Talk. That word had never meant good things for Emma. A million things ran through her mind at what could be wrong. The biggest worry blurted itself out. "If you need me to leave I will. I'm sorry."

"What?" Sarah grabbed her daughter's wrist and pulled her back into the booth, wrapping both arms around her. "No, Em. I don't want you to leave. Why would you think that?"

Emma hid her face behind a curtain of hair to avoid eye contact. "You and Maya are always fighting lately, because of me. I can understand if you want me to go."

Sarah pulled Emma in as close as the table for the booth allowed. "Sweetheart, no. Maya and I have been discussing things lately, but there's always growing pains in a family. You are my daughter. Nothing in the world is going to make me to send you away. I love you!" She leaned down and kissed the crown of her baby's head. "Emma, never think I would ever get rid of you."

The table was digging painfully into Emma's hip, but she scooted closer to her mom, wrapping her arms around her. Sarah always made her feel safe, loved, and most importantly, wanted. No matter how often she heard that, it was always nice to hear again. "Love you too."

"I know, baby." Sarah barely heard the muffled words, but she beamed nonetheless. "I know we don't really touch on this topic, but I have to ask you some serious questions now."

"Here?" Emma squeaked and moved out of her mother's arms, glancing around at the diner that was slowly filling for the lunch hour.

"Emma, you're an adult. You can handle a few personal questions. No one is paying us any mind." Sarah smiled and squeezed her daughter's hand as Emma chose to stay seated next to her instead of sliding in across from her. Once she had Emma's full attention, she took a deep breath. "Emma, have you had a heat before?"

Blushing, Emma's eyes widened as she quickly glanced around, checking her surroundings once more before nodding. "I get three a year, about four months apart. Why?"

"And you know Regina is your mate?" Sarah waited for another blushing nod before continuing. "No need to be embarrassed. How have your heats been until now?"

"Mom!" Emma flopped her head down on her arms, full on embarrassed due to the questions, no longer because they were in public. "They're… there? I don't know. Some people say they're real bad. Mine have been… usually okay. If I have a hot water bottle or heating pad I'm fine."

Sarah paused to place her order with Ruby, waiting until the waitress was gone again before studying an incredibly nervous Emma. "I ask because once you find a mate, and you have, that's going to change." She shook her head at Emma's confusion. "Your body knows you have a mate now, Emma. It's going to want to do what heats are designed for."

Scrunching her nose, it took a few minutes before the reality of what her mother was saying sunk in. "No! Absolutely no. Regina hasn't tried… we haven't. No. You're mistaken."

"Calm down, Emma." Sarah shook her head at her daughter's reaction. "Regardless of your… intimacy thus far, your body now recognizes you have a mate. It's going to trigger your heat to be more intense. As much as Maya and I are against this, the only way to sate your heat is to either try and suffer through it alone, or seek Regina out. This is centuries old biology hardwired into your brain. Once a mate is established, your body is going to need that mate to satisfy it."

"Ugh, no!" Emma groaned and shifted in her bench seat. "I don't want to mate with Regina yet. I'm still trying to get to know her. We both agreed we wanted to establish ourselves before we do anything, that we do…," Emma shook her wrist and scrunched her nose, "that. We both want it to matter, to mean something."

Sarah glared at Ruby when the waitress came over to deposit their orders and tried to chat up Emma. Her daughter was already agitated and blushing profusely. The last thing she needed was Ruby offering to 'help' calm her down. "Emma," she placed her hand over her daughter's as a gesture of comfort. "I cannot tell you how happy that makes me as your mother to know you want sex to mean something. I wish heats and ruts were that simple though. Finding your mate, accepting Regina as your mate, has triggered your heat to start." She wished she could smile at the shock on Emma's face, but this was not funny. "It's why you're starting to itch, the ants in your pants. Your dna doesn't care you want to wait. Maya and I can try and keep you occupied with movie marathons and board game days, see if we can help you through this heat, but there's no guarantee this will work."

