It only took a handful of days before they found a resemblance of a routine there in New York City. While the weather was growing colder, it didn't stop Emma from going out early every morning for a run before she returned to the apartment, showered, and crawled back into bed with Regina, her arms wrapping around her as if she'd never left the bed at all.
Though nothing happened between them physically and despite that each night they fell asleep and woke up in the morning in each other's arms, there was a definite shift in their relationship and one that no longer was brought up by either of them. Emma spoke with Archie every morning while Regina cooked them breakfast in the small kitchen and she always seemed to be on edge when she came back inside.
Regina spoke with Henry almost every day, just as she spoke with David although Emma didn't know she was on the phone with her father since she always made those calls when Emma went on her second run of the day shortly after they ate lunch. Regina had spoken with the Blue Fairy only twice, both times she was given the same answer and that was the fact she had found out nothing that could help Emma in any way.
A week after arriving in New York City, Emma's restlessness was growing worse, and it worried Regina because in all the years she had known her, she had never seen her quite like that. She knew that Emma went running every day, several times a day, just to combat the restlessness, but it wasn't working as it had for the first few days and she was gone longer and longer each time, leaving Regina worried that she may not come back at all.
"Where the hell have you been?" Regina asked when Emma came back three hours after she'd last left. "Well?"
"Out," Emma replied as she kicked the door shut behind her and peeled off her grey hoodie before pulling her hair out of the loose bun she had it tied in. "What?"
"You've been gone for hours."
"I went out for a run," Emma replied and she tossed her hoodie on to the couch. "What is the big deal? You know that's what I do after lunch. I went a little bit further this time. I'm going to hop in the shower, all right?"
Regina clenched her jaw tightly and watched Emma walk over towards the bathroom, her eyes lingering on the way the fabric of her tight sweat pants fit snuggly over her behind. It had been hard to keep her eyes from gazing upon Emma especially in the rare occasion that Emma was blatantly unaware she was staring at her.
She exhaled sharply the moment the bathroom door shut behind Emma and she crossed her legs tightly trying to still the ache between her thighs. The ache had been constant ever since they had fallen asleep in one another's arms the second night they'd been in the city, and the ache never seemed to go away completely, not until Emma was out of the apartment and out on her run.
Regina ran her hands over her thighs, uncrossing her legs as she leaned back in the chair at the small table. When she heard the water running in the shower, she stood up and began to pace around the small room. Every pass over she made across the apartment, she found herself inching closer and closer to the closed bathroom door and she stopped when she just heard faintly a moan coming from the other side of the door. She blinked and wondered if she had imagined it and took a step closer.
She shakily lifted a hand and pressed it against the wood door when she heard another moan much louder than the last but still quiet and muffled by the sounds of the water running in the shower. She worried for a moment that maybe Emma was crying, but when a third moan quickly followed she knew exactly what was happening.
Her skin flushed hot and she had to force herself to back away from the door despite how tempting it was to stay there and listen to Emma pleasure herself in the shower. She ran her fingers through her hair and exhaled sharply once she was far enough away from the bathroom door that she could barely hear the water running at all.
Regina needed a definite distraction, but there was little of that inside the tiny apartment that had become home for both of them. She could leave, but in the week since they'd been in the city, Emma was the only one who left the apartment alone and Regina barely left at all unless it was with her. Even if she wanted to leave, the hard crack of thunder that rumbled through the sky outside would make it for a very wet walk even just to where she parked her car in the lot across the street.
Regina moaned quietly when her thoughts suddenly veered back to the last dream they had shared and how good it had felt with Emma's head between her legs and licking her into pleasurable oblivion. The more she thought about it, the harder it was becoming to control her desires around Emma, but she had to try and she couldn't give in no matter how desperate she was to sate the constant ache between her legs.
She needed to get her mind off of the dream, off of Emma, off of wanting to give in to her desires and needs. There wasn't much in the way to do that inside the small apartment and she'd already scrubbed the entire place clean that morning. She grasped at the front of her blouse, finding it growing uncomfortably warm inside the apartment. She unbuttoned one and then another before fanning herself in an attempt to cool herself down. She stilled when she heard the door open behind her and then the soft creak of the floorboard as Emma stepped out of the bathroom.
