as close to the truth as I could get at this point, and I didn't want to completely lie to him."
Regina searched her eyes. "He was alright with that?"
Emma sighed. "Well, he knows we're getting along and that I've been spending more time with you. I'm guessing he thinks we're friends. And yeah, he was fine after I convinced him it was boring adult stuff."
That made Regina chuckle. "Not entirely accurate. I wouldn't use the word boring at all, if last time is anything to go by."
"You would if you were convincing our eleven year old he doesn't want to have dinner with his moms," Emma countered with a crooked smile, which had Regina nodding as Emma let go of her.
"And your parents?" Regina took Emma's hand, silently suggesting they start walking the rest of the way to the beach.
"Know I'm with you, too," Emma stated, as she laced their fingers together.
Regina had her eyes trained on the path and trees ahead of them, but they flitted over to stare questioningly at the blonde. "Having more than dinner?"
Green eyes met the smallest amount of apprehension flickering in the look Regina stared at her with. "Mary Margaret knew I had feelings for you before I did, remember? So, I assume she knows," Emma revealed as nonchalantly as she could, especially recalling how uncomfortable she'd been lately when her mother would study her with the most scrutinizing, perceptive look, yet wouldn't say anything. "After I left your house that one night, she looked at me weird. I'm pretty sure she could tell I'd just had sex. And I'm guessing it didn't take her long to figure out that it must have been with you. Crazy how she's been my mom for a few months and can already sense these things! Creepy, too."
"Mother's intuition," Regina smirked, and was caught between feeling unsettled and strangely gleeful that Mary Margaret had read her adult daughter so well. She assumed there was still a part of her that yearned to be successful at getting back at the woman in some way, even though all of the dark desires to get some kind of horrible revenge on her were quickly slipping away because of Henry and Emma.
It was odd to no longer want to hurt Snow. Although, she figured she was possibly making the other woman's life miserable with the knowledge that her daughter had become intimate with the Evil Queen. However, Regina was also aware that her need to relish in Snow's possible torment and feel triumphant over it, was more out of ugly habit now, and it left her actually hoping that the other woman wouldn't be troubled but accepting. She told herself the reason she wanted that was for Emma's sake, which had her realizing that there really was no satisfaction to be had from Snow growing sick at the thought of her daughter sleeping with Regina. After all, Regina would never have thought to use Emma to get back at her mother. Emma meant too much to her for that.
"At least she doesn't seem traumatized yet. Or ready to break us up."
Emma shrugged, "Maybe it's still sinking in."
"And if it is?" Regina stopped them when they were almost to the opening of the bushes and dunes that would lead them onto the beach.
Emma rubbed her thumb over the back of the hand her fingers were still intertwined with. "When one of us is ready to talk, we will. No matter what her opinion is, what I feel for you isn't going to change."
"I know," A small smile lifted Regina's lips.
"I'm glad," Emma echoed the smile and pulled Regina into a hug. "Especially, after all of the effort I've put into this date. I wouldn't do this for someone I was planning on breaking up with the second someone doesn't like that I'm with them."
Regina's body trembled against hers with a small laugh, but she still moved to look up at Emma with uncertainty in her eyes. "What if that someone is Henry?"
"It won't be," The other woman assured, her arms holding Regina tighter. "You saw how happy he was last night. He even begged us to let him use my phone. so he could take those pictures of us. Which reminds me…"
Emma quickly pecked Regina's lips, then, released her. She held up a finger, telling Regina to wait there as she left her temporarily, and walked through the shrubbery onto the beach.
Regina eyed Emma with confusion when she returned with her hands tucked behind her back, obviously hiding something from her date.
A grin appeared on Emma's face as she noticed how curious and puzzled Regina was.
"So," She began, standing tall in front of Regina. "I thought about getting you flowers or chocolate or any of those usual things, but this is our first date and I wanted to make it memorable, which is cheesy but true. And besides, if I impress you with things like this tonight, I'm sure I'll have plenty of other chances to give you the normal stuff."
As Emma kept speaking, Regina's expression became less befuddled by her actions and more amused, yet remained just as inquisitive. Instead of making her wait any longer, Emma brought a square-shaped package out from behind her back. It was about an inch thick and about eight inches across each way, wrapped in shiny red paper with a gold ribbon tied into an imperfectly perfect bow in the middle. "Be careful, it's breakable," Emma warned with a tiny shake to her voice, as she handed it over to Regina.
