It was dark when Regina and Emma finally stopped kissing enough to start walking back to town hand in hand. Sure, they could have just used their magic, but both were enjoying the feel of each other's hand in theirs, swinging softly between the two of them. It surprised Emma how easy it was to be so openly affectionate to each other. Regina was so closed off usually but with Emma, she was the complete opposite.
On the outskirts of town, where the trees started to thin, Emma tugged on Regina's hand and pulled her against her for another kiss. The feel of the brunette's lips against her were her new drug and despite only having a small taste, Emma was already an addict. Regina quickly dominated the kiss, she nipped on Emma's bottom lip before sweeping her tongue over it to soothe the pain. She pushed her gently against the tree behind her and pinned her against it. Emma wasn't complaining, instead she tilted her head to deepen the kiss and wrapped her arms firmly around Regina's neck, keeping her pressed against her.
Neither knew who started it but, after a few moments, Emma's legs were parted and Regina had one of hers in between, pressing teasingly against her core. Regina slowly rotated her hips, pressing her leg closer to the blonde making Emma moan against her mouth.
"I want you so badly," Emma husked after reluctantly breaking the kiss. "I want nothing more than to take you back to mine and throw you onto my bed and make love to you until the dawn breaks."
"Why am I sensing a but coming?" Regina asked hesitantly, starting to lean back from the blonde but Emma tightened her grip ever so slightly so she couldn't.
"I have to go pick up Hope," Emma replied. She adjusted one of her hands and softly cupped the side of Regina's face, smiling when the brunette automatically leant into the touch. "I can't keep leaving her with my family and I miss her. As much as her crying disrupts my sleep, I enjoy it because it means that she's alive and she needs me."
Regina turned her head to kiss Emma's palm before standing up straight. "Well maybe we could look after her together?" Regina suggested slowly. "I won't stay, if you don't want me to, but don't want to leave you yet."
Instead of answering straight away, Emma leant forward and kissed her again. "You'd willing spend our first date with a baby?"
"I love you, Emma. I'd sit in a cave surrounded by ogres if it meant I could spend time with you," Regina said simply and the two laughed. "Besides, I want to get to know Hope too."
"Then let's get going."
After another slightly longer than anticipated kiss, the two finally resumed their walk towards the Charmings'. It didn't take them that long to reach the house. The familiar yellow bug parked on the driveway.
"Em, what's your car doing here?" Regina asked.
"I drove here earlier with the intention of getting Hope and then Mom persuaded me to go talk to you," Emma replied, trying not to blush.
"Then let's send it home for you." With a wave of her free hand, Regina cast a charm on the car and it disappeared.
"Thank you." Emma smiled and gestured to the front door. "After you."
Both automatically walked through the front door still holding hands. Normally the hallway was empty but, unfortunately for them, Neal was stood there on his way to his room after dinner.
The twelve-year-old stood stock still when he saw them walk through the door. His eyes locked onto his sister and his crush's hands, their fingers laced together, and his mouth formed the perfect O in shock. Though as a Charming, Neal wasn't silent for long.
"Oh. My. God," he all but yelled looking between the two women and they immediately let go of the other's hand, but they couldn't extinguish the blush on their faces.
At the yell, Snow and Charming ran into the hall.
"What happened?" Snow asked looking between them all.
"Em…Emma and R…Reg…Regina?" Neal stuttered, still looking at them. "I…um what? You're together?"
"Neal, why don't you go to your room and we'll call you down in a bit?" Charming suggested. Neal nodded his head slowly and backed up before running upstairs. "Why don't you two follow us for a drink?" Charming added to his daughter and Regina and the four of them made their way into the kitchen. Snow went to make her way to the kettle, but Regina just waved her hand and produced a tray of drinks in front of them.
No one said anything at first. Everyone just choosing to take a sip of their drink. However, Emma and Regina were finding it difficult to keep their eyes off each other, smiling automatically over their mugs.
"Will one of you just tell us what's going on?" Snow asked exasperated, she couldn't put up with her daughter and former enemy making eyes at each other any longer. "What freaked Neal out?"