"I was thinking maybe we could go out," Emma said and when Regina turned around, it was only to see Emma in the split second before she disappeared into the bedroom.
"Out?"
"Yeah," Emma replied. "We've been cooped up inside this place since we got here and I know of a place we can go out tonight."
Regina bit her bottom lip and ran her fingers over the column of her neck. "And where exactly do you want to go?"
"A place," Emma replied before emerging from the bedroom wearing a pair of flannel pajama bottoms she'd cut off into shorts and a white tank. She rolled her eyes and pulled 'back her wet hair into a loose ponytail. "A bar, Regina."
"You want to go out to a bar?"
"Why not?" She shrugged before making her way over to the refrigerator. "It'll be fun, don't you think? It's been a while since we've gone out drinking together. The last time was when…" Emma trailed off and Regina simply nodded. "Are you in?"
"I suppose," she replied hesitantly. "Yes. Fine. I'm in."
"Awesome."
Regina wasn't sure it'd be a good idea for them to drink together, especially not when her whole body already felt charged with pent up sexual frustration. She could barely control herself around Emma while she was sober and she couldn't imagine what a few drinks would do to her inhibitions. She had never had any problem controlling herself in the past, but things were very different now and in ways she knew she was only bound to find out soon enough.
[X]
Regina wasn't sure what to expect when she and Emma arrived at a rather dodgy looking bar later that night. While the storm that had raged throughout the afternoon had died off, the rain still fell from the sky and she huddled under the umbrella with Emma as they waited in the line to get inside the club with dozens of other women.
The fact that there were only women waiting to get inside the bar raised her suspicions, but she didn't say a word as they reached the front of the line together. The bouncer, a big and beefy woman with a buzz cut gave them the once over before nodding towards the door where Emma quickly guided her inside by reaching for her hand and discarding the umbrella that had barely kept them dry.
Regina's suspicions were further raised upon entering the dimly lit and loud bar. Emma didn't let go of her hand as she weaved them through the dense crowd towards the long bar along the far wall. There were hundreds of women all around them and when Regina caught sight of more than a handful of women kissing, she gripped on to Emma's hand tighter and leaned in close to her.
"Did you bring me to a gay bar?"
"Yes," Emma laughed as she turned to her. "Is that okay with you?"
"Why did you bring me here?"
"Would you rather be hit on by men all night?" Emma asked her and Regina subtly shook her head no. "I didn't think so."
"So, a bar filled with lesbians was your other choice to avoid being hit on by men in favour of being hit on by women?" Regina jabbed and Emma laughed as she let go of her hand and slipped an arm around her waist. "What are you doing?"
"Making sure none of these women hit on you by making you look unavailable."
"I am not—"
"Regina," Emma sighed. "Just go with it, all right? We're here to have a few drinks and to have fun. You are capable of having fun, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"Then relax, okay? We'll have a few shots here and then grab a drink. There is a lounge upstairs where it's quieter and less crowded and a little more your thing."
"My thing?"
"Private," Emma whispered into her ear before flagging the bartender down at the crowded bar.
Regina felt out of place and the clothes she'd chosen to wear made her look just as out of place as she felt. Despite Emma's arm still around her waist, she could feel eyes on her and it made her feel uncomfortable when there was once a time where she used to love it when people stared at her when she was a queen.
Emma ordered them two shots of tequila and they downed them in succession before a glass of red wine was placed in front of Regina paired with a mixed drink for Emma next to it. They grabbed their drinks and Emma's arm slipped away from her waist to grab her hand. She glanced back at Regina with a sly smile as they intertwined their fingers and Emma led the way to the stairs that led up to the lounge and away from the dense crowd.
The place itself was certainly not what she had in mind when Emma suggested that they go out that night, but when they arrived in the lounge, it was a completely different atmosphere and certainly less crowded than it was downstairs. Emma led her over to a red couch near the floor to ceiling windows that had a view of the skyline and they removed their jackets before they both sat down.
"Well?"
"Well, what?" Regina asked. "What do I think?"
"Yeah?"
"Definitely not what I expected."
