A/N: And here is another chapter! Holy hell, am I sorry that it's way later than usual. I haven't been in the best of writing moods lately, but I finally was able to hitch back on and finished this chapter for you lovely readers! Thank you for being patient with me (if not, I am SOOO sorry!) and I hope that you're still here. This one is extra long and quite fluffy, so I hope that makes up for its tardiness! Please excuse any mistakes, I hadn't reviewed over it quite yet, but in the future I'll be sure to get those fixed!
I would also love to thank you all for the nice reviews and wonderful ideas that have given me inspiration! It helped me out a lot and I greatly appreciate it. I do hope you enjoy reading and, please, leave a review to tell me what you think! :)
Emma Swan fumbled with her backpack, pulling at loose strings as she sat outside of Mr. Gold's office. It had been an hour of doing nothing, really. She had to write a paper explaining her behavior and why she had hit that boy. Of course, it was rather hard to write exactly why she had done it, since her reasons were supposed to be kept secret. She couldn't risk anything if it had meant that Ms. Mills would ultimately lose her job.
Of course, Mr. Gold had already known why Emma started the fight and that was why she wasn't suspended. She figured the principal had it in for the English teacher, or something of that ilk. Whatever it may be, he really wasn't going to be dipping a toe into those waters any time soon, if ever.
The blonde had sat for most of the hour, thinking about the lovely dinner that she would be having with the brunette after she would be released from this little hell. She thought it would be quiet, fast, and peaceful sitting alone in the office for her punishment. But she had been dead wrong. Upon entering the domain, she soon realized just where those two boys would be. They were serving out their punishments not two tables away from Emma. They had made lewd comments upon her arrival about the blonde and Ms. Mills.
She would have pummeled their faces into the ground if not for Mr. Gold's ever watchful eye. So she had grudgingly sat down and tried her best to ignore their comments. Thankfully the principal had put an end to all noises and told them to get to work before he would add another week to their insubordination.
Emma was now watching the two teenagers from the corner of her eyes. Each were at a different table, but with Mr. Gold's absence, they decided to make a game of it and had started to throw bits of paper at each other, all the while giggling and jeering each other in their version of a whisper.
She really disliked teenage boys. Actually, it wasn't all of them, but more specifically these two. And the only reason why she disliked them was for their rude and crass comments about Ms. Mills. Even then, she felt so very offended by their cruel words, but now, it felt far more personal. It wasn't even just for the fact that they were making those same comments about her as well, no. It was for some reason far different. It was foreign to Emma since she had never felt so compelled towards someone as she did with the brunette teacher. Whatever feelings that she had before were now far more intense and that was rather scary.
What was she getting herself into? That's what she had been asking herself ever since she woke up this morning, and the question had come more frequent after lunch. But those matters would be ran through later, because right now, there was Mr. Gold coming out of his office to relieve them.
And as soon as he had, she was out of that office in no time and on her way to Ms. Mills' room. Her heart was fluttering madly in her chest at the thought. Those two were virtually going out on a date, although she wasn't quite sure if her brunette teacher had thought that at the time or not. But whatever it may be, she felt anxious as hell.
That was, until she heard footsteps behind her. Her mind immediately jumped to the thought of Ms. Mills, but the older woman usually wore heels…
Whipping around, she came face to face with the boy she had punched yesterday. His jaw had ugly bruises on it that made Emma proud, but the angry scowl on his lips scared proud Emma away and replaced her with a more fearful one. The teenager was much larger than she and she didn't have much of an advantage against him, especially if his equally giant friend was standing behind him. In the class, she had an advantage. Ms. Mills was there to end things when it had gotten rough, and to begin with, the boy wasn't suspecting her to deck him.
Emma straightened her back and made eye contact with the boy, pushing her fears to the far corner of her brain. She had to show them that she wasn't afraid, which was a tactic that she used to use at her former foster homes. Stand up to them and hope that they back down. So she donned the most intimidating look that she could, scowling as she spat.
"What do you want?"
"You," the boy growled, taking a step towards her. Emma stood her ground, her eyes narrowing. She knew the hallways were barren, since most students were gone by now, and the secondary hallway that held the English rooms.
And the darkened rooms told Emma that most of the teachers who had rooms along this hall were gone as well. There was absolutely no one around. That also meant that the three of them were alone…
Unless the cameras would catch them and, Emma hoped, that someone would be watching. But with just her luck, they will have stepped away from the video footage to do something better.
"Why? The fuck you want me for?" The blonde glared up at the teenager, her teeth slightly bared.
"To get you back for punching me, you cunt!" Effortlessly, he slammed Emma against one of the lockers, pinning her to it. She struggled, her eyes widening.
"Would you really be such a fucking jerk and hit a defenseless girl?" She snarled.
"Defenseless my ass!" And then Emma's knee met with his groin, causing him to scream in agony. Taking advantage of his lost grip, Emma darted away from him and down the hallway towards Ms. Mills' room. Hopefully she could get there before those bastards were to follow her.
But, her luck was not so great that day, for jerk number one's friend, jerk number two, seized her arm, ultimately yanking the blonde into a backwards halt.
"Fuck!" Emma squawked in surprise, her emerald eyes as wide as saucers. Oh, god, she hoped someone had heard her. She really didn't feel like being in pain today. And her fear only heightened when jerk number one straightened up and started to slowly limp towards the two of them.
"And now, you're really going to pay." He growled, not even giving Emma a chance at a retort before his fist met her face. The recoil caused both Emma and jerk number two to stumble backwards, and when she was no longer being held, she had fallen to the ground.
