Disclaimer in Chapter One.
AN: Sexytimes ahead! That is all.
"What time are you picking up Henry?" Regina moaned breathily as she straddled Emma's lap, the blonde unbuttoning her blouse with an agonizingly slow pace, pressing hot kisses along each inch of new revealed flesh.
Emma licked a line up from between the valley of Regina's breasts to just under her chin and sucked. She released the skin with a pop when Regina dug her nails into Emma's shoulders. "He's helping Frederick for another hour."
Regina leaned back with a grin, her shirt open revealing a red lacy bra with Emma's own shirt hanging off a shoulder. Her fingers travelled lazily down Emma's front until they came to rest at the clasp of her jeans. She bit her lip in anticipation, her heart beating rapidly under the flimsy lace material as she watched Emma's eyes darken, the blonde's desire evident even without the marks that frequently adorned her neck. Keeping her eyes trained on the deep green ones just below her, she popped the clasp and lowered her face toward Emma's. "Would you like to come upstairs?"
Emma's eyes fluttered shut, gasping breathily when Regina rolled her hips over Emma's pelvis. Her hands shot out to Regina's waist, either to stop or aid the brunette in her roving, she wasn't sure. What she was certain about, however, she voiced with unrestrained tension in her throat. "I don't think I can make it up there."
Regina rocked her hips over Emma's again, and then once more when Emma helped move her more languidly right over her mound. They both shuddered at the contact. With deft fingers, she eased Emma's zipper down, keeping the palm of her hand over Emma's core as she rocked into her. "Then I suppose we better stay here."
Emma didn't need to voice her agreement. Instead she thrust her head forehead and captured Regina's bruised lips with her own, her teeth nibbling softly on the plump bottom lip before her tongue dived into Regina's mouth, teasing the moans out of the brunette.
The shock of the force made Regina lose her balance and fall forward, her hands stopping from a complete crash when they landed on her couch, one on either side of Emma's head with Emma's hands roaming tightly up and down her back. She broke the kiss, panting hotly into Emma's ear as the blonde peppered kisses along her jaw, her ear, the column of her neck. Regina couldn't stop her hips from rocking even if she wanted to, and she sure as hell didn't want to. Another moan escaped her lips when Emma moved her lips from Regina's neck down to her collarbone and lower still.
Her chest rose and fell with how heavily she was breathing when Emma pulled back slightly, her eyes glancing up toward Regina before falling back down to her bra-clad chest. Regina grinned and leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss that contrasted greatly against their rapidly beating hearts and throbbing desires before grabbing Emma's hands and moving them under her shirt to the clasp of her bra.
Not completely obtuse, Emma worked quickly to release the clasp, shrug off Regina's blouse and tug down the red lace to reveal the small rounded breasts and pert brown nipples she had gawked at since the first time they met. She wasted no time to bring a nipple into her mouth, and Regina wasted no time with letting her satisfaction be moan with a whimpered groan and pulling Emma's fiercely clutched head to her chest.
Regina's mind was clouded with Emma's mouth on her, but she fought through the haze, placing kisses all over the top of Emma's head as the blonde continued to lap at her chest. Regina's hand snaked out of Emma's hair, traveling down her front to bring Emma's own breast into her hand and massaged it through the fabric of her shirt and bra. Giving it another squeeze, Regina released her breast and travelled down to Emma's open jeans, sneaking a hand into the fabric.
"God," Emma moaned, pulling back from Regina's chest.
Regina simply pressed the heel of her hand to the dampest part of Emma's panties and rocked against it.
"Regina," Emma whimpered, forgetting her previous task and rocking into Regina's hand.
"Yes?" The brunette grinned and used her free hand to tug Emma's chin up, kissing the blonde languidly as her hips continued to thrust forward into her hand pressed possessively on Emma's core.
"Don't stop," Emma muttered against her lips.
Regina shuddered as she pulled back, feeling another gush of wetness coat Emma's panties and dampen her fingers. Just seeing the blonde with her head leaned back and her eyes slammed shut in satisfaction made Regina ache. She needed more contact, and more than anything she needed Emma out of those clothes and certainly out these skintight jeans.
She removed her hand, laughing lightly when Emma clutched her wrists and her eyes screamed silently asking what the hell she thought she was doing. But a simple kiss from the brunette told Emma to trust her. She lifted her hips a few inches above Emma then moved her palm over the top of Emma panties, easing a few fingers inside the silk. The feel of damp curls against her fingers made Regina sit down sharply on Emma, both women groaning at the oh so needed contact. Finding Emma's entrance, Regina shuddered into Emma's ear feeling the blonde's fingers dig deep into her waist.
"Regina," Emma moaned again, pleadingly this time.
"Emma," she responded in kind, moving from Emma's ear to her lips.
Before they could connect or Regina could thrust her fingers upward as she had intended, a loud, furious knock sounded on her door.
"Ignore it," Emma pleaded, tugging on Regina's wrist begging the brunette to continue.
With a roll of her shoulder, Regina connected their lips, toying with the wetness at Emma's core making the blonde squirm.
"Regina!" The knocking had turned into a pounding, and the voice on the other side of the door sent chills through the brunette.