"Hmmrph," Emma grunted, "if it doesn't then I'll just leave for a few days, come back when it's over, but I'm telling you my heats are never bad. It'll be fine."

Shaking her head, Sarah allowed Emma to steer the conversation elsewhere while they ate. The only thought going through her head was what famous last words "it'll be fine' were.

SQSQSQ

Emma had survived the first day of her heat well enough. There was discomfort and pain, sure, but nothing overwhelming or that a heating pad hadn't fixed. She'd still gone to work, had lunch with her moms, and got caught up on her paperwork. Graham did some patrolling, but overall it had been a relatively slow day. Her mothers ignored the sassy attitude Emma gave when she'd made it through the first day of work without issues.

Day two started with Emma doubled over in pain, tearing her from a peaceful slumber. Despite the tears streaming down her face, Emma insisted on going to work. The pain and burning by mid morning becoming too unbearable to stay cooped up in the office. Taking the rest of the day, Emma decided to try going for a run. Working out was her go-to for beating the discomfort of her heats.

"Sheriff Swan!" Regina frowned as the blonde sheriff ran past in teeny black shorts and a grey tank top, bright orange sports bra visible through the loose top. The blonde hadn't seemed to hear her though and kept running. Turning on her high heels, she stalked off after the blonde. "Miss Swan!"

Music blasted in Emma's ears as she ran the pain away. The pain of her heat faded to the strain of her muscles to keep going. If she didn't stop, Emma could keep outrunning the pain. It had worked for the past hour. The low timber of her name being shouted though gave her pause.

"Emma Swan!" Regina winced as her heel bit into the tender flesh of her feet in her haste to catch up to the woman. When she finally did, all thought left her brain. Sure she was already attracted to the blonde, but that was before. Before the goddess was barely dressed in front of her glistening in sweat, emitting the strongest cloud of overwhelming pheromones she'd ever smelt.

"Huh?" Spinning around, Emma nearly collided with Regina, not expecting someone to be right behind her. "Oh, Regina." A blush immediately crept up the woman's cheeks. "Hi."

Dark eyes narrowed. "This is why you took off, to go running?"

Emma shook her head no, scrambling to pause her music. "Uh, no, not exactly."

Regina watched Emma shuffle her feet nervously, avoiding eye contact. The woman looked and smelled so divine she just wanted to pounce on Emma here in the middle of town. Why did she smell so damn good?

"I just needed a few days. I have Graham patrolling and taking care of everything so far," Emma felt an overwhelming urge to throw herself at Regina. Squeaking as the mayor tried stepping closer, Emma turned her music back on and ran as fast as her feet could take her in the other direction.

Cursing her choice in shoes, Regina could only watch the woman sprint the other way. All her instincts were screaming at her to chase after Emma, to pin her down when she did, and claim her. No one had ever smelt so enticing before. But why had Emma run from her? They were supposed to be getting to know each other.

Emma hated leaving Regina. All she'd wanted to do was wrap her legs around the woman's waist and let the mayor have her way with her, whatever that might entail. Another minute and she would have given in to those desires. After her run, Emma thought she'd chased the pain away. It only lasted an hour though before she doubled over again, fiery burn exploding throughout her entire body.

"Emma, how can I help?" Maya had no idea how to help short of tracking Regina down, and she was absolutely not going to do that.

"Hurts." Gasping for a lungful of fresh air, Emma straightened and tried rubbing circles over her stomach. She was rapidly beginning to realize why people hated heats so much. The young blonde never thought she'd long for the times her body was just one giant, uncomfortable itch she couldn't sate until the week was up. This, this heat was a constant burning pain that none of her usual tricks seemed to help.

Maya cautiously stepped forward, holding out one of the new bath products she'd gotten in the store. "Would a bath help? These are new so I don't know much about these bath bombs, but supposedly they work for relaxation."