Pain radiated from her left eye and cheek, completely filling all of her senses. She vaguely heard the cruel laughter of the two boys before they had walked off. It was a relief that he wasn't going to continue because she didn't think she could handle all that pain at once. It had been a while since her last physical fight, not counting yesterday, and even then, she didn't get touched much.
And, fuck, was she lucky then because right now she hurt like a son of a bitch. She held her cheek, willing the pain to go away. But she knew that wasn't going to happen any time soon. Then sudden realization hit her as she remembered where she was heading. She was supposed to go out with the brunette English teacher.
Oh, no…
Emma couldn't let the older woman see her like this. She couldn't let her know that she was weak. Perhaps she could try to cover it up with her hair. Sure, it'll be an odd look, but at least it would hide it. Now she really wished that she was like some of those other girls that carried makeup around with them.
Cursing herself, she picked herself up off the ground with a hefty grunt. She was left swaying on her feet as blood rushed to her head, nearly causing the blonde to pass out as she saw black. After a minute of standing still to regain herself and kicking her bag halfway down the hall to pick up later, Emma turned around and headed back to the main hall. Soon, she found the women's bathroom and entered. She needed to find a good way to keep her hair to prevent Ms. Mills from seeing and it was rather hard when she didn't know exactly where she was flipping those locks.
As soon as she lifted her gaze to the mirror, she gasped. Her eye was already starting to turn a sickly purple and there was a bloody cut on her cheekbone. It looked absolutely horrid, but she would be able to hide it well. She thanked whatever higher deity that it wasn't her jaw that had lain victim because that would sure as hell be hard to hide.
After fixing her hair to lay over the left side of her face, she left the bathroom and, once again, headed towards the English hallway. It wasn't long until she made it to her backpack and bent to pick the object up on her way to Ms. Mills' room, which had only been one door away from the bag.
Her nerves got the better of her once she had reached the door. She stood outside of it for several heartbeats, and in her case, that would have been quite a lot. Her heart was pounding in a rapid tattoo against her chest and she could feel her body just shake. Why the hell was she feeling like this? She'd been in Ms. Mills room many, many times before. She'd talked with the woman five times a week. She had also been out with the brunette, although it hadn't been exactly planned either time.
Shaking those feelings away and sucking up her anxiety, she reached for the door handle and opened the barrier between the two of them. Funny, she thought, that would be a good metaphor for our relationship.
"Emma!" She heard the deep voice call from the other side of the room. "I thought you would have been here sooner?"
When Emma looked up, the brunette wore a concerned expression as she pushed herself from her chair.
"Are you alright, honey? You look a little pale..."
"I'm fine." Emma forced a smile, because she was, in fact, the opposite of fine. Her eye was throbbing, her ass hurt from landing so hard on it, her palms were sweaty as hell and on top of all that her stomach was doing so many flips she thought she was about to get sick. And now she just lied straight to Ms. Mills' face, but it was something she was so very used to- saying that she was fine when she really wasn't. It had become such an automatic response, she could never stop it at times.
The brunette only frowned and crossed the distance between them, the spicy scent of Ms. Mills' perfume engulfed Emma's senses. "Are you sure?"
The blonde swallowed hard and looked away. She couldn't bring herself to lie to the woman again, but she didn't want to say anything else. "Are we still going?" she asked instead.
"Yes, we are. Of course." The teacher tilted her head, her chocolate eyes still mixed with worry. "I'll go grab my purse and coat, then we can leave."
"Alright." Emma nodded and watched as the brunette did just that. Normally she would take advantage and ogle Regina's perfect rump, but the pain had just been too intense and she felt as if she just could not concentrate. Therefore, she had missed the words that the brunette had spoken when she had headed back over to the blonde.
"Emma?" Then there was a hand on her cheek, soft and gentle fingers lightly skittering over the surface. But then one of those fingers brushed against the fresh cut on Emma's cheekbone and she flinched back in pain, forcing Regina's hand from her. The reaction had no doubt moved her hair, because the way the brunette's eyes were wide and had started to shimmer shown her immediate concern.
"Emma… Wh-what happened?" The teacher's hand moved up once again to Emma's left cheek, hovering over the skin so she wouldn't accidentally brush over the tender flesh.
"It's nothing," she shrugged, turning her head away from the hand. "Why don't we go?"
"Emma, dear." Ms. Mills frowned, the hand left abandoned in the air had curled into a fist before landing by her side. "Who did this to you?" Her voice was a whisper, the frown on her face was quite evident that she was genuinely concerned over what had happened.
Emma, though, wasn't quite used to someone caring like that about it. Sometimes it was quite smothering, or at least that's how it felt with the Nolans. They were sometimes a little too caring and concerned when it came to an injury, or well, anything really. She loved those two dearly, they truly were nice people, but she wished they would tone it down just a bit.
On the other hand, though, with the caring Regina in front of her, it felt more comforting to say the least. It didn't feel like she was being sandwiched between two bodies. The genuinity of Ms. Mills' emotions were enough to make Emma's heart melt, and the fiery look in her eyes told the blonde that she was about ready to hand someone their ass.
And she wouldn't doubt it for a second. After what she had learned earlier that day, and what the brunette's true feelings were for her, she could see the woman go apeshit to protect her. After all, she had done the same and would do it again in a heartbeat.
"It was that boy that I hit yesterday. He wanted payback, I guess." Emma bit her lip. Usually she never tattled, especially to a teacher, but Ms. Mills had just made her feel so unlike herself.
"Why would he do this to you?" All of the anger melted into sorrow on the brunette's visage, and before the blonde knew it, she was engulfed into warm arms. "We can't go to the cafe."
"I'm sorry I'm mutilated…" The blonde stated solemnly, her right cheek pressed against Ms. Mills' shoulder.