She whipped her hand out of Emma's pants and scrambled off the blonde as if they had been walked in on.
"Reg-"
Regina pressed a finger to Emma's lips to silence her, her voice wide and pleading. "It's my mother."
"Okay," Emma answered unsure as to why Regina was freaking out. She tugged her pants shut and righted her shirt before running a hand through her hair to fix it up.
Regina, however, struggled to put on her bra and shirt as the pounding on the door increased. "Go upstairs."
"What?" Emma hissed.
"Please." Regina tugged Emma up and ushered her toward the stairs. "Stay up there until she leaves."
"It's just your mom, Regina," Emma shrugged, resisting the brunette's pushing until they were at the foot of the stairs.
"Regina!" Cora called again.
Regina eyed the door fearfully before turning back to Emma. The blonde sighed and nodded, giving Regina a reassuring kiss to her cheek before quickly making her way upstairs.
Regina straightened her blouse, tucking it into her slacks then fluffed out her hair. Taking three deep breaths on her walk to the front, she opened the door.
"What on earth took you so long?" Cora entered the condo with no invitation, thrusting her coat and bag into her daughter's arms. "I was about to have someone tear down the door in my worry."
Regina rolled her eyes as she hung up the coat and bag on the rack beside the door. She knew her mother wasn't worried. Cora Mills was just a woman who did not like to be kept waiting.
"I'm sorry, Mother," Regina replied moving toward the kitchen to wash her hands from any evidence of Emma. "My mind was on what I should eat."
Cora made a noise of acknowledgement as she sat at the head of the dinner table, clutching the arms of the chair like she was seated in a throne. Regina scurried to pour water into a kettle and set it to a boil on the stove.
"What brings you by, Mother?" Regina asked grabbing a tea cup and her mother's tea from the cabinets. She kept her back to the older woman eyeing the kettle willing it to boil faster.
"How are you, darling?" Cora's tone was too sickly-sweet for Regina's liking, and she was sure that if she were to turn around she'd find her staring knowingly at Regina.
"I'm well," Regina answered, taking the kettle off the stove as soon as the first whistle sounded. She poured the water into the cup, letting the peppermint waft into the air. "And you?"
"I've been better."
Regina turned with the tea, settling it down in front of her mother as the older woman watched her like a hawk. "I'm sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do?"
"Yes," Cora answered taking a sip of her tea. "You can tell me who Emma Swan is."
Regina froze as she sat, resisting the urge to glance up toward her bedroom where the subject of her mother's interrogation now hid. Lying to her mother was moot and dangerous. No one lied to Cora Mills, let alone her daughter. So Regina sat in the chair adjacent to her, her eyes trained on the intricate details of the woodwork before she cleared her throat.
"How do you know of her?" Regina asked quietly.
Cora leaned over and grabbed Regina's chin between her thumb and forefinger forcing her attention. Regina ignored the sting of pain as nails dug into her flesh before Cora released her fiercely, her jaw set and lips pursed.
"There was a beautiful picture of you two in the society section of the paper. You think Jefferson's events don't make news?" Cora took another sip of her tea. "Or were you planning on upstaging him by bringing a woman as your date?"
"I had no intention of upstaging-"
"Honestly, Regina, I thought you were over this phase."
The younger brunette averted her eyes but remained quiet.
Cora shook her head in disappointment. "How do you know she's not some trollop?"
"She's not a trollop," Regina insisted, the aggravation in her tone rising.
"She's probably after you for your money." Cora's eyes brightened in revelation. "Is she the colleague from the youth centre?"
Regina nodded making Cora tsk and shake her head disapprovingly.
"Well, I can see why you devoted so much attention to such a project."
"It's not like that, Mother."
"Then what is it like, Regina?" Cora demanded with a bang of her fist on the mahogany.
Regina flinched at the noise, but after a moment of quiet she stared directly at her mother, defiance written all over her face. "She is my girlfriend."
Cora scoffed with a shake of her head. "I thought you had grown up. Throwing away your life and your reputation, for what? A pool boy? Some experiences in college? This Emma Swan?"
"You don't know her."
"She's just a bartender, and she has a son, and not to mention a juvenile record." Cora caught the flash in Regina's eyes. "I assume you didn't know that one, did you?"
Regina knew Emma had had a past, and her stints with the law were some of the things that had spoken about. She just didn't want her mother to know that she knew. The things Cora would say if she knew Regina was dating a a known felon would have the younger brunette grounded even in her adult age, and being grounded by Cora Mills was not something Regina liked to do.
Cora stood and walked toward the door shrugging on her coat. Regina obediently followed holding out her mother's purse for her. She stared distant as Cora cupped Regina's cheek in her palm and spoke soothingly.
"Darling, I'm just looking out for you."
"I can take care of myself," Regina insisted.
"I know you think that, but remember that your mother knows best." Cora slung her purse over her shoulder before putting a hand on the door. "Bring her and the boy to dinner next month."
"Henry," Regina interjected. "Henry and Emma."
Cora smiled but it was obvious she didn't care. "I expect to see them there." She opened the door and stepped into the hallway, but before she disappeared she called to Regina over her shoulder. "Your lipstick is smudged, dear."