The brunette took it from her, feeling the weight of what she guessed to be glass underneath the wrapping paper. Her brown eyes lifted to search Emma's.
"I know it might be too soon, but I thought you'd like to have them," Emma's eyes flitted from Regina's to the ground and back up again.
With a warm smile that she hoped would calm Emma's apparent nerves, Regina looked down at the gift and tore the paper open with ease, carefully pulling out the frame inside. Emma took the paper from her, allowing Regina to better see what she was holding. Her eyes moved from one picture to another, taking in the smiling faces that stared up at her.
She recognized them as the pictures she, Henry, and Emma had taken with Emma's phone as they'd sat in the booth at the diner the night before. The one on the right was the picture Henry had pleaded with Regina to let Emma take as the blonde sat across from mother and son, after she had taken a picture of Henry and his giant ice cream sundae. Regina remembered being reluctant at first, but then, Emma had helped coax her into it and Regina had pulled Henry to her in a hug that he returned, resting his head against hers. Tears welled up in her eyes as she traced her son's face and the bright smile that he gave while wrapped up in her arms.
Then, she shifted her eyes to the picture parallel to it. In that one, Emma and Henry were grinning up at her. Emma's arm was draped over Henry's shoulders as he cuddled up against her. That had been the picture Regina had taken, after Henry had struggled to crawl under the table to Emma's side, earning him scolding looks from both of his moms. Her smile grew as she took in the happiness beaming through the glass from the two people that mattered most to her.
The final picture was beneath them, and was a little wider and bigger than the other two. It was the one Henry had been insistent on them taking, going so far as to nudge Emma out of the booth and pull her over to the side he had been sitting on with Regina. He'd slid in and tugged Emma with him. After an unsure glance that the two women shared, they'd each scooted toward the boy who sat between them and wrapped an arm around him, resting one of their cheeks against one of his. They all looked so happy in that picture, their smiles so big and genuine, that Regina couldn't keep a tear from escaping onto her cheek. If she could have stayed in that moment forever, she would have.
"Family," She read the word written in flowing, black script across the top of the frame, her tear-filled eyes shifting from picture to picture to look at them again.
"Too soon?"
Emma's voice broke through the quiet, and she took a hesitant step toward Regina, who just shook her head and wiped away another tear that had fallen onto her cheek.
"It's what we are…what we're becoming," Regina's watery eyes stared up at Emma, after she tore them away from the bottom picture. "Thank you."
"Better than flowers?" Emma joked, needing nothing more than the emotions dancing on Regina's face to understand how much the gift meant to her.
"This is all I could ever want," Regina's hand touched the frame reverently, knowing just how precious the images and what they represented were.
"Me too," Emma moved to stand beside Regina and looked down at the pictures with her. "You know, when I said goodnight to him last night, he told me how much fun he'd had with us and that he's glad we're not fighting over him anymore."
Regina glanced over at Emma, who lifted her eyes to meet the other woman's. Emma nodded down at the pictures. "He just wants his family to be a family."
The smile that had appeared on Regina's face fell into a straight line. "I'm not sure us being together is what he had in mind."
"Probably not, but maybe he'll end up thinking it's even better than what he had in mind. This is way better than anything I ever expected," Emma admitted, her fingers caressing the hand Regina held the frame with. "If he's really against it, we'll talk to him. But I'm not going to end this just because of our eleven year old. I never thought it would happen, but hey, you two are my family."
Regina stared at Emma intently for a moment, before she turned more toward the blonde and raised one of her hands to cup Emma's cheek. "And you're both mine. Which is something that I will never take for granted."
Emma's head moved against Regina's hand, her lips meeting the inside of her palm where they placed a lingering kiss.
"I love you," She whispered against Regina's skin, watching the adoration and contentment warm Regina's face, after hearing the words.
Regina then stepped closer to Emma, her eyes serious, while a tentative smile quickly grew into one that was brighter and rose more freely to lift her cheeks and reflect in her eyes. "And I love you."
She captured the smile on Emma's lips with a kiss that told the other woman how true the words were and how deeply she felt for her, because just saying it wasn't enough. Regina understood that Emma had been told things her entire life: a family wanted her; her foster parents loved her; Neal would always be there; she was enough; and just as easily, those same people would stop loving her, she would be sent back, and another person ended up abandoning her. Regina never wanted Emma to doubt that she loved her, would always be her family, and was enough…more than enough. Emma needed to be shown and needed to feel all of that, just as she did, because other people and their words had hurt them both.
