Their hour on the beach passed all too quickly. Emma and Henry had had their splash fight. When Henry was younger, she'd had the height advantage on him in their water wars. But now as he had grown so much into a young man, she was no longer taller than him. But she had won through sheer relentless determination, and a little bit of luck. The kid might be taller these days, but he was rapidly growing into not just a young man, but a gangly, uncoordinated teenager. So in retreating, he had tripped over his own feet and landed on his rump in the shallow water. As soon as Emma was sure he was alright, she took her opportunity to splash wave over wave of water at him until he had shouted his surrender.
Emma had thrown her arms in the air singing We Are the Champions, and running up onto the beach to boast her victory to Regina. The darker haired woman, for her part, pretended to have ignored the show. Emma saw right through her though, and called her on it.
"Come on, Regina, we both know you'd never take your eyes off of Henry in the water in case you have to dive in after him." She had teased.
Regina had ground her teeth and leveled Emma with a hard glare, "Do you mean to make me feel guilty for watching over my son, Miss Swan?"
Emma had given Regina a worried glance before plopping herself gracelessly onto the sand next to the towel Regina sat on.
"No, of course not. I love your protective mama bear mode."
Regina had offered Emma a tiny smile, followed by a wink that left the blonde a little stunned, and Henry had chosen the next moment to come running up to his mothers and declare that he was hungry.
Not long after that they began to pack up their things. Emma had laughed and smiled on the beach, she had taken to the water and participated in several juvenile games with their son. But Regina didn't miss Emma's reluctance to stand out of the water, her constant tugging at the bottom of her tank top, and the fact that she often placed her hands over her lower belly where the stretch marks resided. As Regina watched Emma make her way to the changing stalls she could see tension locked muscles begin to unbunch.
After they had all gotten changed and were heading for the car, Regina began to notice something else off about Emma. Despite the sunscreen she had helped the woman apply, her pale skin had turned bright red on her shoulders and face. Her nose was burned, and the redness flared out onto her cheeks as well.
But the burn wasn't all. Emma seemed to be a little unsteady as she walked, one hand gripping at her head, and another at her stomach. Watching all this, Regina helped Henry load the last things into the back of the car, and then approached her friend.
"Emma, perhaps I should drive?" Expecting a fight, and several choruses of I'm fine, Regina, the brunette was surprised when Emma simply nodded her head and handed over the keys. Deciding it might be best to help the woman into the seat even, Regina made sure everyone was safely bundled into the car. She situated herself in the driver's seat and attempted to get the feel for the car. Thanking the gods she knew how to drive stick, Regina put the car in gear and began the short but winding drive back to the highway.
Fortunately, the traffic had mostly passed when they got back on the road, and the drive to the hotel was easy enough. Emma slumped down in her seat and tilted her head back on the rest with her eyes closed for the short distance. When they reached the hotel, Henry immediately asked about food again, and Emma's stomach rolled a little at the thought.
"Don't worry, Henry, we'll get you something to eat, but first we've got to put your mother to bed." Regina responded, her unease growing.
"What's wrong, Ma?" Henry asked, forgetting about food and shifting his focus to his mother.
"I'll be fine kid. I'm just a little under the weather at the moment. No need to worry." The hard set grimace on Emma's face as she spoke was far from convincing though, and Henry began to chew his bottom lip before turning to his mom with wide hazel eyes.
Regina offered a smile before she stepped out of the car, and began to unload their things. Henry followed suit and helped her carry the bags, but as they were pulling them out he stopped to ask, "Is Ma really going to be okay?"
"Oh, Henry," Regina sighed out, putting down the bags in her hands and moving to cup her son's face. He may be growing older, but he was still a boy. A boy who had seen too much of loss and terror, magic and tragedy overwhelming his childhood, maturing him much faster than it had a right to. "You've spent far too much time fretting over your mothers, haven't you?"
Henry shrugged, trying to ignore the gnawing anxiety in his gut, but Regina quickly soothed it. His mom always soothed.
"Yes, she will be just fine. I believe she just got a little bit too much sun today. Once she sleeps it off, she should be right as rain again." Regina smiled and nodded reassuringly, still holding onto her son's cheeks.
She didn't let go until the boy cracked a smile in return, and murmured, "Okay, Mom."
"Okay," she repeated with her face overtaken by fondness, her eyes and mouth alight in a smile only for Henry. She placed a kiss to his forehead, knowing that as he continues to develop into adolescence these moments will become fewer and further between.