Regina shot a hand to her lips, wiping around them and coming away with the lipstick that would have no doubt been smeared on Emma's lips and neck. A shock of blonde hair descended from the stairs, but Regina didn't move from her spot leaning against the closed door. Emma was in a similar position, placing her weight on the banister of the stairs.
"So," she drawled. "That's your mom."
"I'm sorry," Regina rushed to get out.
"I've been called worse," Emma mumbled, shifting from foot to foot. "Were you trying to hide me or something?"
"If I was trying to hide you would I invite you to a gallery where I knew there would be photographers?"
Emma muttered an obscure response before moving to the couch and dropping down hard on it. After a moment, Regina followed suit, but she sat on the the opposite end, her leg curled under the other.
"My mother, she isn't the easiest person to speak with."
"I can tell."
"I'm not keeping you a secret."
"You hid me in your room when your mother, who found out about us in the paper from a section I didn't even know that we had, came knocking," Emma pointed out. "It all seems a little secretive."
Regina mulled the idea in her head. When she spoke, she spoke slowly, choosing her words carefully. "She's not an easy woman to please."
"You mean she wouldn't like me."
"It's not you-"
"Just where I come from?"
"Emma," Regina ground out in irritation. "Are you dating my mother?"
Emma wrinkled her nose in disgust. "No."
"Then it's not her you need to impress," Regina reasoned. "And judging from our precious activities, I'd say you've already done your job impressing me."
Emma couldn't help the smirk escaping her lips. She leaned back, her brows furrowed in contemplation. "But she's your mom."
Regina simply nodded before standing and moving to a side table where she poured healthy amounts of cider into two tumblers. Bringing the drinks over, she forced one into Emma's hand as she sat next to the blonde.
She watched out of the corner of her eye as Emma sipped the cider, made a surprised face, then downed the glass in appreciation. Finally Emma put the glass on the coffee table before sidling up to Regina, interlacing their fingers as Regina sipped the cider quietly. She felt the blonde's head on the back of her shoulder and leaned into the touch.
"You don't care?" Emma asked quietly.
Regina shook her head.
"So if I go to this dinner and she says she hates me-"
"She won't do that," Regina interrupted. "It'll ruin her image."
Emma rolled her eyes and squeezed Regina's hand to play along. "What if she wants you to stop seeing me?"
Regina turned her head, placing her drink next to Emma's on the table before leaning her head closer to the blonde's, their gazes locked.
Regina had only ever felt passionate about one other person in her life, and he had left her out of the blue. She had never been the same after that, trusting a select few and loving even less. But Emma was different, as she'd always known she had been. Gazing into the swirling orbs of blue-green, Regina could see the vulnerability in them, the fear that Regina would drop her, like the families that had abandoned her in the past, on a moment's notice.
She never wanted to see that fear in Emma's eyes again.
She turned fully to face the blonde, both hands clasped protectively in her own. "Then that will be the last dinner I spend with my mother."
Emma looked down with a pleased blush on her cheeks. "You know, I like you."
Regina smirked. "I like you too."
"Not as much as Henry?" Emma teased.
Regina gave a playful shrug. "Speaking of which, I believe he's waiting for us."
"Can we have a movie marathon tonight?" Henry asked, jumping up and down as soon as he, Emma, and Regina stepped into their apartment.
"We just spent over an hour at the park," Emma pointed out.
"Please?" Henry turned his wide eyes to his mother and then to Regina.
Regina laughed once but looked to Emma for approval. Emma laughed crouching to his level.
"I told you, kid," Emma said ruffling his hair. "We can do anything you want on my nights off."
"Can I stay up late?" He pressed.
Regina smirked giving Emma a look clearly indicating the blonde was trapped.
"No," Emma said pointedly before placing her hands on his shoulder to scurry him towards his room. "Clean up a bit, and then we'll make dinner."
He pouted at the chore but didn't complain as he ran off to his room.
"That's the iron fist, dear," Regina teased hanging up her coat in the closet that was primarily used for storage.
"Mock all you want, but the teachers never complain about him being the messy kid, or the disruptive kid, or the kid who smells like pee," Emma said pointedly as she moved through the kitchen and rifled through the cupboards for a couple boxes of Kraft Dinner.
Regina wrinkled her nose as she spotted the blue boxes of macaroni and cheese in a box. "What is that?"
Emma held up the box. "You never had? It's really good."
"No, dear." Regina took the boxes and put it back in the cupboards.
She rummaged through them, moving her search to the fridge and pantry as she pulled out ingredients as she went along. Soon the counter was topped with half a bag of macaroni, a block of cheddar cheese, the milk jug, butter, and flour. She turned swiftly, not noticing Emma's amused expression. "Pots and pans?"
Emma simply motioned her head towards the top of the fridge where the pots and pans remained stacked.
Regina eyed the location but said nothing as she stretched to grab one of each before turning toward the blonde. "I'll let you in on a secret."
"Oh?" Emma sidled up behind her as she filled the pot with water.
"If you really want to impress me," Regina began easily moving out of Emma's grasp to set the pot to a boil, "you'll stop eating that garbage."
