"Hello, love," Hook said, finding Regina on the beach.
Regina startled at his voice and jumped slightly. "How did you know where to find me?"
"Ariel. I figured you'd come wait for her."
"I underestimate you."
"Yes love, you do."
"I'm sorry I stole the woman you want," Regina joked.
"Oh well, you know. Should either of you find yourself in need of a sword, you'll just let me know."
Regina looked up at him suddenly, a look of revulsion on her face until she saw him smile. She decided to play back.
"You'd enjoy yourself too much. I don't think you could handle it, anyway."
"You'd be amazed what I can do and handle with one hand."
Regina chuckled. She heard rustling and froze, listening when she heard more she jumped up, turning toward the jungle, her back to the water. She calmed when she saw familiar blonde locks.
"Emma," she breathed.
"Hi," Emma said, a small smile on her lips. She tossed the flask in the air and caught it. "I used this to find you. I knew you'd be here, but wanted to make sure I could find you quickly."
"I knew you'd come." Regina's voice was small, but she started walking toward Emma. The blonde closed the rest of the distance and pulled Regina at the waist for a hug.
"Thanks, Hook." Emma's appreciation made Hook smirk.
"Right, I'll just go busy myself for some time, use that flask to find me when you need to go back to the group, ladies."
"Killian," Regina said, lightly. "Thank you, for making me laugh, and for doing this. I know we have a lot of history, and—"
"Don't mention it, darling," he responded with a wink. "I know what losing loved ones can do to you, it did it to me." He walked away, leaving the women watching him. After he was gone, they looked back at each other.
"I'm so proud of who you've become, Regina." The brunette looked shocked at the blonde's words. "I'm serious."
"I can tell. I keep expecting to wake up from a dream. I keep expecting you to run away from me or decide you're being crazy and change your mind."
"Never."
"Don't say that. One day, I'll say something and spook you."
"What could you possibly do at this point? I know a good amount of the things you've done, what could you do to scare me now?"
"I'm sure I could do something."
Emma hummed, letting her grasp of Regina wane, dropping her hand to hook her pinky with Regina's. The women walked closer to the water, taking a seat on the sand. Regina was quiet. Sad looking and Emma was unhappy about that. She moved herself so Regina was sitting in front of her, between her legs, her back against Emma's chest. Emma wrapped her arms around the brunette's waist and rested her chin on the shoulder in front of her.
"Penny for your thoughts," Emma whispered.
"I'm exhausted."
"Do you want to sleep? I'll hold you."
"No, not that kind of exhausted, dear. I'm tired of fighting all the time. When we get Henry back, we're all going to sleep and hide away for days. I don't want to be around people I'm arguing with all of the time."
"Hmm, you mean my parents?"
"Of course. I understand their resistance, but it's not like they'd even let me prove it."
"I understand, Regina. They won't have a choice, though."
"I wish I could rip out my heart and replace it with one that isn't black. It would be so much easier to be good and for people to believe I want to change."
"No! I wouldn't want you to do that."
"Why not? You'd have my shell with a move loving and loveable person."
"No. I'm not in love with your shell, Regina. I love you. You, with your blackened heart and bad history. I don't know that you'd be you without the changes and issues you've overcome. I want you for who and what you are, so don't be stupid."
Regina mumbled something and Emma squeezed her tighter against her chest and asked her to repeat herself. "I just said you should know I'll only end up hurting you."
"I don't believe that."
"You're too stubborn for your own good."
"Yeah, well, if I wasn't stubborn, we wouldn't be where we are." Emma felt Regina shrug against her. "Won't you tell me what's bothering you so much?"
"Nothing. I just want to enjoy your touch right now."
Emma kissed the back of Regina's head, smiling into the dark hair. She flattened her palms against the brunette's stomach and pulled the hem of her shirt. She touched the bare skin underneath.
"Your skin feels so warm, Regina," she whispered into Regina's ear. The brunette pulled herself out of Emma's arms, leaving the blonde scrambling to bring her back. Regina pulled her blazer off, casting it to the side. She crawled back to Emma and kissed her. She remained on her hands and knees, face level with the blonde. Regina put her hand between Emma's thighs, curling her fingers in to create a fist, which she placed at the apex of the other woman's thighs.