"And what did you expect?"
"Nothing like this," she replied quietly. "Why did you really bring me here tonight, Emma? And don't feed me another line of bullshit like you did down there."
"I was kind of hoping this could be a date."
"A date?" Regina asked with a raised eyebrow. "Honestly, Emma, I—"
"It's not dinner and a movie, I know," Emma said quickly. "I wanted to do something different and I'm not good at these things, you know? We eat dinner together every day now and we've been watching Netflix after dinner some nights. So, I thought this would be…different and more like a date."
"I see."
"I would've asked you properly," Emma continued and she glanced shyly down at the glass in her hand. "But I think you would've said no if I did."
"I may have, but then again, I may have said yes."
"Really?"
"I guess you'll never know because you never asked," Regina replied with a teasing smile that made Emma shyly chew at her bottom lip.
"You're different, Regina."
"How?"
"I don't know, you just are," Emma said quietly and she shifted on the red couch to sit closer to her. "It's like I'm seeing a whole new side of you."
"And I you."
Emma smiled and casually draped her arm around the back of the couch behind Regina's shoulders. "If nothing changed a month ago, if I didn't…save you, we wouldn't even be here, would we?"
"Literally or figuratively?"
"Both?"
"Perhaps not," Regina sighed softly. "Can we do one thing tonight?"
"Anything."
"Can we just forget about the mess in our lives and pretend as if we are—"
"Two women out on a date?" Emma suggested with a brazen wiggle of her eyebrows that caused Regina to chuckle lowly. "Okay. We can do that, but I want something in return."
"I am not having sex with you tonight."
"That is not what I was going to ask you, Gina," Emma laughed and leaned in closer to her. "I just want a kiss."
Regina could feel her breath hot on her cheek and she swallowed thickly before lifting her glass to her lips to take a sip of her wine. Regina lowered her glass and turned her head slightly, her eyes flicking down to Emma's lips before she closed the small gap between them and kissed her lightly. Her heart was hammering in her chest when she pulled back a few seconds later and she glanced around as her cheeks flushed in case someone had seen them.
"We're in a lesbian bar," Emma whispered into her ear. "Nobody is going to stare at us if that's what you're worried about."
"Of course not."
"Is this okay?" Emma whispered before moving her lips down to kiss along her neck.
"Y—yes."
She wasn't sure how they got to be in such an intimate position, but maybe it was the setting and the shots they'd had down at the bar a handful of minutes before. The throb between her thighs was back once more and she crossed her legs and leaned into Emma a little more, loving the soft, lingering kisses she placed along her neck just below her ear. She could feel her whole body heating up in arousal and she subtly pulled back, putting a halt to their rather intimate moment.
Suddenly she was wishing they were back at the apartment because it was growing increasingly impossible to hold back from kissing Emma the way she so craved. She sipped her wine and shifted on the couch, tensing a little when Emma's arm moved to rest over her shoulders. She relaxed when she felt Emma's began to subtle twirl the ends of her hair around her fingertips.
"Do you want to dance?"
"You want to dance?" Regina asked in surprise. "With me?"
"I asked, didn't I?" Emma grinned. "I know we've never danced together before, but I was thinking that tonight could be full of firsts for us."
"Is that right?"
"Yeah."
"Maybe after we have another drink," Regina replied quietly. "Or two."
Regina hadn't expected Emma to make a move on her so early into the night, but then again she wasn't sure what to expect at all. Emma had mentioned that she seemed different and while that may be true, she knew that Emma seemed to be a lot different as well. She knew it was a whole host of reasons why, but the biggest factor was the fact they had spent the last week together almost every waking minute of the day save for the few hours Emma went out on her runs, and they slept together in the same bed every night and never once talked about how they slept in one another's arms all night long.
In some ways she had closed herself off to Emma, built up walls around her to keep her from getting too close, but in other ways and even with the walls she'd built up, Emma still got in under her skin. She wanted to give in to her desires, her needs, she wanted to give in to Emma, and she was losing that fight rather quickly.
Yet in other ways she had opened herself up to Emma that she had never done with anyone else in her life before. It both scared and intrigued her to no end.