Emma sat on top of the counter crossing her arms with a smirk. "Maybe I just don't don't want to impress you."
"You should consider it," Regina said with a tilt of her head as she eyeballed a tablespoon of butter. "You'll be surprised where it can get you."
"So what's all this for? Fancy mac and cheese?"
"It's hardly fancy, dear. It's just better than that processed powder companies dare to call cheese."
Emma reached into the drawer between her legs and picked out a knife before cutting herself some cubes of cheese and nibbling on it. "So you are the heiress daughter of a multimillion dollar hotel chain who is a pretty big up and coming photographer, and you can cook to boot. Did I get all that, princess?"
Regina shrugged coyly as she poured in two cups of macaroni into the water. "You also failed to mention I'm fantastic in bed."
Emma coughed on her cheese but raised an eyebrow intrigued. "Well, I'd have to test that one out personally."
Regina gave a sideways grin as she tended to the pasta.
"What's a girl like you doing with a girl like me?" Regina turned to look at the blonde who had reiterated her words from their first meeting, but this time Regina could hear the genuine awe and curiosity in her tone.
She moved to sidle in between Emma's legs, her hands placed firmly on the blonde's thighs as she gazed upwards, her lips tilted towards Emma's. Leaning in close, she whispered breathily into Emma's mouth. "Remind me."
Emma wasted no time capturing Regina's lips, and just like always, the raging fire within them doubled from the other's mere touch.
"Gross," Henry groaned standing in the doorway of his room.
Regina pulled back with a furious blush to her cheeks, trying desperately to escape from between Emma's legs where the blonde had wrapped around her.
"Henry," Regina sputtered flabbergasted when she realized Emma was not letting her escape. "Your mother was just-"
"Were you kissing?" He asked with a wrinkle of his nose.
"No, dear, we-"
"Yes," Emma winked before placing a loud exaggerated raspberry kiss on Regina's cheek.
Henry rolled his eyes though the tilt of his lips told the women that he was amused by their antics. Regina, however, was not pleased with the slobber on her cheek and forcibly pushed away wiping at it with a dish towel as Emma sat with an innocent smile.
Her cell phone ringing pulled the smile away forcing Emma to hop off the counter and move further into the living room to answer the call.
"What are we having?" Henry asked peeking over the stove.
Regina heated a large saucer pan, dropping the two tablespoons of butter and flour into the pan before pouring the milk into it.
"A different sort of macaroni and cheese," Regina answered. She leaned down conspiratorially. "With a secret ingredient."
"What is it?" He loudly whispered.
Regina simply tapped her nose and pointed at Emma, signalling that she would tell him when the coast was clear. Henry beamed, eager to be in on the plan.
"How come you're heating up milk?"
"I'm creating a beschmel for the cheese."
"A what?"
Regina glanced down at him, narrowing her eyes in thought before she pulled a chair over to the stove and motioned for him to kneel on it. She handed him the whisk and helped guide his hand as he stirred the white roux. "A beschmel is flour and butter cooked in milk. If you put it on a low to medium heat, the milk with thicken to a sauce similar to an Alfredo."
"The white sauce over the noodles?" He asked, taking more of a lead on the whisking though Regina's hand never left his.
"Precisely."
"As soon as this has thickened up nicely, we can add cheese and we will get a very delicious and homemade macaroni and cheese."
"I can help?" He asked shyly.
"Aren't you already?" The thickening roux under his whisking attention made him grin at the realization.
"Kid," Emma called from the living room, placing her phone none too gently on the breakfast table. Her shoulders were slumped and a frown in place, but her eyes were apologetic. "I'm sorry, Henry..."
"Work?" His tone was casual, as if he had asked it numerous times in the past, but his eyes, like his mother's demeanour, held the same disappointed glint.
She nodded. "I'll call Ashley over so you guys can finish."
"You have to leave now?" Regina questioned.
Emma nodded again. "A few of the girls caught mono or something. August is understaffed, and he needs me there before the other girls get too overwhelmed with the crowd."
"Okay," Henry said quietly before turning his body back to the whisking task.
It didn't take an idiot to know that Henry had been looking forward to having his mom home for the day, or that Emma was beating herself up over having to leave her child for work yet again. And Regina was no idiot. She couldn't stop Emma from working, but perhaps she could bring a smile to at least one member of the Swan household. With a quiet request to man the beschmel, Regina left Henry to the task, lowering the heat just in case, before meeting Emma in her bedroom where she was changing for work. She caught her as she pulled on a tank top, stopping midway to frown apologetically to Regina.
"I'm sorry," Emma immediately said. "I wouldn't go if I didn't have to."
Regina wanted to argue that she didn't have to, but already she could foresee the consequences of opening that wound. Instead, she offered up the only plausible solution she could think of.
"I'd like to watch Henry tonight, if that's okay with you."
"I'm sure he'd love that, but you know how late I get home," Emma replied as she scurried through her closet and pulled out a leather vest crop top and slipped it over her head.
"It wouldn't be the first time I've slept over, Emma."
The blonde slowed her movements of fluffing her hair out as she thought about Regina's request. "You wouldn't mind?"