She leaned in to kiss Emma more, strategically moving her fist back and forth on the sand, gently rubbing her knuckles along Emma's warm core. Emma groaned and Regina smirked against the blonde's lips. Emma put her left hand on the back of Regina's neck and used her right hand to pull the brunette's left arm out from underneath her, pushing her so the two flipped and Regina was on her back on the ground, Emma's right side against the sand but the rest of her body was on Regina's, her thigh pushing against Regina's core. Emma's lips gently found Regina's, kissing softly, her left hand pushing beneath the shirt and over the bra.
She squeezed gently then moved her hand back to the bare skin of Regina's waist. She ground herself harder against the brunette. She pushed her left hand into Regina's pants, her fingers searching for and finding the brunette's clit. Regina gasped, surprised that the blonde was being so willing in the bright light of the day. She pushed the hem of Emma's shirt up, forcing the blonde's hand off her, she used both hands to pull the shirt over Emma's head. Emma then returned her hand to Regina's core. She pushed her face into the crook of the brunette's neck and kissed, breathing in the now familiar apple scent. Regina bit Emma's shoulder causing the blonde to moan.
"God, Regina, get your clothes off, now," she said throatily. Emma removed her hand from Regina once more and forced herself onto her knees, pulling her bra off and pushing her pants and panties down to her knees. She dropped back onto her hands, kicking the clothing off the rest of the way. Regina had been doing the same, only much more neatly than Emma. She had made two blankets appear, one she was lying on and one she was already bare and underneath.
"Princess," Emma muttered, smiling.
"Queen, actually, now are you getting over here or not?"
Emma knelt onto the blanket, pulling the second around her back and lying down with Regina. The brunette draped her arms over Emma's shoulders and Emma put her leg between Regina's, pushing against her core and felt Regina's leg bend to create the same pressure. The women moved their hips in sync.
"I don't want it like this, Emma," Regina whispered.
"What do you mean, beautiful?" Emma asked, stopping what she was doing. Regina blushed. "No, don't be embarrassed. Tell me what you want me to do."
"I want you against me."
"You—oh, well that can be arranged." Emma shifted herself so their cores were touching; she had one leg underneath Regina's right leg and the other over her left hip. The women moved together, Emma had her hand on Regina's breast, kneading it and pinching the nipple. Regina's right hand pulled on Emma's hair, and her left hand rested on Emma's hip, rubbing circles with her fingers. It didn't take long before their movement caused the two women to tense, trembling and Emma tried to keep her hips under control but they started bucking against the other woman. The new movement crashed waves through Regina's body, causing ecstasy to spread throughout her entire body, a feeling she could see on Emma's face, too. As the women slowed their movements, Emma let her body collapse onto Regina's and the women laid there, panting, trying to catch their breath.
After they both were breathing normally, Emma rolled off and the women laid on their respective sides, facing each other. Emma had a wide, dopey smile on her face, and Regina's smile was real and sincere, but smaller than the one on Emma's mouth.
"Did we just make love?" Emma asked, her voice husky.
"I suppose you could say that."
"You're so amazing, Regina." Regina hummed and her brow furrowed. "Are you ok, Regina? Did I do something wrong?"
"No, dear. You were great."
"Then what's wrong?"
"Every time I'm not with you, I start doubting how you really feel, then you do something like this and it makes me feel like I can trust you, and that's a new feeling for me. There's no going back from here, though."
"Oh." Emma's eyes filled and she blinked rapidly, trying to keep the tears from spilling over.
"Silly Emma," Regina whispered, placing a hand on the blonde's cheek. "I wasn't implying that I wanted to go back. But, dear, what if something happens to one of us when we try to save Henry? I don't know that I can live without this feeling, again."
"You'll never have to know."
"You can't guarantee that, dear."
"We'll see. And even if something were to happen, I would never want to take this back. I'm going to have an even harder time trying to keep my feelings for you under wraps around everyone now."
"We still need to figure out how to tell your parents."
"And Henry. But we shouldn't tell them until we're all home safely."
"In case one of us dies, why cause issue." Regina's response told Emma that she misunderstood her intentions.
"Now it's my turn to call you silly. I spend half of my time defending you, now. All I'd be doing is fighting everyone. I don't want to fight. I want to enjoy you and I want to get Henry. If someone asked I would be truthful, but there's no point in seeking out an argument."
"I understand that, dear."
"Regina, what is Ariel bringing back?"