She downed the last of her wine and glanced at Emma in surprise when Emma took her empty glass out of her hand and placed it on the glass coffee table in front of them. Emma rose a moment later and held out a hand towards her with a wink, and when Regina took it, she found herself being whisked away with Emma's arms wrapped firmly around her and their lips just a hairsbreadth apart.
Though the music wasn't as loud as it was downstairs, it was loud enough to dance to and they weren't the only ones either. Other women began to couple off and joined them in the small space between the couches and chairs. Emma just smiled at Regina when she loosely draped her arms over Emma's shoulders. They moved slowly to the fast beat of the music, dancing to their own song while staring into one another's eyes.
"Was this what you had in mind when you thought you'd spring the idea of this being a date?" Regina asked.
"Maybe."
"Sometimes I think I know you," she said with a shake of her head. "But then I realize that I don't really know you at all, do I, Emma?"
"You know me better than anyone else."
"Do I?"
"Yes."
"Well if there is something that I do know, it is this," Regina drawled and she moved a hand down to place it on Emma's forearm just as her hands began to slide down from her hips to grasp at her ass. "You best keep your hands in respectable places, Swan."
"Oh?" Emma looked at her with a challenging glint in her eyes. It was one she'd seen before, but there was something more playful about the way she looked at her. "And if I don't?" Emma asked and she moved her other hand down and gave her ass a quick squeeze before pulling Regina flush against her.
Despite her failed protest, Regina laughed and trailed her hand up Emma's arm and she linked her hands behind Emma's neck, their bodies still swaying slowly to the quick beat of the music. It was easy to forget about the rest of the world, to lose herself in Emma. It was easy to forget why they had left Storybrooke and all the things that had happened there after Emma had sacrificed herself to save Regina from certain death.
And it was easy to lose herself in thoughts of kissing Emma once more and letting go of a fight she was already losing against herself.
Regina wasn't sure how long they danced and swayed in each other's arms, but it didn't matter at all to her in the least. It felt as if they had all the time in the world and she liked the relief that came with her thoughts and worries not constantly hounding her. When Emma stepped out of their embrace first, neither said a word as they walked over to where they left their jackets and slipped them on. Emma reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers gently before leading her down the stairs. She paid their small tab on the way out.
The rain hadn't stopped and the umbrella they had discarded just outside the door was no longer there. Emma didn't let go of her hand as they rushed out onto the sidewalk, running in the rain across the street until they took cover under a closed shops awning. Emma just laughed before she turned to look at Regina.
"Some date this is turning out to be," Emma said quietly before she reached up to gently cup Regina's face with both hands. "Kiss me?"
"Emma—"
"Please?"
"You don't need to ask," Regina murmured quietly and without waiting a second longer, she closed the gap as she had before and kissed Emma softly. She pulled back before the kiss became something more and she shook her head. "Let's go home."
"We won't be able to catch a cab in this rain."
"It's not far."
"We're going to get soaked."
"Then we'll run," Regina smiled and she reached for Emma's hand, this time leading the way.
They ran down the sidewalk, the rain soaking quickly through their clothes, and every time they stopped to seek shelter, they shared a kiss, each one becoming longer than the last, but still kept each one chaste as Regina didn't allow Emma to deepen each kiss. With the building in sight, Emma just grinned and took the lead, the two of them sprinting across the street and into the building, laughter echoing as the door slammed shut behind them.
Regina could feel something shifting inside of her and it was a feeling she hadn't felt in longer than she could remember. She felt free, free from her past, free from the pain that still lingered, free from the troubles they had both faced most recently, but she also felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Although it was temporary and the feeling was fleeting, she grasped on to it with everything she had and she wasn't going to let go just yet.
Once they were past the locked gated door, Regina led the way up the stairs, holding on to Emma's hand tightly as her body burned with arousal. Her hand was shaking when they reached the door and she slid the key into the lock. The moment they passed the threshold, Regina no longer could hold herself back and she pushed Emma up against the door, slamming it shut as their lips crushed together in a heated, hungry kiss.