"I believe it's part of my job description."
"You don't have to-"
"I want to," Regina insisted, closing the gap between them.
Regina could see the conflict behind jade eyes. Even within days of meeting Emma, Regina could see that she didn't trust her son with just anyone, and she refused to ask for help unless absolutely necessary. Entrusting Henry into her care would not only be a big step for Emma, but a step in their relationship. Having a child was a big commitment, Regina knew that. But being in a child's life and suddenly disappearing was a risk both women had to take.
"Are you sure?" Emma asked one more time.
"Yes."
Regina was caught off guard when the brunette kissed her swiftly, but before Regina had time to react Emma was already out of the room and into the kitchen announcing the change of plans to Henry. His whoop and cheer made Regina grin before she remembered she had left a little boy in charge of the kitchen.
Quickly taking the whisk from him and checking on the noodles, she used her free hand to steady the chair as he hopped down to kiss his mother goodbye.
Regina tried not to listen in as Emma spoke quietly to him by the doorway, but with Emma down on one knee in front of an attentive Henry was just too difficult to turn away from.
"Regina is in charge, Henry," Emma spoke firmly as he nodded. "And I don't want to hear how you tried to con your way into staying up late."
"It's a weekend," Henry argued.
A firm stare had the boy sighing with defeat.
"I love you," she whispered before hugging him tightly, placing a kiss on the side of his head.
"I love you too," he responded leaning into her.
Regina turned back towards the boiling pot of macaroni and the thickening roux before Emma stood and made her way over to her. She smiled to herself when Emma took her waist and hugged her from behind, pressing a similar kiss to the side of Regina's head. The domesticity of the situation wasn't lost on Regina as she turned her head to claim a proper kiss from Emma.
With a squeeze to her hip, Emma winked before whispering low. "You don't stay up too."
"If you think you have control over when I sleep you are sorely mistaken," Regina said with a raised eyebrow.
"I could probably think of things that would wear even you out for an early night," Emma whispered huskily directly into Regina's ear making the brunette shudder and widen her eyes at the implications.
Emma kissed Regina's cheek again before finally leaving the apartment.
Henry sidled up to Regina, kneeling up on the chair as he watched her stir the roux and macaroni alternatively.
"Would you like a little assignment?"
"Not like homework?" He questioned.
Regina laughed and shook her head. "A cooking assignment."
"Okay." Henry agreed eagerly.
Regina set the whisk and wooden spoon aside to dig through Emma's unorganized drawers to find a grater. She set it in front of Henry on the counter and placed a large block of cheese and plate in front of him. "Grate as much cheese as you can."
"How much?" He asked already starting his task.
"How cheesy do you like your mac and cheese?"
"Extra, extra cheesy!"
She grinned patting his head affectionately before returning to the stove. "If you're able to grate lots and lots of cheese, then we can have an extra, extra cheesy meal."
Henry's eyes brightened grating more determinedly though keeping an eye on his fingers against the grate. By the time he was finished with his enormous amount of grated cheese, Regina had already strained the pasta and added salt and pepper to the creamy mix. Her face was furrowed as she rummaged through the cupboards, but with a satisfied "ah ha", she pulled out a never opened bottle of red pepper flakes.
"My secret weapon," she whispered before adding a dash of the flakes on the mix turning it into a light pink.
"Cheese." Upon request Henry dropped the grated cheese into the mix by the handfuls as Regina whisked it into a thick cheesy mixture. Soon enough the pasta was added, mixed evenly with the cheese.
Regina looked through the cupboards for a serving platter, but Henry had tilted his head in confusion and said his mom just plated food from the pot. Not one to break habit, she took two plates and scooped a large serving of the pasta onto both plates. Henry eagerly hopped down from his spot on the chair to grab glasses and juice, setting it down on the table.
Regina watched with a hopeful eye as Henry stabbed a fork into his meal and popped the helping into his mouth. His face scrunched up, no doubt from the spice of the cayenne pepper, but she was relieved that he hadn't spat it out.
"So?" Regina asked hopefully, seeking the approval of her girlfriend's nine-year old son.
"It's good!" Henry beamed digging into the pasta with gusto.
Regina had faced rooms filled with executives, looking to invest in her parents' hotel chain lines, prestigious buyers of fine art, and some of the hardest critiques she had ever met, but Henry's approval meant more to her than all of those combined.
"I can't believe you've never seen the X-Men trilogy before," Henry said after dinner, the first two X-Men movies, and brushing his teeth.
He climbed into bed, snuggling into his Iron Man sheets wearing his matching Iron Man pyjamas.
"Next time we'll have to finish the last one," Regina said still standing in his doorway, unsure of what to do next.
"We could finish it now," Henry suggested with an innocent shrug.
"Nice try, mister," she scolded playfully.
Henry pouted then glanced up at her shyly. "Can you read me a story?"
"Of course, dear." Regina stepped fully into the room and found no space to sit as Henry scurried to pick out a book. She shrugged and sat on the edge of his bed as he pulled a large fairy tale book onto his lap.
"Fairy tales?" Regina asked curiously flipping through the pages.