Together, they gathered up all the bags again. Emma, having finally hauled herself out of the car, argued that she could carry her own stuff. Regina and Henry staunchly refused. They said nothing, but simply gave her identical glares with quirked brows. The message was clear; We're taking care of you whether you like it or not.
Emma huffed, for a moment she appeared as though she might stomp her foot like a child but she lacked the energy entirely. She relented begrudgingly, and traipsed after her family into the hotel.
They settled into the room as quickly as they could. They had deliberately chosen conjoining rooms, so that Henry might have a little privacy instead of spending the entire week cramped into one confined space with his mothers. So as soon as Regina was sure he was all set and comfortable in his room, she returned her focus to Emma.
The blonde had slumped herself into an armchair in the room next to one of the double beds. Her eyes were shut and her face was twisted up in discomfort. Regina approached her quietly before softly speaking her name. Despite her attempts to do the opposite, the sound startled Emma a little, and she jumped in the chair.
"It's just me, Emma." Regina cooed, maternal nature taking over. Reaching for one of the water bottles they had packed for the car ride, Regina uncapped it and tucked it into Emma's hand, not letting go until she was sure she had a firm grip on the bottle.
Emma looked at her in confusion, and Regina fought the urge to press her face into her palm. "Drink some, Emma. You need to rehydrate."
Emma shook her head however, and groaned out, "I can't, I'm so nauseous."
"I know, honey," Regina spoke, ignoring her own internal flare of panic at the term of endearment, and grateful that Emma didn't seem to have noticed. "I know," she amended, "but I promise you'll feel better if you have a little water."
"What's wrong with me?" Emma asked with weak voice and stinging eyes.
"You have sun sickness, dear. Too much time in the sun, I'm afraid." Regina responded.
Emma whined a little in reply, then looked at the water in her hands treacherously. She took a hesitant sip. When it didn't roll in her stomach immediately, she took a few more. But soon she felt too full of liquid, and too exhausted to continue. Regina accepted this, silently promising she'd get Emma to drink more later on.
"Come on, let's get you to bed." Regina urged gently.
Emma tried to protest, "It's only four in the afternoon."
"I know, but you need to rest." Regina replied, as she began to remove Emma's tennis shoes.
"But your schedule," Emma insisted.
"Never mind about the schedule, Emma." Regina hushed gently.
Longing for nothing other than sleep at the moment, Emma eventually grumbled her approval. Regina helped the younger woman to stand to her feet, and half assisted, half dragged her over to the bed. Emma flopped herself onto the mattress face first, almost tripping Regina by accident and pulling her down with her. Regina righted herself immediately, cheeks flaming red. She straightened out her shirt and huffed a little at the indecency, and a little more at the surge of excitement it had sent through her.
Emma, gratefully, was oblivious to what had passed and to Regina's reaction. Regina allowed herself a moment to observe the blonde with an unguarded expression, and her lips tugged into a smile that seeped into all her muscles and shone through her eyes. Realizing how foolish she must look, Regina quickly schooled her features back to impassive and crossed the room to dim the lights.
When she reached the switch, she heard grunting and movement from Emma's direction so she turned in confusion after dialing the lights down. When she did, she was met with the image of Emma wiggling on the bed awkwardly with her hands at her hips attempting to tug at the material of her pants.
"What on Earth are you doing?" Regina questioned, bemusement lacing her tone, walking back over to Emma.
"Can't sleep in pants." Emma muttered into the pillow of the bed and Regina had to strain to understand it. She rolled her eyes and lightly grabbed onto the blonde's wrists, halting her movements.
"Well you'll never get them off like that. Here, roll over, I'll help you."
Regina gulped, and her tongue felt a little thick when she realized what she was offering. This won't be embarrassing at all.
Clenching her jaw tightly, Regina helped the woman before her roll onto her back. With trembling fingers, she popped the button and undid the zip of the jeans. She tried to speak but what came out first was a voice crack that reminded her of her son's changing voice, followed by a hoarse whisper. She cleared her throat and tried again.
"Lift your hips, Emma."
Emma did as she was told, and Regina began the chore of peeling off the skin tight denim. The jeans inverted themselves in the process, but Regina was just happy to have completed the task with minimal mortification. She tried not to stare at Emma's bright red cotton panties, and instead ended up continually flicking her eyes away every time she caught herself looking.
Once she had gotten Emma tucked under the covers, she breathed a sigh of relief. She folded Emma's jeans, pulling them rightside-out again, and left them on the chair. Before she was even able to finish this task, she heard the soft snuffles of Emma's breathing indicating the woman had finally fallen asleep. Regina watched for moment to make sure Emma stayed asleep, then slipped through the door to get Henry and find him something to eat.