Emma knew it probably wouldn't relax her right now, but a bath did sound good. With a small smile more a grimace, she accepted the plastic wrapped purple and green salt ball. It smelled like lavender and eucalyptus. If she wasn't in heat, Emma could definitely use that on stressful days. Trudging upstairs for her bath, Emma faintly heard the door before the water drowned out the sounds.

"How's she?" Sarah made her way through the first floor until she was in the kitchen to greet her wife. She squealed when Maya swooped her up without warning and kissed her like her life depended on it.

Her wife Maya knew. Sarah was something familiar and reliable, something Maya knew how to handle. Wrapping her arms tightly around Sarah's waist, Maya pulled back just enough to rest her cheek against the paler one on her wife. "I don't know what to do. I hate not being able to help. We're supposed to be her parents, be able to protect and help."

Sarah just nodded, understanding fully why her wife was frustrated. Feeling weak and/or helpless was not something that settled well with either of them. Their only saving grace so far was that no one had tried anything thus far. "We're here for her. It might not be enough to ease her pain, but it's all we can do."

Try the pair did, with movies, offering lots of bath bombs, and junk food, various arts and crafts… anything to take Emma's mind off things. An old shirt of Regina's seemed to help for a while, Emma calming down some. The young blonde hadn't shared that it was the smell of the shirt rather than the shirt itself that was helping. Her mothers were napping and the pain was becoming unbearable again, the heat rising to unparallel levels. Not able to handle it anymore, Emma had to leave. Scribbling out a note, Emma snuck out of the house, unsure where she was going since her car was in the shop.

Regina sighed as she returned home from work, stack of files in both arms. Her member had decided to stand at full attention all day, despite her best efforts to 'fix' the situation. Since she'd run into Emma the other day, Regina's new appendage had been stirring often, and now it wouldn't quiet down. Once her work was safely in her office she went upstairs to change. Whimpering from within her closet instantly put her on alert, but something overrode her instinct to grab a weapon. Prying open the doors, she hadn't expected the sight before her. "Emma?"

"Oh." Emma had somehow found her way to Regina's home. Since no one answered the bell, Emma had the brilliant idea that the mayor's scent alone could pull her through the rest of her heat. She didn't know why she hadn't expected Regina to find her. Wrapped in a pile of the woman's clothes, Emma had finally felt enough reprieve to curl up tightly and try to rest. "Regina, I-"

The smell, having been trapped in the closet, had come barreling at her the moment Regina opened the door. Emma smelt positively mouthwatering. It didn't take long to recognize her omega was in heat, why she was in the closet under a pile of her clothes. "Come here, darling."

"R'gina, please! It hurts." Emma whimpered as the alpha before her emitted her own pheromones, scent much stronger than what she'd found in the clothes. Launching herself at the mayor, Emma wrapped her arms and legs around the woman, burying her face in the crook of Regina's neck.

"Shh, darling. It'll be okay." Regina wavered for a minute under the weight but steadied herself so she wouldn't drop Emma, surrounding them both in a strange mix of calming and arousal pheromones. She could see Emma was in pain, pain only she could help. Once she helped Emma, maybe Emma could help her. "I'll take care of you."

Emma melted into the embrace, trying to coax plump lips away from the tender, soft, nibbles and into claiming her. Clawing at the back of the silk shirt, Emma tried to wriggle closer, entice Regina into being more forceful. "I need, shirt in the way, kiss me."

"Just relax, Emma. I've got you." Regina knew Emma wasn't sure what she was asking for just yet, but the tender touches, gentle caresses didn't seem to be it.. Right now her instincts on how to sooth an omega in heat were warring with her desire to treat Emma with tenderness and care.

Emma was sweating, the sheen on her skin as unmistakable as the desire in her eyes. When Regina wasn't giving in and instantly taking her, she whined, trying to grind herself against the woman to try and get off.

Regina noticed just how much Emma was sweating, how hot her skin was. She had already needed a shower. Maybe it would calm her omega down too. "Emma, what do you say to a bath with me? I can wash the day's grime off and we can… continue this."