"My mom used to read it to me when I was younger," Henry explained. "She hasn't tucked me in a long time."
The sadness in his voice was evident no matter how hard the boy tried to sound indifferent. Regina instinctively placed a palm to his cheek as she lowered her gaze to meet his.
"Do you get upset that your mother works so much?"
"She needs to." His answer was one Regina was sure he told himself whenever he needed convincing.
"Yes, but that doesn't necessarily mean she wants to," she insisted. "If she had a choice, she would spend all her time with you, tucking you in, watching movies-"
"Making Kraft Dinner," he added in making Regina smirk.
"Yes, she would still be doing that, wouldn't she?"
Henry nodded smiling softly.
"You miss her." It was an observation rather than a question, but the boy looked hesitant to confirm that. Regina moved her palm down to Henry's hand, holding his in both of hers and squeezed reassuringly. "I can guarantee you that your mother would rather be here with you more than anything in the entire world. Do you know why?"
He shook his head.
She smiled tapping his nose. "Because you are so special and so intelligent, and above all, her son whom she loves very much and would move the sun and stars to make you happy."
Henry was quiet for a moment in contemplation. Regina had to refrain from smiling softly that both he and his mother shared the same glint in their eyes when they thought hard on a subject.
"I know," he began after a moment before lowering his voice and whispering the last part, "but what if I just want her home at night?"
Regina bit her lip knowing she was encroaching on dangerous territory. She knew exactly how Henry felt, desperate for a mother's attention, but she was grateful that the boy at least knew that he was Emma's world. Words were part of Regina's arsenal when it came to acquiring many things in her life, but words failed her at this moment, not knowing how to assuage Henry's sadness.
She kissed the top of his head affectionately, pulling him closer to her in a lingering hug. "Soon," she promised. "Your mother will be home soon."
Henry nodded, and after a beat, he flipped to a specific page in the book of Regina's lap and pointed to the story. "Can you read that one? That's mine and mom's favourite."
"Gladly," Regina nodded as she glanced down at the page. "The White Knight and the Evil Queen. Once upon a time there was an Evil Queen..."
Regina had never babysat before in her life. Her teenage years were not spent earning wages babysitting for her mother's friend's children or the local neighbours. It was spent taking piano lessons, being president of her private school's student council and debate team, organizing events that made the front page of her school newspaper, and taking advanced classes. None of those classes were Parenting, her mother deeming such a class as trivial since motherhood should be instinctual. Regina never commented on the fact that Cora never acted like any of her friend's mothers, but like always, Cora knew best.
Watching over Henry had been relatively easy if not nerve wracking. She wasn't sure what the protocol was for bath time or if the boy needed a certain night light on, but with Henry's help, she had gotten through the evening with nothing to report. It was just when Henry had fallen asleep right when the Knight had broken the Evil Queen's curse with True Love's kiss did Regina start to wonder what on earth she should do now.
Leaving Henry's door open a crack for good measure, Regina set about tidying the place, washing the dishes and replacing them back into their proper homes. Plating the leftovers into the fridge. She picked up Emma's wayward clothes and Henry's misplaced toys, putting the clothes into a laundry hamper in Emma's closer and the toys in an organized pile in the corner of the living room. She couldn't suppress her yawn as she peeked into Henry's room at eleven, finding the boy sprawled haphazardly in his bed.
Regina couldn't help the worried feeling that gnawed at her. She was responsible for Henry and if anything happened to him during the night, it would be her fault.
So Regina attempted to stay up all night, checking in every half hour just to make sure he was safe in his bed. On the half hour mark, Regina's phone would vibrate, waking her from the small nap she was able to get by sleeping in Emma's bed, dressed in one of Emma's old band tshirts as a night gown, and she would tread quietly into Henry's room, pleased to find him asleep. By the time three am came around, Regina shuffled blurry-eyed into Henry's room, but her eyes snapped open as a shadowy figure loomed over him.
Senses alert now, Regina didn't hesitate to march over to the bed, grabbing Henry's fairy tale book she left on his nightstand and smack the intruder on the back.
"Ow Jesus fu-!"
Regina turned on his lamp, shocked to see Emma, half leaning on his bed with a hand to her back.
"Oh my god, Emma." Regina immediately rushed over to the blonde and tried to steady her.
"Mom?" Henry's sleep-ridden voice sounded, his head coming off his pillow a few inches trying to get a handle on what was happening despite his sleepy haze.
Emma hissed as she leaned toward him, soothing him back down with a hand to his head. "I'm here, bud. Go back to sleep."
Within an instant, he was asleep again, unaware that Regina was still holding the fairy tale book she had used to briefly incapacitate his mother with. Regina set the book down and helped Emma to her feet. "I thought you were an intruder."
"So your weapon of choice is a book?" Emma asked, turning off the lamp and letting Regina lead her out of the room.
"It clearly worked."
They turned, already entering Emma's room with Regina leading her to the bed. They sat as Emma stretched, getting a feel for her stinging back. "Remind me not to piss you off in the future."
"That's just good advice, dear."
Emma glared. "Come on, you attacked me with a book."
"Stop being such a big baby," Regina rolled her eyes. "If you'd like, I'll kiss it better."