"No. No, dear. That's not what I had meant." Regina frowned, her grip tightening around the blonde's petite form. "I meant that you're more than likely in pain, yes? You need ice and medication."
Emma nodded slightly, but continued to frown. Did the teacher really want to get rid of her just like that? It seemed as if she were saving her ass with that last response like she hadn't wanted to let the blonde down too harshly.
"I'll start walking home, then." She finally mumbled.
"No." Ms. Mills was quick to respond and Emma swore she could feel the arms constrict even tighter. "I'll take you home. To… to my house, I mean. We're still having dinner regardless." Then she whispered. "If you want, or else I'll take you to your home if that's what you desire."
"You do owe me a talk." Emma muttered against the brunette's coat.
"Does that mean that you want to come with me?"
The blonde merely nodded this time, pulling herself from the older woman's arms. She was going to take her to her house. Emma just could not believe what was happening right now. First, they were supposed to go on a date. And now, that Emma had gotten hurt, they were going to Regina's house. Anyone in their right mind would be freaking out, she thought as they headed towards the door. She was going to her teacher's house. Her very attractive teacher's house. All because she… She really cared about Emma's well-being. That thought made the blonde's heart swell inside her chest. Did the brunette teacher care that much about her?
"How are you feeling, dear?" The brunette asked, her hand lightly gripping Emma's elbow as they neared her Mercedes.
"My face hurts like fucking hell." Emma mumbled, grounding her jaw. And that was absolutely true and if she were to describe it any other way, she would be wrong. "But, aside from that, I'm pretty good. Spending time with you evens it out."
That was a chancey statement, but she risked it. Emma was never one for sharing her feelings so freely with others. She usually kept whatever thoughts and grievances to herself. But that small upturn of Regina's lips that had turned into a full-blown beam was just worth it.
Anything that earned a smile like that from the brunette teacher was worth doing anything for. She quite enjoyed Ms. Mills' elation, which was quite odd for the blonde. Normally she couldn't give a hoot for another human being, but the brunette seemed to bring something out of Emma that Emma didn't even know she had dormant. Whatever these feelings that she had developed towards the brunette were far more serious and mature than she had originally. She was both excited and terrified to step into this current, but she was also unaware of where it might bring her. Emma didn't want to think about what may happen, because she was sure something negative would happen and all efforts will have been wasted.
"Does it really?" The brunette asked incredulously, as if she hadn't believed what Emma had said. As she waited for the answer, she dug her car keys from her pocket and opened the passenger's door to allow Emma inside.
"Yes." Emma simply answered, ducking her head as she got in. Her gaze lifted to Ms. Mills who had been waiting for her to get in, no doubt to close her door. "I'm usually not… so expressive of my emotions, but for some reason, you just make my day better. And I really like to see you smile. It's pretty. I hope you never stop."
"Emma…" Regina nibbled on her lower lip, but the smile never faded. Her entire expression, though, had turned watery, and Emma swore that she could see the mist gathering in the older woman's chocolate orbs.
"How could I ever stop smiling when you're around?" she whispered softly, lifting her hand to wipe some of the moisture away. "You're one of the sweetest people that I have ever meant."
"I'm really not sweet." The blonde mumbled as heat raced to color her cheeks pink.
"Well, you are selfless." Ms. Mills brought a hand to cup Emma's face, but she soon dropped her arm as she had realized that the teenager's skin was a sickly shade of purple. "We ought to get going, dear. You need ice on that."
Emma nodded, unable to respond as the teacher closed the passenger's door to head towards the driver's side. The blonde watched each graceful step that the brunette had taken. Her body was like a work of art with perfect curves and a flawless, olive complexion. The thought of what lay hidden underneath those articles of clothing had Emma in goosebumps. That really wasn't something she should be thinking about, and she greatly scolded herself for it. This woman was doing a good deed by showing her kindness and concern over her injury, and the only way Emma could repay her was by imagining what the brunette teacher looked like nude.
"Are you alright, dear? You look a little flushed…" the deep, husky voice next to Emma sounded, resulting in a jerky reaction.
Damn inappropriate thoughts!
"I-I'm fine…" she stammered, her heart beating furiously against her chest. "When did you get in here?"
That earned an eyebrow raise. "A while ago, shall I say. You were staring at at the cement in front of you for who only knows how long."
"I was?" The blonde tilted her head, her cheeks heating with embarrassment. Shit, she must have really been lost in thought if she hadn't noticed that Ms. Mills had even moved from her line of sight, let alone enter the vehicle.
"Yes, dear." The brunette chuckled softly before starting up the Mercedes. "Perhaps you're in dire need of medication, more so than I though."
"Probably." Emma couldn't help but to giggle.
"Then we shall go." Regina pointed passed the blonde. "Put your seatbelt on, first. Safety first."
"Yeah, safety." And so she clicked the belt into place, looking over to the brunette once she had finished. "Ready?"
"Mhm." Ms. Mills put the car into drive and pulled out of the nearly empty parking lot.
About ten minutes later, the Mercedes pulled into the driveway of what appeared to be a small mansion, and holy shit, Emma's jaw dropped. She stared at the white structure, unable to conceive what she was seeing. Sure, she assumed Ms. Mills was well off, but not this much.
"It's so big."
"I know," the teacher shrugged nonchalantly as she shut the car down and unbuckled her seat belt.
Emma did the same, popping out of the car as soon as the doors were unlocked. She continued to gawk at the house, even as they walked up the path to the porch and white front door that had a large 108 in the middle of it. As Regina fumbled with the lock, Emma couldn't help but to comment.
"It must be really nice."
"It's just a house."