"We were holding hands as we came in," Emma muttered quietly. Almost so quietly that Snow and Charming had to strain their ears to hear but they caught it. Snow squealed in delight at hearing it. She actually squealed very loudly and not a moment later, Hope started to cry. "And that's my cue!" Emma looked guiltily at her girlfriend…wait was Regina her girlfriend? She asked herself, but Emma couldn't answer that right now, she had a crying baby to attend to.
Once Emma had left, Snow and Charming turned their gazes to Regina who was still blushing slightly. "Umm Emma came over earlier," she began.
"And she told you everything?" Snow cut in. The happiness etched on her face was almost too much and Regina was fighting hard not to roll her eyes at it.
"Not quite," said Emma as she walked back into the room. She had Hope in her arms. She sat back down and started pulling faces at Hope to make her giggle. "I went over, like you told me to, and Facilier was there."
The two then told the Charmings what happened. They ooh'ed and aww'ed at all the right moments and when Emma revealed that Regina kissed her as a way of cutting off her babbling about asking for a kiss, Snow squealed again. Hope was mid laugh but then started to cry again at the sound.
"Mom, will you pack that in?" Emma half snapped, half laughed. She was happy that her mother was happy but if she kept making Hope cry, she wasn't going to stay that way. Rocking her gently, Emma made shushing sounds and Hope soon calmed down.
"I'm sorry, but that's just so cute!"
Regina glared at Snow, she was anything but cute, but she couldn't hold her glare for long when she saw Emma smirking at her. The blonde knew exactly why Regina was glaring. "You are kinda cute," she whispered making Regina blush again.
The four were silent for a few minutes, collecting their thoughts until Charming broke it, "I'm going to go check on Neal and see if he's okay."
Charming left the women in the kitchen. "I hope he's alright," Regina muttered after she finished the last of her tea. "I didn't mean to break two hearts tonight."
"Neal's twelve, he'll get over it," Snow reassured her, with a pat to her knee. "Besides, isn't he a bit young for you?"
"Well, Regina is older than you, then you were frozen for twenty-eight years and then she disappeared for ten years, she's not exactly a spring chicken," Emma joked, poking Regina in the side lightly.
"If you weren't holding that precious baby, Miss Swan, I would fireball you," Regina threatened but talking about Hope made her eyes soften and lips curve into a bright smile. The threat dissolved to nothingness.
"That and the fact you love me too much to hurt me," Emma sassed and winked. Regina couldn't deny it, so she just didn't say anything. "Anyway, it's getting late and we still haven't eaten, so we're going to get off," Emma said quickly to change the subject; Snow looked like she wanted to squeal again and Hope had fallen asleep. Emma then stood up and hugged her mother goodbye. "Tell Dad I said goodnight, please, and let me know that Neal's okay."
"Of course, and if you need me to babysit any night this week, I'm free." Snow winked and Regina rolled her eyes, she couldn't stop herself this time.
Emma then placed Hope in her pram and quickly collected her things from the living room. She didn't want to leave Regina and Snow alone for too long. Within minutes, everything was together. Regina helped Emma carry the pram down the steps and then linked arms with the blonde while Emma steered the pram.
During their walk, Regina shot a quick text off to Henry saying everything was okay and she was with Emma and Hope. Henry had quickly replied saying he was aware as Snow had just messaged him. His following reply was not what she was expecting.
H: Have fun tonight Mom ;)
Regina blushed, she knew what those punctuation marks meant. Not for the first time, she wished her son was still her little boy who didn't know what anything like that meant.
"What's got you blushing?" Emma asked.
"Your son is inappropriate," Regina muttered and then showed Emma her phone who cracked up laughing.
"Oh lordy."
The two soon made their way back to Emma's and once inside, Emma automatically picked up Hope and place her in her crib while Regina walked into the kitchen. She found some leftover ham in the fridge and started preparing two ham salad sandwiches. When she'd finished, she turned around and saw Emma casually leaning against the door frame with her arms folded.
"I could get used to this," she muttered, still not moving.
"Used to what?" Regina asked confused. She placed the sandwiches down on the table before crossing the room. She uncrossed Emma's arms and slid her arounds around her waist with Emma's automatically going around her neck.