"Yes," Emma answered, already pulling off her leather vest and tank top leaving her in a neon green cotton bra. "Kiss it better."
Regina rolled her her eyes but gently pushed Emma down onto the bed, nudging her to turn her onto her front. She straddled Emma's lower back, her bare thighs squeezing around the blonde's hips as she settled forward, massaging the place between Emma's shoulder blades before lowering herself and pressing feather soft kisses on the spot she had hit. The moan that escaped Emma's throat didn't go unnoticed as soon as Regina's core, covered only by her lace panties, came in contact with Emma's bare back.
"Better?" She whispered into Emma's ear.
The blonde exhaled breathily as her eyes fluttered shut. "I don't know, I got assaulted with a weapon."
Regina chuckled lightly still flushed firmly against Emma as her hands massaged the blonde's tense shoulders. "I thought you were tough."
"And you are very skilled with your hands."
Regina nipped at Emma's earlobe. "You should see what else I could do with them."
Emma tilted her head as far back as she could with a raised eyebrow. "Oh really?"
"Mmhmm." Regina reared up on her knees back to straddling the younger woman's waist. She lifted herself up a few inches to allow Emma to turn onto her back, the blonde's hands travelling up Regina's thighs as they settled under the band shirt and on Regina's taut stomach.
"Show me." Emma's eyes had darken to near black, blonde curls fanning the pillow beneath her like a halo.
Regina subconsciously rocked into Emma's hips, her heart beating rapidly from Emma's words alone. She took a deep, shuddering breath, placing her hands over Emma's as they dug into her flesh.
"I believe I already gave you a preview, dear," Regina whispered huskily as she trailed their hands up her front, her shirt riding up as they went to reveal the bottom of her breasts. "It's your turn to show me."
Emma took the lead, pushing their hands up over Regina's breasts massaging the soft mounds beneath her fingertips with Regina's hands still covering her own. With Regina's soft moans and her rhythmic hip rocking, Emma didn't hesitate to lift the long tee off the brunette's shoulders leaving her naked except for those damp panties.
"My weapon of choice," Emma breathed out as she sat up making Regina gasp at the shock, "isn't my hands."
Emma made her point with a hot kiss right above Regina's panty line, leaning Regina back a few inches to give herself space to suck and lap just below Regina's belly button. Licking so close to where Regina needed her most, the brunette faltered in keeping herself steady and leaned back on the palm of one hand while the other clutched the back of Emma's neck desperately. Emma moved her kisses up slowly, nipping the skin every so often before she finally returned to the breast she had unfortunately abandoned earlier that day. Sighing contentedly, she brought it to her mouth, eager to complete her previously unfinished task. Her tongue moved over Regina's nipple, the bud hardening in her mouth while her hand massaged the neglected one, twisting the bud between her fingers and earning herself a deep and loud moan.
"Shhh," Emma eased pulling back with a pop.
Regina swallowed and nodded, biting her lip to keep her moans at bay, and the sight of her rocking on top of Emma becoming more and more turned on fueled Emma's fire. She moved her mouth to the other breast, giving it the same treatment before finally claiming Regina's lips within her own. Emma barely registered the fact that Regina had unclasped her bra and and tossed it to the side. She was too busy pulling Regina into her and lifting her hips to turn them over, Emma leaning over the brunette with a predatory glean.
The surprised yelp Regina gave had Emma smirking, but she pressed a sweet kiss to her lips as a reminder. "We have to be quiet."
"Easy for you to say," Regina ground out feeling Emma's knee against her wet heat.
She grabbed a fist full of blanket feeling Emma's lips on her skin again, her flesh heating up and quivering with each stroke of pale, plump lips as they descended down to her pelvis where Emma pressed a firm kiss to the center of her red lace panties. Her hips bucked up involuntarily, needing more contact, needing Emma on her immediately. Sensing her desire, Emma reared up on onto her elbows and slipped Regina's panties off her legs leaving her completely bare.
Emma sucked in a breath seeing Regina exposed before her, chocolate eyes gazing up at her with lust, wonder, and something else entirely. Her chest was heaving with anticipation, but her legs had come together in an attempt to remain modest as Emma began memorizing everything about Regina's body from her slender curves to the small mole to the left of her hip.
Determined to even out the playing field, Emma unbuckled her jeans, her eyes never leaving Regina's as Regina watched Emma tug her jeans down her thighs and then lifted to shimmy them down her legs with her underwear. She crawled over to the brunette with her hands on both of Regina's thighs, her voice soft and tentative. "Can I?"
"Yes." Her answer came out breathily, ridden with desire and impatience.
Regina remained leaning on her elbows as she watched Emma ease her legs open, pushing them upwards toward the bed, exposing Regina's dripping core entirely.
"Jesus," Emma said in reverence as her gaze zeroed in on the wetness between Regina's thighs.
With an experimental finger, Emma brought her index up to the bottom of Regina slit and stroked up, collecting as much wetness as she could. Regina moaned at the sensation, tilting her head back and shutting her eyes as her pelvis rocked closer to Emma. Bringing the finger to her lips for a taste, Emma waited until Regina opened her eyes to watch her as she sucked her finger clean, loving the tangy taste that was uniquely Regina.