Emma saw the look that crossed over Regina's features. She had become familiar with it throughout their lunches. It was that empty look that she got every time there was a mention of either friends or family. The blonde had assumed Regina had neither of those, or at least very few that she talked to regularly. It was strange what the eyes gave away. They really were the windows to the soul.
Despite the sorrow that had taken a tone to the brunette's voice, Emma decided to press. She normally tried to, worming her way through the tough exterior that Regina had built for herself. The wall had been cracking, and Emma knew that from the rare times that Regina had slipped, but it was still standing tall and heavily guarded.
"Why do you say that?"
Regina sighed at the question and hung her pea coat up in the hall closet next to the front door. Emma had nearly forgotten she had asked the question as soon as she had stepped foot into the foyer. The house was just gorgeous and lavishly decorated. Her eyes caught the chandelier and her jaw dropped once again. There was a frickin' chandelier in the frickin' foyer. She could only imagine what other expensive structures wait inside the rest of the house.
She was taken aback when Regina had finally replied to the question, which left the blonde confused for a moment before remembering why she explained what she had.
"It's empty. I have no one to share it with, so what's the point of all this… material?" Regina turned to look at Emma, a bored expression on her face. "The house has become just another thing in my everyday life. It is nothing spectacular to me anymore. It lost its glow after I had realized how big it really was and how lonely I was in it by myself."
"Why did you buy such a big house, then?"
"I didn't," she whispered, walking towards the left side of the foyer. Emma followed behind her, soon realizing that they were heading towards the kitchen. She took advantage and gazed upon the walls around her. They were filled with meaningless art. No photos.
"What do you mean?" Emma leaned against the island, forest eyes tracking Regina's every movement while she began to prepare for their dinner.
Regina didn't look at her as she spoke, but merely continued with the preparation. "My mother had bought it for me."
Her voice had a sharp tone to it, clipping each word with no room for further conversation. She had closed up again. Emma had figured out the tone she took when she didn't want to discuss a certain subject. It only really happened a couple of times, most of them evolving around Regina's mother. Cora was her name. And she recollected that the brunette had told her that her mother was her support upon coming to Storybrooke. She assumed that it only made sense that Cora had also purchased such a lavish house for her daughter.
She assumed Regina didn't have a good relationship with her mother, and before, it really wasn't any of her business to be thinking about it. Regina was her teacher after all.
But now it was different.
Although, Emma didn't want to anger Regina by prying, so she kept her mouth shut about the topic.
"I see," was all she said, hoping it would keep the brunette sated.
"So, what do you plan on making for dinner?" Emma asked, dropping the previous topic completely. She saw the way Regina's shoulders had visibly relaxed upon the question and decided that she made a good choice.
"I planned on making lasagna." The brunette's eyes twinkled with amusement upon the distasteful look on Emma's face. "You cannot hate it unless you try it, dear. At least try mine." Ms. Mills purred softly, her feet taking her towards the refrigerator. After pulling something out, she retraced her tracks to the island and handed Emma an ice pack.
"Thanks…" Emma muttered, immediately taking the small pack to gently place over her left eye. "I'll try it, only because you're making it."
"Thank you, dear." she grinned widely and, quite tentatively, took a step forward to place a chaste kiss on the blonde's cheek. "Now, I'll get this put together and throw it in the oven, then I'll get the pain pills. Unless you want me to get them now. I will."
"No. I can wait… The ice is helping, thank you." The blonde couldn't help the ever growing blush on her cheeks.
"I can get them written up for doing this to you, Emma." Regina paused her work and turned a serious eye on the blonde. "They could get suspended."
"No, don't." Emma quickly responded, shaking her head. "It'll only make things worst, trust me. You know how people can be? They'll only want to smash my face in if they knew I tattled on 'em."
"Are you sure?" The brunette asked, leaning towards Emma. When she nodded, Regina sighed and proceeded with preparing the lasagna. "I'll create a seating chart so you wouldn't have to be seated next to them anymore, then?"
"Would you really do that?" Emma tilted her head, sticking a finger into the sauce that was now coating some of the lasagna noodles.
"Of course, dear." The brunette gave her a quick shake of the head at the petulant action, but decided against voicing her disapproval. "I can't expel them from my class without reason. Students get into fights all of the time. I cannot show favor…" then she added with a low whisper, probably not meant to be heard, but Emma had picked the words up. "Even though I wish I could."
Emma smiled softly and watched Regina as she picked the now finished creation up and slid it into the over. Her head tilted ever so slightly as she watched the round rump that had taken her line of view.
"Me too," she whispered, and the way that the teacher had stood stark upright had told the blonde that she had heard the response. "But, I know that you cannot in class. Although…"
"Although?" Regina walked slowly over to Emma.
"We aren't in class, so you can favor me all you want." Emma grinned. But, soon enough, her face twisted as she realized what she had said. "That sounds so cheesy."
But the English teacher had only shrugged and reached forward to take Emma's hand. "I like your cheesy." A smile was spread wide across her face as she tug on the red-cheeked Emma's hand.
"Where are we going?" The blonde asked, following behind Regina as they had left the kitchen and entered the hallway once again. They crossed the foyer and entered another room. A sitting room, Emma thought, taking a look around at the lavish room with large, comfy leather couches and chairs, and a large television placed across them. She also took note of the piano laying abandoned in the closest corner to the door. That sparked a few questions.
"I'm taking you here." The brunette grinned and led Emma towards one of the creamy couches. "I hope that you don't mind waiting as I grab the pills from upstairs, do you, dear?"
"Of course not!"
"Perfect. Please, make yourself at home. The remote to the television is right there on the coffee table." Then she was leaving the room. Trusting Emma to be left alone.