Emma's hands were immediately pushing down her rain soaked jacket and Regina moaned and sucked on Emma's lower lip as she struggled to help her get the jacket off. Her hands went to the lapels of Emma's leather jacket and Emma kissed her deeply just as her jacket hit the floor with a soft, wet thud. She was caught by surprise when Emma spun them around and pressed her up against the wall while helping her remove her soaked red jacket.
"It's going to ruin," Regina murmured against her lips. Emma just shook her head and kissed her again as her leather jacket landed on top of Regina's at their feet. Despite her telling Emma earlier that she wasn't having sex with her tonight, she was starting to doubt that she had the self-control to keep that from happening, especially if Emma continued to kiss her so deeply, so thoroughly. "Emma…"
"Hmm?" Emma leaned back a little and licked over her lower lip as a smile curled over them. "What is it, Gina?"
She shivered at the low, raspy tone of Emma's voice when she said her name and she shivered again because her wet clothes were clinging to her skin and making her feel cold despite the growing heat between them.
"We need to…get out of these cl—clothes."
"Are you cold?"
"Yes."
Emma planted a soft kiss to her lips before reaching for both of her hands. "No other reason you want to get out of our clothes?"
"Emma…"
"I don't normally do this on a first date, but for you I can make an exception."
"Em—"
She was cut off by Emma's lips on hers and she moaned in surprise when Emma's hands slid down across her backside firmly before she picked her up and carried her the last few steps into the bedroom. Emma let her back down to her feet and Regina broke away from the kiss first. She kicked off her heels and watched Emma struggle to get out of her boots without falling over. She bit her bottom lip at how adorable Emma looked when she was frustrated. When Emma finally had her boots off, she grinned in triumph and just placed her hands on her hips and stared at Regina, waiting for her to make the next move first.
Regina moved her fingers to the buttons of her blouse and even knowing the shirt was ruined, she took her time at unbuttoning each of the delicate buttons while holding on to Emma's lustful gaze. The only light that shone through was the one coming from outside the bedroom, but neither moved to turn on the bedside lamp as Emma reached out and pulled Regina into her arms once again.
They didn't break away from their intense gaze and Regina moved her fingers to the edge of Emma's white long sleeved shirt. The material stuck to her skin as Regina eased the hem up over her smooth, flat abdomen, her eyes flicking down to the exposed skin just for a moment before she locked her eyes with Emma's green ones. Her hands skimmed over her skin as she continued to lift the shirt up and when her thumbs skirted over the edges of Emma's bra, Emma stepped back a little and pulled the shirt off the rest of the way.
"Not yet," Regina murmured quietly when Emma's hands went to her back to unclasp her bra. "Wait."
"Wait?"
"Yes, wait."
Emma smiled shyly before she moved her fingertips to the collar of Regina's ruined blouse. With a small nod of her head, she allowed Emma to slip the wet fabric off of her body and they were kissing again before it even hit the floor. Regina was tentative to touch her at first, but as she smoothed her hands down Emma's back, she became a little bolder as the seconds passed. She trailed her nails lightly over the small of Emma's back and along the hem of her too tight jeans, eliciting a small moan past Emma's lips that vibrated against her own.
The second moan that followed when she slid her hands over the curve of Emma's pliable ass was what made her kiss her harder, deeper, until they both lost their balance and toppled down onto the bed together. Regina laughed as she leaned back and stared down at Emma. With a shake of her head, she dipped her head back down to deliver a sensually sweet kiss to her lips before they moved up to the middle of the bed together.
"We're going to get the bed wet," Emma whispered against her lips before she rolled them over and Regina groaned quietly. "What? Not used to being a bottom, Gina?"
"Not at all."
"You were sometimes," she whispered. "In those dreams of ours."
"Only sometimes," she whispered back and she closed her eyes as Emma's lips moved to trail a blazing path down her neck. Regina focused on each press of Emma's lips to her skin. Her eyes shot open the moment Emma's fingers traced over a hardening nipple over her black lace bra. "Emma…"
Emma's mouth suddenly was wrapped around the semi-erect nipple, sucking it through the thin lace and caused her to arch her back and moan loudly into the quiet of the room. She lifted her eyes and forced open her eyes, watching with bated breath as Emma pulled back from her breast and moved her fingers along the edge of the right cup before pulling it down to expose her hardening nipple to her heady, hungry eyes.