"I thought your weapon wasn't your fingers," Regina reminded, though the pleading in her tone didn't go unnoticed.
Emma smirked before pushing the back of Regina's thighs higher, opening up her heat before bringing her mouth down to lap at the wetness coating her folds.
"God," Regina groaned at the first contact.
Emma grinned into her, licking up and down her slit, teasing Regina's entrance. When a hand snaked into Emma's hair, the blonde took the hint and thrust her tongue into Regina's waiting heat already feeling the the pull of her muscles. The grip in her hair had Regina encouraging her, asking silently for more.
Emma grinned again before pulling away entirely, enjoying the small whimper and wide eyes from Regina when Emma sat up and crawled over to her. Before Regina could even think to ask why Emma stopped, Emma kissed her fully, letting her tongue explore the older woman's making sure she knew just how good she tasted.
"You taste so good," Emma voiced kissing her again as her core unintentionally ground against Regina's.
They both moaned out from the unexpected contact, but Regina pulled Emma's lips to hers in an attempt to swallow the noise before it got too loud.
"Then why did you stop?"
Emma understood the implication and didn't need to be told twice. In a moment her mouth was on Regina, making the older woman fall back onto the bed and arch her back. She needed Emma to touch her, to kiss and suck her there.
With a strangled cry from Regina, Emma thrust her tongue into her core once more before completely sucking her throbbing clit into her mouth. Regina pressed further into Emma's mouth, her hips wanton as they sought the sweet and delicious attention Emma was providing. She alternated between flicking and lapping then moving to her entrance again to thrust her tongue inside her before moving back to her aching nub.
The breathless pants and the gush of wetness let Emma know that Regina was close and with a firm suck and with two fingers plunging into Regina, the brunette came hard all over Emma's mouth. She twisted her fingers, groaning at the muscles that squeezed them tightly as her head bobbed up and down with Regina. Soon, Regina eased her hips down permanently, her thighs quivering to the touch as Emma pulled out her fingers and gave Regina's core one final kiss before crawling up and over the panting brunette.
Regina's eyes fluttered open with a lazy smirk on her face as she tugged Emma down onto her, the mouths instantly seeking each other.
"You said you wouldn't use your hands," Regina muttered against pink lips.
"I don't hear you complaining." Emma pressed their lips together again before laying down on the older woman, half her body on Regina's torso while the other half lay on the bed.
Regina shrugged coyly as her lips moved from Emma's mouth down the sleek column of her throat. She easily moved aside letting the younger woman lay on her stomach on the bed before curling up over her and pulling them up on their sides with Emma's back pressed against Regina's front. Regina kept her mouth on the base of Emma's neck, sucking and kissing lazily as perfectly manicured fingers trailed over Emma's breasts, her nipples pebbling at the touch alone. Her mouth never wavered once as her hand continued southward, pressed firmly against pale, goosebumped flesh, until it reached the apex of Emma's thighs where the blonde moaned out in anticipation, clutching the free arm Regina had wrapped around the younger woman from behind to keep her steady.
Instinctively, Emma parted her legs, her right moving behind Regina's as the brunette used her right knee to place it against Emma's dripping mound. The blonde ground automatically upon contact, but Regina removed it just out of her reach and tsked in her ear. Before Emma could argue or beg, Regina inserted a finger into Emma, thrusting once then twice before adding a second and then applying pressure from her knee.
Emma gasped at the pleasant intrusion, bringing Regina's arm up to her face to bite down on the moan that desperately wanted to escape. She licked the bite mark but continued to rock with the rhythm of Regina's fingers while the brunette absent-mindedly continued sucking on Emma as if she wasn't bringing the blonde to the best orgasm of her life.
The heated make out sessions and this morning especially had been a wicked form of foreplay for Emma, and with deeper thrusts and harder more precise grinds, Emma was coming, her mouth opened in a silent scream before Regina forced her head to turn back and swallow the sound that was sure to come out when she added her thumb to Emma's clit. Emma tore her mouth away releasing a guttural growl as another wave of pleasure took hold of her. It was only due to Regina's right hold on her did she not thrash uncontrollably.
Her hips eventually stopped rocking, and when Regina moved her knee and let her fingers slip away, Emma turned suddenly in her eyes and kissed the brunette senseless.
Emma pulled back, her eyes back to their normal blue-green but there was a hint of wonder and amazement in them as she lowered her forehead onto Regina's and breathed out contentedly.
"What's a girl like you doing with a girl like me?" She asked again, quietly but seeking a true answer.
Regina weaved her behind the base of her neck and smiled up at her. Her own eyes were wide and vulnerable, but there was no way she could deny what she was feeling at that moment.
"I must really like you," Regina whispered, her fingers playing with strands of sweaty blonde locks.
"Thank god for my natural charm," Emma smirked lowering her head to kiss the brunette's nose.
They peppered kisses on one another, wrapped in each other's embrace whispering into the darkness. Neither had ever held such a substantial relationship in years, but they were both beginning to realize just how easy it was simply holding on to one another. They were both beginning to realize that it was becoming much more than simply liking each other.