That thought made the blonde teenager smile. Regina trusted her enough to leave her alone like that. Of course, though. Why wouldn't she? She'd already told Emma that she had trusted her, so why not prove it?
Emma sighed and leaned back against the couch. Her eye was throbbing again. The pain felt so unbearable at times, she just wanted to cry. That damn ice wasn't doing much to help her. In fact, it felt as if it were only freezing her skin and making it all the more painful. God, did she hate those stupid boys. Who knew that they had the gall to even do that? Emma sure as hell hadn't thought so, but was she ever wrong?
With her boredom increasing, Emma reached over to grab the remote and flicked the television on. And it blared so goddamn loud, the blonde was on the floor from shock before she knew what to do. Her entire body was haphazardly splayed out on the floor between the couch and coffee table, and the ice pack that she had previously held had landed somewhere next to a piece of the remote halfway across the room. The next thing she found herself doing was scrambling to find the remote and it's pieces so she could turn that horrendous noise off.
"Fuckity fucking fuck!" she screeched over the noise as one of the batteries rolled underneath the couch. Just her luck. Break and lose something her first day in Regina Mills' house. She surely wouldn't want her back after this one.
Regina had found Emma arm deep underneath the couch, her face clearly shown her struggle as she tried to stretch for an object. And that was her own luck once again. No doubt the deafening noise had alerted the brunette.
"What the hell are you doing?" Regina yelled over the noise as she bent to grab the ice pack from the floor at her feet.
The music blasting from the television was suddenly cut off, leaving a deafening moment of silence. It took a moment before Emma could regain herself and continue with all her might to reach that roll-away battery. She yelped a cheer as her fingers grazed over the cool cylinder, and soon she was crawling back onto the leather surface of the couch.
Her green eyes met with the questioning brown ones of Regina's, and she offered a sheepish smile. "The TV. I turned it on and… it was loud. I… fell and dropped… everything."
"Uh huh…" The muddy eyes drifted towards the now whole remote in Emma's hand.
"Which raises the question, though…" Emma's voice caused the brunette's attention to snap back up towards her. "Why the hell was your TV so loud? Were you trying to make yourself deaf?"
"Well, some of those students at school can be quite boisterous." Ms. Mills replied with a sly smirk.
"Really?" Emma quirked a brow.
"No. I quite enjoy listening to music while I do housework. I must have forgotten to turn the volume down before turning the television off."
"Why don't you wear headphones like a regular person?" Emma muttered, half for her disdain towards the TV that nearly scared the shit out of her.
"I am not regular people." Regina mused, taking an elegant step towards the couch so she could sit next to the blonde. God, was she so goddamn perfect at everything that she did? Even when sitting, she looked as regal as a queen.
"And am I glad. You're quite unique and I enjoy that." The blonde gave her a large, genuine grin, which in return, earned her a beaming smile.
"I'm glad that you think so, Emma." The teacher gently picked up Emma's hand, turning her palm upwards so she could drop the pills into it. "Here, dear. This should help ease your pain."
"Thank you…" Emma turned her gaze up to the older woman and couldn't help but to lean in. Her heartbeat rose and it felt as if they were back in the Mercedes. Whatever the force had been that had pulled them together then was definitely working its magic now, or at least on her. The brunette just watched her with expectant eyes and perfect lips pursed. The blonde had licked her own subconsciously before daring a chaste kiss to those very lips in front of her. It was a momentary spark that caught Emma's breath in her throat. When she had pulled from the small gesture of gratitude, her breathing had become shallow.
"You're welcome, dear…" Regina mostly purred her words, and when Emma looked into her eyes for a second time, she had noticed that they were much darker than before. Then she leaned forward and the blonde swore she was going to kiss her again, but the older woman's mouth missed her own and, instead, went straight to her ear and whispered. "Take the pills."
Emma nodded and obliged, popping the two tablets into her mouth before swallowing them dry. And as soon as she had done that, the brunette was in her personal space, their hips touching and their mouths only a breadth apart. It was almost dizzying and before she knew it, their lips were crashing against one another's.
And, holy shit, if the kiss in the car wasn't amazing enough, this one just took the cake. Emma couldn't help but let a soft groan rumble in her throat, especially when Regina nibbled ever so slightly on her lower lip. It felt like such a sweet gesture, as did the arms that enveloped her and ultimately brought the two together into a much deeper kiss.
The blonde pressed herself closer to the older woman, her fingers curling pleasantly into raven locks as the second tentatively explored further, eventually finding base at Regina's lower back. The brunette gave the most sultry moan that seemed to shoot straight to Emma's core, and holy fuck, she wondered if Regina was feeling like this too. She soon felt a tongue slide against her lips, tracing the crease between top and bottom. Taking this as a request, Emma granted permission by parting her lips and her mouth was soon invaded by the English teacher's sweet tongue. If she hadn't caught the spicy flavor of the brunette's mouth before, she did now, and it tasted just like the nachos that the woman had eaten for lunch. Emma wasn't always one for tasting her food a second time, but there was something about a little Regina flavor mixed with it that made the prior meal all the better.
And like clockwork, she felt a hand exploring her gentle curves, sliding up her sides from her hips to… oh. Emma groaned against the brunette's mouth as her hands found a mound of sensitive flesh on her chest and squeezed ever so softly.
Beeeeeeeep!
The two ignored the faint bell coming from the kitchen. They had been so lost in each other and neither one wanted to let this moment go.
Beeeeeeeep!
The reluctant time had gone off a second time. Emma heard Regina grunt with irritation, but she showed to sign of moving.
Beeeeeeeep!