"Pandora's box, I guess."
"Why does Gold want to keep it such a secret?"
"Control. I believe he wants to save Henry to redeem himself to his son."
"I don't care how we get Henry safe, I just need him to be."
"Me too."
"Regina?"
"Hmm?"
"I love you."
"I know, dear." Regina smiled at Emma. She wasn't ready to say the words. She was nearly certain that what they had was true love, but she still felt like ripping Emma's heart out to control her. Not out of malice, but out of fear. She had already given the blonde too much power and it was scaring her.
Emma wasn't hurt at the brunette's response, or lack thereof. She knew it would take the other woman longer to acknowledge what they were to each other. She had, after all, had 28 years more of being alone, probably longer, to overcome. She was confident that it was true love between them, which meant Regina had to feel it, too, it was just a matter of time before she allowed herself to accept it.
Emma grabbed Regina and pulled the woman toward her. Wrapping her arms around the brunette's shoulders, the blonde laid on her back, causing tufts of dark hair to cover her shoulder where Regina was laying her head. Neither woman realized how relaxed they had become until Regina heard the slow, even breathing of Emma and decided to conceal them with a spell, and then let herself fall asleep on the blonde's chest.
A few hours passed and Emma woke. She felt the weight of Regina's head on her chest and the arm draped over her waist. The brunette also had her leg over one of Emma's, her foot between the blonde's ankles. Emma brushed Regina's hair away from her face gently, not wanting to wake her, but wanting to see relaxation in the other woman's features.
She looked at her for a moment, and then checked the sky. The sun had passed the center of the sky and was dropping toward the night. It was still bright out, so it was probably early afternoon. She let her thoughts wander while Regina remained asleep. Her thoughts told her to try some magic. She laid one hand on the side of Regina's head and the other on her forearm. She tried to project thoughts into Regina's dreams. She imagined them celebrating each one of their birthdays together. She pictured giving Henry loads of comics and having Regina bake a delicious chocolate cake and lecturing Emma and Henry on getting a sugar coma if they ate too much. She pictured the two of them taking turns putting Henry to bed for the rest of his childhood, and then crawling into bed together and making love over and over.
She thought of how great their future would be as a family. Regina would be the stable one, Emma the slightly erratic, more spontaneous one. She heard Regina hum, but not doubtfully like she usually did, but out of pleasure. She looked at the brunette, whose eyes were now open. Regina lifter her head and looked up at Emma's face.
"Was that you?" Regina asked.
"Yes. I wanted to test out my magic."
"It was beautiful. Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"Practice by cleaning yourself and dressing yourself."
"With magic?" Emma raised her eyebrows.
"Yes, dear."
"How?"
"Just picture yourself clean and dressed." Both women stood and it only took two tries for her to get it right and Regina had done it to herself in mere moments.
"Stop showing off," Emma grumbled.
Regina smirked, then walked to Emma, placing a kiss on her lips. "You're doing wonderfully, Emma."
"I don't want to go back to the group."
"I don't either."
"But you could just hide with Hook all day, I don't have a good reason for being away."
"Very true. Maybe I'll do that," she teased, checking Emma's face for a response. The blonde, for once, had her emotions in check and there were no tell tale signs on her face. Regina furrowed her brow. "What?"
"I wouldn't mind, if that's what you needed to do. I know it's hard for you to be around them."
"Where you are is where I want to be, even if I have to deal with the two idiots, the two annoying fathers and Killian."
"You keep calling him Killian, should I be jealous?"
"No, dear Emma, but he is growing on me. I find him less unbearable since he decided to help us, even if it was just because he fell for you."
"I don't know, I do think it might be because you're so sweet and, dare I say, charming."
"You needn't use that word to describe me." Emma chuckled, grabbing Regina's hand and pulling her toward the enclosure of the jungle, once more. She pulled out Hook's flask and used magic to make it lead them to him. He wasn't far, hanging around on another part of the beach, sleeping against a tree. Emma shook him awake and asked if he knew how to get back to the group. He nodded and stood, walking in front of the women. Somewhere alone the walk, Regina dropped Emma's hand and took Hook's elbow in it, instead.
The brunettes leading the front were seen by the group first and Snow jumped up, looking for Emma. When Emma walked to the other side of Hook. Snow looked annoyed, then acted as though she was gong to speak.
"Why were you with them, Emma? I thought you wanted to be alone."