Eyes widening at that idea, Emma nodded rapidly as she struggled out of her clothes, forgetting all modesty until she was standing naked in the mayor's bedroom, clothes thrown all over. Realizing the mayor was staring openly, lust present on her face, fire filled Emma's stomach and she moved to approach the woman but a stern glare sent her scurrying into the bathroom.

"Hold it together a little longer, Regina." The brunette looked down at her penis at full attention from the absolutely gorgeous canvas that was Emma Swan. "You too, Regal, keep it together."

Brow raised in amusement, Emma stalked forward, wrapping her hand around the base. "Shower, Regal." Emma gently tugged as she walked back to the bathroom where the shower was already going, steam rising underneath the glass door. Once she was a few feet from the door, Emma released the throbbing member, giving extra wriggle and swan as she stepped through the door.

Growling, Regina followed quickly, gripping slim hips and pushing Emma into the opposite wall as her foot kicked the door closed. Little minx, she'd show her who was in charge! Regina plastered herself to the blonde's back, enjoying the hiss of contact with the cool tile beneath pale flesh. Whoa, Regina! Slow down. Her first time shouldn't be a quick smash and run like it was with Leopold. Show her you care.

Emma whined in disappointment as Regina backed off, unsure why the mayor stopped. Just as she was about to turn around and protest, a sudsy sponge landed on the middle of her back. "Regina." Getting clean was not on her agenda right now.

"Hush." Regina turned the water temp down as she continued to drag her bath sponge over the naked canvas in front of her.

"No!" Emma spun around, pulling the naked mayor flush against her. Sighing into the embrace, she brought her mouth down to the beautiful expanse of neck before her. "Need, need you, not soap. Skin, mine, please."

Regina's brows furrowed at the incoherent babble before she felt slim fingers wrap themselves around Regal again. Fuck! This omega was really testing her resolve. Shoving Emma backwards, she bent to bring the left breast into her mouth.

Emma arched her back at finally having contact again. One hand threaded in dark hair, she thrust her hips at Regina, bringing her legs up to wrap around the mayor's waist. The fact they weren't supported and could crash to the floor didn't even register. She just wanted more contact, more friction, to be filled. "Gina please!"

Shit! Reaching out one hand to the wall and the other to wrap around the pale waist trying to hump her. Emma was definitely going to be the death of her. She nearly slipped and dropped them both at a particularly rough grind of Emma's hips against Regal. "Emma, stop a minute!" She couldn't help but roll her eyes at the whine of protest, her omega so far gone Emma was going to get what she wanted regardless the cost. So much for their shower. "We're moving." Without allowing Emma a chance to protest, she snapped off the water, making sure to dry her feet before making her way to the bed.

"Please!" Emma yelped at being dropped unceremoniously on the bed, frowning when Regina didn't join her immediately. Ugh, her alpha was just staring instead of doing even with permission. Rolling over towards the nightstand, she yanked open the drawer.

"What on earth are you doing?" Regina didn't keep much in her nightstand, a pen and paper, a spare light bulb, spare pillowcase, and a can of mace should anyone be stupid enough to attempt a break in.

The sheriff groaned in frustration. How did this gorgeous, glorious woman not have any toys? Throwing stuff aside, she growled as the second drawer in the nightstand was equally as fruitless. "Where are your toys? If you won't then-" Emma yelped before a cheshire grin spread on her face as Regina was suddenly on top of her pinning her to the bed.

"Toys?" Regina's eyes narrowed at the blonde below her. "What would make you think I'd allow you to use toys on yourself in my bed?" Forget slow and caring. Her omega just threw a challenge for dominance she wasn't about to lose. Pinning one leg in place with her knee, the mayor brought one hand down to pull the other leg wide.

"Yesss!" Emma closed her eyes in bliss, finally going to get what she wanted, needed. "No! What?" Her gaze snapped down between her thighs when instead of being filled, Regina was simply dragging her fingers up and down the length of her slit. "No teasing. So mean!"