"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Regina growled as she pulled away from the blonde and stood, sauntering off with an angered stomp.
Emma blinked, a stunned expression on her visage. She's never heard Ms. Mills use such language, nor had she seen her so aggravated.
She must have enjoyed it as much as I.
Emma smirked to herself, using the back of her hand to wipe the saliva from around her mouth. Who would have known how far that would have went if not for the timer. But, then again, perhaps it was perfect timing. The blonde's stomach grumbled as if on cue.
"The lasagna's done, dear!" She heard that familiarly wonderful deep voice sound from across the house. It hadn't taken long for the blonde to hoist herself up from the couch and make her way to the dining room, where Regina had already set the rather delicious smelling lasagna.
"It smells terrific, R... Regina." Emma smiled, her forest eyes on the steaming casserole. She tried not to look at the reaction on the teacher's face after using her first name- which, as Emma could recall, would be the very first time she had used it.
"Thank you, Emma." The brunette pulled out a chair and gestured to it. "Please, do have a seat. I shall get the dinner plates and then we can start eating." And she was gone.
The blonde had waited until she was completely out of sight before staring the lasagna down. Normally she hated the meal, but she was going to give this one a chance since it had been made by Regina. Perhaps it would turn out alright. Upon further inspection of the door leading to the kitchen, Emma extended a hand to dip her finger into the sauce.
"It's bad manners to stick your fingers in the dish before it's served." A warning voice caused the blonde to jump and don a sheepish face.
"Sorry… It just looked so good."
"Mhm…" Regina quirked a brow before setting a white dinner plate in front of the blonde. She soon served her up a perfect square before serving her own self. "I do hope you enjoy. It's my own recipe."
"I'm sure I will." Emma beamed, her eyes dropping to the lasagna on her plate. With the slightest reluctance, she dug her fork into the very corner of the square and lifted it to her mouth. As soon as she had slid the fork from between her lips, she broke into the largest smile.
"I think I just found my favorite meal."
"Did you now?" Regina emitted a proud glow in her aura.
"Yes! It's really delicious." And to prove just that, Emma took another bite, one much larger than the last. She was quite surprised that she had actually enjoyed the meal. She wasn't quite sure what was so different about it than all the other lasagnas that she had tried before. Maybe she only did have just one really bad one and Granny's lasagna never really cut the mark to be her favorite afterwards. There was always something that was just off about all those other lasagnas. But this one, and sure, it may sound as if she were praising Regina's just because she had liked her, but that wasn't the case. This one was different because it didn't taste like lasagna. It tasted as if it were a spicy spaghetti with large noodles.
"I am certainly glad that you find my lasagna to be up to your standards." The brunette gave her a wry smile before taking a dainty bite off her fork.
"I like it. I like it almost as much as I like you, and that's a lot."
Those words had earned Emma a speechless Regina and a foot in her mouth. Perhaps she shouldn't have said that. Sometimes she just didn't have a goddamn filter on her mouth. She really needed to get that fixed. So, for now, she stuffed another bite in her mouth.
"It's quite comforting to hear that I am better liked than the lasagna I make. That's quite something, considering that I'm sure others would prefer my cooking over the cook." The brunette had finally spoken, a wry smile on her lips. "Although, I do quite like you as well, dear. More than apples, even, and that's a lot."
"Huh…" A smile broke out on Emma's face. "I'm glad I'm more worthy than apples."
Regina hummed, taking another forkful of lasagna before speaking again. "And speaking of liking, we still have to talk."
"We do. You still have to answer my question. What do you want to do? About… all of this." The blonde gestured to herself, smirking with amusement at the face that her teacher had suddenly donned.
"Emma…"
"I know, I know. I was joking. Well, only sort of… because I really want to…" Emma set her fork down and sighed, running her fingers through her blonde mane. "You know I'm really not one to be so open with my feelings, and I'm really not used to this type of stuff. I understand, and I really honestly do, if you don't want to do anything about it. That we just continue on with our lives as they had been. I know this is risky already for you… I wouldn't want you to lose your job over me. Hell, I would understand completely if you were to turn away because of that. I'm really not worth the risk. I don't know why you've bothered to invite me over here."
"Emma, honey, just stop right there." Regina's tone was gentle, and her equally as gentle hand reached across the table to the blonde's own. "You don't give yourself as much confidence as you should. I do understand that everything that we're doing is a rather large risk to my job. And I do know that we really should not be doing this, and I should know better than to let myself fall into this hole…"
"See, I knew that I wasn't wron-"
"But," the brunette quickly interrupted, her lips pursed. "I find myself so intrigued by you, Emma. I cannot stop these feelings that I have bubbling inside… The moral side of my conscious is telling me to just back away. This isn't worth the risk. But in my right mind, it is. You're worth the risk and so much more."
Regina paused and closed her eyes, rubbing the topside of Emma's hand ever so softly. "I've been having debates with myself all night and day, and I have been desperately trying to come to a worthy conclusion. And I think I have, Emma. I have your answer, even though it might sound so very crazy. Are you ready to hear it?"
"I really want to speak with you about so much more…" Emma's voice cracked and she was quite sure that it had been noticed by the brunette teacher for she felt the older woman's grip tighten on her hand. "But… uh, yes. Of course I am. I'm scared out of my mind, though."
"I was thinking that… that perhaps we can…" The woman stumbled, as if trying to find the right words. And she was. It was rather awkward to say what she was about to and Emma could see the mild confusion in those brown pools. "We can test this out. If you want to, Emma."
"You mean… Do you mean that we can try to have a relationship?"