After they pulled apart, Emma took the picture from Regina. "I hope you'll still feel that way after this date," She kidded, surprising both of them by how light and easily she made the joke, after the ways her nerves had betrayed her before.
Regina picked up on the flicker of worry in her eyes, however, and saw that Emma's insecurities weren't completely gone. "I have no doubt that I will."
The familiarity and tranquility of the beach were welcoming as Regina followed Emma out to the hidden place that had become theirs. She breathed in the fresh, salty smell of the ocean mixed with the earthy pine from the trees surrounding them. The view of the bay took her breath away in the same way it always did, and Regina paused to take it in as she usually did. Her eyes then fell closed with the comfort and peacefulness of her surroundings, and a contented sigh left her in answer to the way everything was washing over her.
The tickling touch of Emma's lips just about meeting hers, had Regina blindly moving her head forward to turn the hint of a kiss into something more complete. Their eyes only met when they felt the curve of the other's smile against their own-the weight of the pure happiness reflected back at them, keeping their amused laughs from leaving their throats.
"Perfect," Regina commented, after a moment.
"I'll take it; but I really don't think you've looked around enough yet to give a real opinion," Emma chuckled, and brought Regina's attention to the rest of the beach.
Her brown eyes took in the sight to her right. Half of the picnic table was covered in a white table cloth and set for two, complete with a red rose and baby's breath standing in a small vase in the center. There was also an unlit tea light in a small candle holder sitting beside it that Regina guessed Emma would wait until dinner to light. That thought, had Regina noticing the black table-top grill perched on top of the other end of the long wooden table, indicating that Emma had decided a barbecue would be ideal for the beach. It left Regina wondering if the menu would consist of the typical hamburgers and hot dogs one would usually cook on a grill, or if Emma had thought of something else on her quest to impress her date.
Once her gaze had swept over the four tikki torches standing a few feet away from each corner of the table-their flickering flames fighting hard against each breeze that flowed toward them from the water-her eyes moved to what was nearly the center of the beach. A decently-sized circle had been created with a border of large rocks surrounding pieces of wood, sticks, leaves and other things that hinted that they'd be transforming into a bonfire once it was dark out. Regina's blue blanket was laid out nearby on the pebbles and sand, while a couple of pillows and beach towels sat on top.
"I thought pillows might be more comfortable than just lying with our heads on the ground like that one night. And I came prepared with towels for any swimming we do. Wouldn't want you to have to use your magic to dry us off again," Emma elaborated, when she was unable to read the expression Regina was staring at the blanket with.
"I must say, you haven't failed to impress," A smirk danced on Regina's lips but there was sincere appreciation evident in her eyes.
"There's more, but you'll have to wait until later," Emma stepped behind Regina and wrapped her arms around her.
"I don't know. I'm very good at being persuasive," She whispered up into Emma's ear, after turning her head, so there was no mistaking the seduction that flowed out, heating the fair skin Regina's breath touched. "Perhaps, I could convince you to-"
"No way," A laugh erupted from Emma, cutting Regina off, and she pulled her head away from the brunette with a playful glare. "Nice try. I'm sure you could be very convincing, but tonight you're going to have to be patient."
Regina answered Emma with a frown that had barely been stopped from becoming a pout.
"Don't worry," Emma tried to ease away the look of dissatisfaction Regina shot at her. "You won't even notice; you'll be too busy enjoying everything else."
Regina settled back into Emma's embrace for a few moments, accepting her girlfriend's wishes to keep most of what the blonde had planned for their date a mystery. She exhaled softly with a mix of resignation and contentment, her eyes roaming over the beach. They caught sight of the water flowing toward the shore and floated over to it, the small blue waves becoming tempting and inviting to her. "In that case," She pulled herself away from Emma. "Care to join me for a swim?"
"Actually," Emma reached out to take Regina's hand, stopping the other woman's movement to untie the top of her dress. "I have something to show you first."
"Oh?" Regina lifted an eyebrow.
"It's a bit of a hike but worth it."
"Hike?" Regina's other eyebrow joined the one that had already risen to her forehead. "Emma, I'm wearing a dress and sandals."
"I promise it's nothing crazy. There's a short trail through the woods to those caves over there," Emma pushed her chin forward to direct Regina's gaze across from them, to the small cliffs that gradually rose out from the edge of the beach and toward the water, making up one of the brown and gray rocky barriers that helped to create the cove.