Regina couldn't help but laugh. Mean? Oh how little her omega truly knew about the word mean. There was no torture, no humiliation, no physical pain she planned to inflict on Emma like the previous bed-warmers she'd had in the Enchanted Forest. Holding eye contact, she brought her fingers up to her mouth, making a show of licking the length of her soaked finger before bringing them into her mouth to suck them clean.

Groaning, Emma tried to thrust her hips up, seeking any kind of friction only to be met with air. Whining, she reached out to clutch at Regina, being denied before the alpha above her leaned down and crashed their lips together, squirming as two fingers began circling her clit incessantly, unrelenting direct strokes that had constant noise spewing from her.

"Emma!" The brunette moaned out as her hips shifted, placing Regal's tip between drenched folds. A few adjustments and Regina was pushing inside, finding no resistance at all. Long legs flew up to wrap around her waist trying to propel her forward as Emma became a moaning mess beneath her. Pushing the rest of the way in, the path made easy by the copious slick, Regina let out her own groan once she was completely sheathed inside the tight passage. "Mine."

"Yours, so yours, all yours." Emma hadn't imagined being filled could feel so… full, so exquisite. Why hadn't she done this before? Opening her eyes, she trailed them down her flushed body to where she and Regina were joined, moaning in delight at the sight, of watching Regina slide out of her body, penis coated in wetness, her wetness, all for Regina, before slamming in again. "Regina!"

Regina couldn't help but beam in pride, her omega was truly hers now. The feeling of claiming a pussy, of having a woman writhing in pleasure underneath her, of driving Emma delirious with pleasure was nearly overwhelming enough to make her come, Regal painfully at full attention. Able to worship Emma now that the blonde was happy, she lowered her mouth back down to heaving breasts, intent on taking her sweet time with every expanse of skin she could.

"Holy fuck! In, in in!" Emma was surprised as she felt her alpha's knot begin to grow. The complete bliss from Regina fucking her dissipate. She needed the knot. Wriggling her hips, locking her legs tighter around the brunette, Emma did her best to keep the woman inside her. "Please!"

Understanding what Emma needed, having felt the base of Regal growing, Regina thrusted a few more times, allowing her knot to grow a bit more before rearing her hips back, slamming forward once more, locking herself in place inside of Emma. Both their climaxes instant, greedily clenching walls milking Regal for every drop she was happily shooting inside Emma.

"So yours!"

SQSQSQ

They had been holed up in Regina's mansion for days, the mayor's rut having come in. Various positions and innumerous hours, countless orgasms between them, Emma finally exhausted her heat, now she was helping Regina through the last of her rut. Currently in the blonde's favorite position, on her hands and knees being taken from behind, both were sweaty messes.

Regina enjoyed this position well enough, but she preferred to see Emma's face as she came, to watch the most beautiful expression, or devour the perfect breasts underneath her, to be able to kiss pale lips. No matter how rough or primal they got, she still liked to bring some intimacy to their activities. Feeling her knot awaken, knowing her rut was ending soon, she reluctantly pulled out of Emma and flipped the blonde onto her back, pounding back in almost immediately.

"Jesus, Regina!" Without the heat clouding her mind and making her sole focus being satisfied, the rougher aspects of their coupling causing twinges of pain. She could feel Regal's base swelling, hoped there was enough slick to accommodate it. The thrusts became more erratic, less timed, a lot rougher. Arching, she willed herself to open enough to… "AHHH!"

"Fuck! Mine!" The alpha shouted as her knot forced its way into Emma's unbelievably tight passage. It hadn't wanted to let her in at first, but Regina knew she could fit and made it so, needed to cum so bad. Euphoria clouding her mind as Emma wriggled underneath her, she surged forward, clamping down on a delicate collarbone eliciting a scream from the omega. "Mine!"