"That's… I was thinking something along the lines of testing those waters out, dear. We would have to keep quiet, though. No one inside the school can know. Nor anyone outside for that matter…"
"I understand." Emma nodded, a smile creeping onto her lips. Suddenly she felt so much lighter than before. There was a fear that she would float into the clouds if she felt any more lightweight. "No one will know."
"Emma? Do you… want to try it?" The brunette asked tentatively, and when Emma looked up, her heart broke. Regina had looked as if she were expecting to be rejected and kept any other expectation low, which was something that the blonde was quite sure she had felt often with others.
"Of course." And just like that, those fears swirling in chocolate eyes were vanquished and replaced with elation.
"Really?" Regina's smile turned Emma into putty, and the blonde just nodded.
"Why wouldn't I? You're a wonderful woman, Regina. You're kind, you're sweet, and you're so very caring. You've shown me more of those qualities in five minutes than I've had in my entire life." She carefully gave the older woman's hand a squeeze. "And I am completely honored that you like me back and that you actually want to try something like this. That you've virtually invited me on a date already."
This time Regina could not stop the tears from falling down her cheeks, which had been painted a rosy pink. That had made Emma slightly panic, and soon she was whispering soothing words while stroking the hand that held hers.
"Don't cry… I didn't…"
"Oh, Emma… It's not your fault. It's just that… I've made the right decision for the first time in my life. I chose you. I know it may be quite… strange right now, but stepping into these waters, testing them out, I can tell that it will have been the best thing that I have done- even if it were to end in heartbreak." The brunette had a watery smile on her plum lip, the gesture leaving her with a shaky breath. "No one has ever said such things to me before."
"Well, we are on a date. Am I not supposed to be flattering you?" Holy shit did Emma hope she was saying the right things. She really didn't know how to act with someone when on a date. She had never been on one before, let alone had a girlfriend- or what it may be that they were right now. She hadn't had anyone so intimately before.
"A date…" The brunette snuffled, wiping the tear tracks off her cheeks. "I suppose this should be our first one?"
"Well, if you wanted to play like that, yeah." The blonde nodded. "I don't know what people do on dates, so…"
"Honestly, I've never been on a good one, so neither do I." She chuckled and sniffled again.
"A good one? You've been on dates before?" Emma blinked. She hadn't thought Regina would be the type to go on a date, especially since she had tried to keep her sexuality a secret.
"Yes…" The brunette rolled her eyes. "They were with men that my mother had set up with me when I had first moved here. They were all unsuccessful and quite boring. Most of the time I had ended up telling them that I preferred women to get entertainment."
"Holy shit, really? What'd they do?"
"One of them just nodded and said 'knew it' before getting up and walking out, leaving me with the bill." She wrinkled her nose at the memory. "Another one had been homophobic and I nearly thought he was going to have a brain aneurysm with the fact. He, also, got up and left, but not without showing me what he really thought and dumped the rest of his meal on my very expensive dress. Mother was not happy about that one."
"What an asshole…" Emma commented with a frown, squeezing the teacher's hand. "I hate those people. Did he tell you that you were going to hell?"
"That, among other things." Regina muttered bitterly. "The other guys weren't as bad. I mean, I caught them by surprise, though. One of them blatantly stated that I was 'too hot to be a lesbian' and the other said that it was 'cool' that I 'digged chicks' and that he would too if he were one because he liked 'tits too much.' We had remarkably talked for a few hours, but after that, we went our separate ways and I hadn't heard from him since."
"Sounds like you sure as hell had a lot of fun back then." Emma couldn't help but laugh at what the other woman had told her. "Have you had any dates with women?"
"Not dates, per say…" And that had made the brunette squirm uncomfortably in her spot. Emma stared at her with wide, green eyes when sudden realization struck.
"You mean… you mean you had booty calls?"
"Now, that's just crass!" Regina protested, but the blush blooming on her cheeks gave her away. "They weren't booty calls, Emma. They were…"
"Where the hell did you pick 'em up from if you didn't date them?"
"No where. Just… I do not wish to have this conversation with you. It does not make me feel comfortable."
"But…"
"Please."
"Fine. I'll drop it. Only because it looks as if your head is going to explode." Emma smirked.
"Shut up…" Regina mumbled before releasing her grip on Emma's hand to stand up. "Why don't you go to the living room and pick out a movie while I put the dishes away? I suppose a proper date requires a good film?"
"And… popcorn?"
"I'll make popcorn as well."
"You're awesome." The blonde grinned widely at the brunette before hopping off across the house to the sitting room.
It wasn't long before the two of them were sitting side by side on the large, leather sofa with a bowl of popcorn on Emma's legs. The blonde had already popped the DVD into its player and hid the case to surprise Regina with the title. It had come to a surprise to her as she had discovered the movie in her teacher's collection. It was one of her own favorites, as was many of the others the brunette had. Whatever uptight thoughts remaining about the brunette that Emma had were quickly gone because this woman enjoyed gore, and damned good amounts of it too, considering the large amount of movies she had in her collection. The vast majority of Regina's film collection were both that of horror and romantic, sappy films- mostly those Lifetime ones that Emma had steered clear of, because she would die before having to touch one of those with a ten foot pole.
"What movie did you pick, dear?" The brunette asked innocently, her eyes roving over the coffee table as she searched the case. That had only made Emma smirk.
"You'll see." and we'll probably want to rethink this popcorn, she added silently. Because, yeah, she chose a gorey and disgusting movie to watch. That film should be illegal on all planets of the universe and should be burned at some sort of stake. But, goddamn, did she love it.
"Emma..?"
The blonde had skipped every preview up to the warning screen with a wide, knowing smile on her face. "It's probably not date material, but I'm not a fan of those sappy rom-coms."