Emma teased the tip of her tongue over it and Regina shuddered at the touch. She raked her nails over Emma's shoulders lightly and threw her head back the moment Emma's lips wrapped around her nipple and sucked hard. She bucked up slightly when she felt Emma's hand trailing down her abdomen and she lifted her head by placing a finger under her chin.
"Emma," she whispered softly.
"Is this okay?"
Regina gasped when she felt Emma's hand cup over her cunt, a finger easily rubbing over her clit, and the friction of her panties against her sensitive flesh was making her squirm and crave for more. She pulled Emma in for another kiss, not wanting to stop kissing her, needing to feel her lips and tongue against her own almost desperately.
Emma didn't linger for long and she was quick to move to kneel between her partially spread legs, her hand that was between them moving to the clasp of her slacks as her lips trailed hot, open mouthed kisses along the skin below her navel. Just as Emma began to slide her slacks down over her hips, she started to panic.
"Emma," she whispered urgently, but Emma just hummed lightly against her skin and continued to tug the pants down her hips. "Emma, stop."
"Stop?" Emma lifted her head and looked up at her in confusion. "Regina—"
"No," Regina said and Emma moved away slowly. "We need to slow down."
"Okay."
"We got a little bit out of control," Regina said shakily. "We—we can't do this, Emma."
"Okay," Emma sighed dejectedly. "Uh, right," she moved off the bed and shook her head as she turned her back to her. "I guess I'll just jump in the shower, unless you want to—"
"No, go ahead," Regina said quickly and she groaned quietly the moment Emma practically ran out of the bedroom. "Gods," she murmured as she buried her face into her hands.
She wanted to be with Emma, her body craved that intimate touch, but she was still fighting that war within herself and despite nearly losing it, her conscious had come back swinging in full force to put a halt to things before they went too far. Regina waited until she heard the water running in the shower before she eased up off the bed and stripped out of the rest of her clothes. She slipped on her robe and tied it tight before walking out to the kitchen to put the kettle on.
While she waited for the water to boil, she picked up their wet jackets and hung them from the coat rack. She frowned when she reached into her jacket pocket to pull out her phone and saw that she had several missed calls that had came in throughout the evening. She had turned the phone on silent, not wanting to be disturbed on her night out with Emma, but when she listened to the voicemail from the Blue Fairy and heard the urgency in her voice when she asked for her to call her back immediately, she wished she had answered the call when it came through.
The second voicemail was from David that came shortly after Blue had called and he had the same desperation in his voice and said that they had finally found a way to help Emma, to save her from the Dark One that was residing inside of her. The third voicemail was from Blue again, telling her to call no matter how late it was when she got the message. Regina wasn't sure what they had found, but a part of her didn't want to know. Not until the next morning when her head was a little bit clearer than it was in that very moment.
The kettle whistled loudly, jarring her a little, and she placed her phone down on the table before she took the kettle off the burner and retrieved a mug and a bag of tea. She only just finished pouring the hot water into the mug when her phone started to ring. She placed the kettle down on stove and grabbed her phone, glancing quickly at the caller ID before she answered the call.
"Blue, I was just about to give you a call back," Regina said evenly. "You sounded urgent when you called earlier."
"Yes," Blue replied. "I know how we can help Emma."
"I'm listening," Regina said as she cast her eyes towards the closed bathroom door. "What did you find, Blue?"
"A temporary solution that can allow her to be in Storybrooke. Safely."
Regina blinked as it wasn't the answer she was expecting to hear, but she also feared of what she was going to be told next. "Temporary?"
"A spell," Blue replied. "One that can disconnect Emma and the Dark One."
"How?"
"By splitting them," Blue said quietly. "There won't be just one Emma in Storybrooke, there'll also be the Dark One in a copy of her body, so to speak. I believe we may be able to rid the Dark One from this world and all the others for good."
"How do you propose we do that?"
"By finding a way to kill it," Blue replied. "But, there is a risk. I am not sure if it will harm Emma or not. The question is, Regina, are you willing to take that risk to save Emma?"