"I did. And I slept," Emma started. Then lifted the flask to display it for the group. "But this was what I had to get back to you guys, and Hook was with Regina, so that's where it took me. Thankfully, Hook knows the island pretty well and he got us all back here."
"Oh. Well, are you feeling better?"
"Sure."
The group sat around a fire that Emma created, Emma between her parents, mostly because she didn't want Neal to sit next to her, but also because she didn't know what would happen when they got to Henry. Her father couldn't leave the island and she had thought she would have more time to know him.
"Hey, David," Emma started, nudging him with her shoulder. "Can we talk somewhere, alone." Charming looked surprised and Snow looked hurt. "Don't worry, Mary Margaret, we'll get plenty of chats later," Emma added, slightly annoyed.
"Uh, yeah, okay," Charming said, standing. The two walked away from the group and Emma tried to force herself to be brave. Slaying dragons, no problem, trying to have a dead end relationship with her father, here come the defenses.
"What did you want to talk about?"
"I just… you're going to be stuck here and I wanted to have a chance to talk to you before that happens. You know the moment Henry is safe, we're going home, I have no plans of sticking around this place."
"I know, Emma. I want for you to be safe and happy, you're my daughter, that's all I would have ever wanted."
"I will be happy."
"And you're sure that's not with Neal."
"No. There's … um, well, there's someone else."
"Since we've been here? Not Hook, right? Regina, she'll destroy you, Emma!"
"No. Hook and Regina are just pretending."
"But why?"
"So our secret didn't get out, but if you're going to be stuck here, I want you to know I found love."
"That still doesn't tell me why Regina and Hook would lie to keep your secret, why would Regina help you?" A blush covered Emma's cheeks and she found that she couldn't even be annoyed at his presumptuousness.
"It isn't Regina faking, it's, well, it's Hook."
"But, Hook? Why would he have to… what?! No! You and her? Why her of all people?"
Emma felt her anger come out through hot tears that poured over her cheeks. "I didn't ask for it! It just happened! True love, I'd bet anything! And I wouldn't pick anyone else, even if I had the chance. I love her! She's the best person I know. The most honest, anyway! And you guys walking around judging her, and saying "her" like she has a disease, all the time really hurts me."
"True love? Emma, are you sure? That's a big statement to make."
"More sure than I've ever been."
"So that's why you two keep sneaking off. That's hurting your mother, you know. She just thinks you'd rather spend more time with the evil queen than her."
"Regina isn't evil. And I need her. She makes me feel better, less angry, less sad. And her heart, I'm helping heal her heart, I can feel it."
"You can feel it." David's response was a statement. He was shocked but he knew he shouldn't phrase it as a question because he had already upset Emma enough.
"Yes. We have a physical connection. I can use magic better with her, and I can sense her moods."
"And you can, what, feel her heart?"
"Yes."
Charming wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her. "Oh, Emma. I don't know what to say. I want you to be happy, and if she makes you happy, then ok. But you know your mom might not be so gracious?"
"I know." They parted after a moment. "But, you can't tell her. She can find out when we're back in Storybrooke."
"Emma, she's talking about staying."
"No! She can't! I'm just getting to know you guys, and now I'm going to lose both of my parents, again?"
"I'm sorry, sweetie."
"We need to ask Gold what else he knows about the poison."
"We can try. But remember how he saved himself from it, or rather had Snow do the dirty work."
"Yeah, but if I know anything about him, it's that he wouldn't allow it to happen again."
"You're right. Let's go!" There was a new excitement on her father's face, a new hope and it made Emma feel lighter, like maybe she could have it all, her parents, her son and her true love.
"Seriously, though, keep your mouth shut."
"I will, Emma, trust me, I don't want to be the one to break that news to your mother." Emma rolled her eyes as they made it through the clearing. Emma took in the expressions of everyone once they looked up at them. Her mother, who looked as though she had been in conversation with Neal, looked hurt, but maybe a little happy. Neal looked upset, Gold annoyed and Regina and Hook both looked smug. Snow stood to greet them back by hugging Emma, then Charming. Her father glanced at Regina and tried to give a half smile, with which she returned a smirk.
Almost, Regina. Emma thought.
Regina then looked at Emma, confused, searching for an answer. Emma just nodded and gave the brunette a small smile, causing Regina to blush.