"You in my house, making me food while I look after the baby," Emma replied before leaning down to kiss Regina tenderly. Within seconds, the kiss heated up and tongues were involved. Emma tilted her head to deepen the kiss before Regina broke it off and started to kiss along Emma's jaw. She grazed her teeth gently on Emma's earlobe making the blonde moan. Smirking, Regina leant in to do it again but was distracted when Emma's stomach grumbled. Leaning back, she saw the blonde blush guiltily.
"I've not eaten since noon," she admitted. Regina checked her watch and saw that it was getting close to nine. It was probably the longest Emma had gone without eating in a while.
"We'd better get some food in you then," she replied and regretfully started walking back to the table. "Any idea what you'd like for dessert?" At the mention of it, Emma's eyes darkened and she unconsciously licked her lips. Regina's core throbbed at the sight. "Not what I meant, but good to know."
Winking, Emma picked up her sandwich and took a bite, unable to help the moan that escaped at the taste. When she licked at the mayonnaise on her lip, Regina had to bite her own to stop her from moaning and once again her core throbbed. She tried hard not to squirm in her seat.
"You can make me food more often," the blonde remarked. Regina didn't respond and just took a bite out of her food. The quicker she finished her food, the sooner they could return to their previous activity: making out like teenagers.
It didn't take long to finish the food. Regina automatically started to clear everything away, but with a wave of her hand, Emma had already finished everything.
"I'm going to go take Hope upstairs, feel free to get comfortable," Emma said. She pecked Regina on her cheek before moving through the house to take Hope upstairs.
Whilst Emma settled the baby in, Regina walked towards the living room and waved her hand. The curtains closed and the fire place illuminated with dancing orange and yellow flames. To add the cosy feel, she produced some candles and lit them too. Another wave and the stereo in the corner turned on and started playing soft jazz. With a final wave of her hand, she changed her clothes, from the blazer and skirt combo she'd dressed in after her nap to some more loose joggers and a tank top.
Satisfied, Regina backtracked into the kitchen to find another bottle of wine and two glasses. Knowing the two couldn't get drunk with the baby, she poured out two medium glasses and returned the bottle to where she found it. She carried the two glasses into the living room before sitting on the sofa. She curled one leg underneath her and picked up her phone which she'd placed on the table earlier. There was another text from Henry saying that Facilier had told him to pass on the message that, instead of going to Granny's, he'd decided to leave town completely. He didn't want to embarrass himself with the goodbye and it was better this way.
With a sigh, Regina supposed he was right. Any feelings she felt towards him had completely vanished the moment Emma's lips touched hers and she didn't feel any guilt in it. She loved Emma and the blonde loved her back, she was finally getting her happy ending after so many years.
"A penny for your thoughts?" Emma asked as she made her way over. Regina was so lost in thought she hadn't heard Emma return.
"They're worth much more than that," Regina sassed as Emma took a seat next to her. Immediately, Emma wrapped her arm around the brunette and Regina leant into the embrace.
"Everything okay though?" Emma asked, sensing something was slightly off. She brought the hand around Regina's shoulder up and started playing with her hair.
"Henry text me saying Facilier has left and won't return," Regina replied with a slight shrug. "I'm sad that I accidentally broke his heart, I never meant for that to happen. It's for the best though. I have what I've always wanted now."
"Oh yeah?" Emma stopped her ministrations and looked directly at Regina.
"Yes," Regina confirmed and leant forward to kiss her. "I have my swan," she murmured against her lips and kissed her again more passionately. She pushed gently on Emma's shoulders and the blonde got the hint. She shuffled her body down so she was laying down and parted her legs, cradling Regina in between them.
"And I have my queen."
Hearing her old title come from Emma's lips, Regina groaned and kissed her harder. Her hand came up and started playing with the hem of Emma's blouse. Just as she was about to inch her hands under the shirt, Emma's phone started to ring.
"I'm sorry," Emma muttered before leaning forward to pick up her phone. It was her mother.
"Mom, what's up?" She answered and Regina leant back on her heels as to not distract Emma on the phone. Within moments the blonde's eyes widened. "I'll be right there!" Emma then disconnected the call and sat up properly.
"What is it?" Regina asked. "What's going on?"
"It's Neal," Emma replied, panic laced in her voice and worry etched on her face. "Mom went to check on him on her way to bed and his bed was empty. Ginny, he's disappeared!"