Oh! Regina just bit her, and it HURT! Maybe this meant Regina was ready to commit to her, had figured out her feelings. Perhaps she could…. Wriggling to try and free herself from the teeth still clamped onto her, Emma tried to rear up and return the bite only to be snarled at and shoved back to the mattress.

"No! Mine!" Regina released her omega to growl at her before sinking her teeth back into the fresh mark, trying to nuzzle in further, the coppery taste of blood flooding her mouth. She could hear Emma's distressed whimpers, but they were distant, far away, while her own pleasure forefront, Regal emptying all the member had into the blonde, lapping at the wound to try and stop the bleeding. Emma was hers, virginity, body, and soul now. Hers.

Emma lay under Regina wondering if the alpha knew or even cared that she hadn't come. It had been solely about Regina, which wouldn't have been such an issue, Emma knew that not every round of sex resulted in orgasms, but having her attempt to claim Regina rejected… all the vengeful, angry foster families and social worker's voices about being only good for one thing, laying under an alpha, came flooding back making her want to curl in on herself and cry. No, no crying in front of Regina. She waited until the knot went away, making the abundance of cum start flowing out of her. Showering after sex was a must, Emma had learned.

Regina was groggy, blissfully sated after this last round. It didn't mean Emma moving away from her, moving off the bed didn't register unpleasantly with her. "Where are you going?" Sitting up, she brought the sheet with her, though why after all they'd done naked the past few days she didn't know.

"Shower and then home." Emma's shoulders hunched in, trying to hide herself, make herself invisible as much as possible as she hunted for her clothes on the bedroom floor.

"Home? Why?" Regina leapt out of bed, grabbing Emma by both arms, trying to search green eyes unsuccessfully. Did Emma regret what they'd shared? "You can stay."

Anger flared through Emma,head finally snapping up to meet the questioning dark gaze. "No I can't! You made your thoughts abundantly clear. I'm a bedwarmer, not a mate, not yours!"

Frowning in confusion, Regina wouldn't let Emma break free of her hold. "What are you talking about? We've made love for days! We just had amazing sex." She couldn't fathom what happened in such a short few minutes to make Emma react like this.

"This!" Emma wrenched one arm free, swiping at the blood dripping down her chest, fury ablaze in her eyes, filling the room with enough angry pheromones for the alpha to release her fully. "You bit me, and then you rejected me. Good enough to warm the sheets, Emma, but never enough to warm someone's heart."

"I didn't, that's not why I stopped you!" Regina started to pace, yanking a hand through mussed, tangled dark locks, wincing as her fingers caught on a particularly twisted knot. "You're… and Daniel, but that's… we…"

Emma just sighed in annoyance and finished shoving her arms into her shirt, pulling it over her head before wriggling into her yoga pants, come be damned. They'd wash out. "Everything always comes back to Daniel, someone I never even met. I can never hope to compete with some goddamn ghost. Do you even love me?"

Regina stared into Emma's eyes for long moments, silence stretching between them. She knew why she'd pushed Emma away, and it had nothing to do with Daniel. He was just the convenient excuse to keep Emma at arm's length, trying to protect her heart from inevitable pain and rejection. Instead she'd just thrown herself on her own sword. A shake of her head and Emma scoffed.

"Figures. I hope your ghosts keep you warm at night." Emma slammed the bedroom door shut behind her, making her way down the winding staircase, slamming the front door for good measure. She wanted to break down and cry, but not on Regina's property. Where could she go though? Definitely couldn't go home smelling like sex, come still pouring out of her, staining her clothes. One last glance up at the window where she hoped Regina was watching behind the curtain, Emma stalked off for the station. It had a shower and a change of clothes where she could break down in peace.

"Goddammit!" Regina picked up the lamp and threw it with all her might across the room, watching the base shatter into a million pieces, much like her heart. Why couldn't she just admit she loved Emma, that she mattered? Instead of protecting herself and Emma, Regina'd just destroyed them both, like she'd done to everyone thus far who had ever loved her. Maybe she truly was her mother's daughter.