"Caves that it looks like I'll have to climb down to," Regina tried not to sound irritated, but there was no way she could completely mask the far-from-thrilled tone of her voice.
"It's really not that steep," Emma tried to assure her, having expected Regina's reaction. Not that having predicted her girlfriend's hesitation made it any less disappointing.
"Says the sheriff who's always working out."
"C'mon you're not that out of shape," Emma rolled her eyes at the lazy excuse. "You walk to the beach from your house; you swim; and don't forget, I'm now aware of how flexible you are…"
Instead of taking the bait and throwing back some kind of flirtation or retort to wipe the cocky smirk off of Emma's face, Regina decided not to give the other woman what she was asking for, and chose to ignore it, letting out an exasperated sigh. "And what is so important that I risk breaking an ankle to go down to some caves?"
There was a brief pause, before the green eyes leveled a pointed stare at her. "Me. I want to show you something."
Regina's eyes softened at that, which had Emma hurrying to add, "If I could bring it over here, I would, but I can't. It'll be worth it, I think. And you won't break an ankle."
Regina didn't raise her eyes to the caves again. They remained fixed on Emma's, while she battled the internal war taking place in her mind. A few minutes filled with the unyielding yet pleading way Emma's expression implored her, eventually had Regina breaking and caving with a groan. "Fine. For you," She relented, and Emma tried not to go too far in showing her excitement. Jumping and happy dances barely went over well with Regina when they were coming from Henry, so the blonde settled for a short kiss on the lips and a huge grin to convey her thanks. "But if I break my ankle, you're staying at my house and taking care of me until it heals."
Emma rolled her eyes and agreed to Regina's terms. "Yes, Your Majesty."
She couldn't help but laugh to herself about Regina's deal, though. Not only because she was almost positive that the other woman wouldn't break her ankle, but also because whether there was a deal or not, Emma would always be there to care for Regina when she needed her to. Obviously, she still needed to be convinced of that, and Emma knew she should never assume that Regina trusted her to be there. That meant that Emma would always show her that she was to be depended on and that there wasn't anything she wouldn't do to make sure Regina was happy.
Taking Regina's hand, Emma instinctively entwined their fingers. The subtle gesture didn't go unnoticed by the other woman, however, and Regina felt a flurry of warmth tickle her stomach and fill her heart. All of the little nuances, touches, kisses, and other displays of affection were becoming so natural for Emma to give, and as someone who had gone so long with such little contact, especially the kind that made her feel cherished and deeply connected to another person, Regina found herself still getting used to it and relishing in the feeling. No matter how fleeting a caress was or how brief a kiss might be, each one was significant and meaningful to the older woman. Because they came from Emma. Because the younger woman, who had learned to fear that feeling something for another person would always blow up in her face and always tried not to be vulnerable, fought past such fears to show Regina how much she mattered to her and that she really wanted them to have this.
Regina squeezed Emma's hand in return and her thumb wandered over the back of it.
Emma's eyes caught hers and a lopsided smile appeared on the blonde's face. It almost seemed like Emma was aware of what she had been thinking while they had walked across the beach to the foot of the trail that led to the caves.
"I'm sorry," Regina softly apologized.
Emma watched Regina quietly for a moment until her face became blank, and green eyes told the older woman the blonde was confused. "For?"
"Making a fuss about going to the caves."
Emma shook her head and smiled in understanding. "I get why you did."
"Still, I should trust your judgment."
"About time you realized that," Emma tossed back cheekily but quickly lost the cocky smirk that had crossed her lips. "If I thought you'd get hurt, I wouldn't have suggested it."
Regina's eyes flitted up to the top of the white birch trees in front of them, the leaves rustling against the blue sky. "I suppose I'm still not used to having someone who has such a deep regard for my feelings—for me."
"You're not the only one," She squeezed Regina's hand, and then, lifted it to her lips. "But we'll get there. To being able to believe it."
"We will," Regina offered her own assurance with a smile.
After another moment, a sheepish look appeared on Emma's face and she stepped backward, pointing over her shoulder with her thumb. "First mistake of the night. I forgot to grab my backpack. What I have to show you won't be as cool without a flashlight," She hurried to explain, as she tried and failed to stop the pink blush from heating her face. "Be right back."
"Emma," Regina called after the woman, who was almost halfway across the beach.
Hearing her name, Emma turned around and stopped. "What?"
"Don't worry, I still love you."
A wide smile spread across Emma's face and she shook her head. "Glad to hear it."
Their Date TBC…