"... someone found my horror selection, I take it." Regina quirked a brow, her eyes sliding over to the flat screened television as the title screen popped up. "The Human Centipede, Emma… Really?"
"Yeah… popcorn probably won't be…" The blonde wrinkled her nose and hit the play button so she could take a handful from the bowl. "Think we can finish it before the doctor starts doing the freaky shit?"
"I… uh…"
Emma laughed and playfully bumped into the older woman. "I didn't know you liked this sort of stuff. You're pretty demented, Regina, but that only makes me like you more."
"There certainly is a lot that you don't know about me, dear…" Regina finally found the right words to form a coherent sentence.
"Now you're really making me curious." Emma mumbled, turning to stare at the brunette with curious eyes. Just what was she hiding underneath those masks?
"Sh. The movie's starting…"
With a pout, the blonde reluctantly faced the screen and focused in on the opening sequence. It wasn't until she felt an arm wrap around her neck did she smile and forget about the world for the time being.
It wasn't even an hour into the movie when Emma heard a soft snore. Their positioning had changed quite a few times during the film until they finally ended up in their current position. Emma was leaning against the arm of the couch with Regina's head lain across her lap. The brunette was curled up with one of the blonde's arms draped across her abdomen while the other propped her head up, using the couch's arm as support.
But when Emma had heard the snore, she looked down to see Regina snoozing peacefully. Her face was relaxed, her eyes closed, and, holy shit, she looked just breathtaking while she slept. The blonde knew that she could watch Regina sleep all night without getting the least bit of bored. With a warm smile on her face, Emma almost unconsciously brought the hand she had propping her head up with over to the brunette's own. Pale fingers slide tentatively through thick, raven locks, careful not to wake the sleeping woman. The sight was precious, especially when Regina's nose had twitched in the slightest, but that was before a loud snore ripped from her throat and she tossed onto her other side, painfully digging her elbow into Emma.
She winced and bit her lip to keep from verbally expressing her pain, instead, she squeaked and brought her hands away from Regina. Damn woman was lethal in more ways than one. If not for that killer smile, it was those damn pointy elbows.
Goddamn woman.
But Emma couldn't stay mad long, after all, Regina hadn't meant to do it, and that cute, relaxed expression on her face had melted her heart. Then she felt arms unconsciously wrap around her waist as a nose nuzzled into her lower belly.
"Well…" she whispered softly, grinning like mad. Regina must have been a cuddler when she slept. It was one of the most precious things that Emma had laid eyes on.
Holy shit.
Was she watching some sappy movie that had made herself just as goopy-hearted? What the hell were these thoughts? She was Emma Swan. She was the motherfucking Swan beast. She kicked ass to defend a woman's honor and she took that punch like a man when it was sent her way. Well, for the most part. At least she hadn't cried like a baby.
Emma needed to toughen up. So she looked up and proceeded to watch the film she was supposed to be viewing for the past who only knows how many minutes she had been fawning over the sleeping English teacher.
By the end of the movie, Emma had troubles keeping her eyes open. She hadn't realized how tired she had been until now, but that was probably because she had been running on adrenaline earlier that day in angst to see Ms. Mills. But now that she was resting and all of the excitement was over, the lack of sleep from the previous day had taken its toll on her. She probably really should be getting home so she could do just that.
Although, Emma didn't know the time, but she assumed that it was rather late considering the sun had no longer glowed through the blinds. She bit her lip and searched the room for a source of time, nearly grunting in approval upon finding a clock on the far wall.
It was passed seven. Mary Margaret knew that she wasn't going to be home directly after detention today, but she hadn't exactly specified when she would be back, either. Usually they had an agreement that she would be back before ten on school nights, so she did have a couple of hours yet. Plus, she didn't have the heart to wake up Regina. She looked so peaceful, and sounded much like someone threw a rock into a machine, because that woman could snore.
Emma smirked at the imperfection that she had discovered. It didn't bother her any, though. She quite liked it. It made the brunette real. And that was just perfect. No matter what Emma could find that would be indecent or imperfect on this woman, she would always turn out to be everything that the blonde had dreamed, as cheesy as that had sounded. But it was the absolute truth. She always dreamed of having someone there for her. Someone that would love her as she had come and not try to change her. Someone who was very much like Regina with her kind, caring, and concerned demeanor that would be willing to take care of the blonde when she was kicked and to express such kind words when she needed them the most.
If she didn't know what was what, she'd say she was falling rather hard for the brunette. She really liked her, and she knew that. Her feelings were inexpressible with the use of words and welled so much inside of the blonde that she felt as if she would explode at times. And that would happen more often than not when the brunette did something that triggered those emotions, even so much as smiled at her.
Whatever was happening between the two of them was just the beginning and Emma knew that it could go one of two ways. It would either blossom into a beautiful flower and live up to its fullest potential, or wilt and die just like everything else in her life had at some point. Whatever it may be, Emma was scared as hell. She didn't want the heartbreak, but she also didn't know how to handle things if they ever got more serious.
Those thoughts were all too frightening and they were beginning to push Emma on the edge of unease. She really needed to think about something else for now. Perhaps if she just slept on it since the heaviness of her eyes seemed to be weighing the blonde down. Anyways, it wouldn't hurt to take a nap. She had plenty of time. And if not, she'd catch hell for being late.
It was totally worth it, she thought, looking down to the brunette still snoring peacefully on her lap.
Yes, so worth it.
Emma closed her eyes and leaned into a more comfortable position against the side of the couch. With her head lying back against the couch, she erased all thoughts from her mind and let go, evening her breaths out. The slight shifting at her legs only had the blonde smiling wider before eventually drifting off with ease to the sound of her companion's breathing.