Things were slow and tentative for the next few days. The touches they shared were soft and hesitant. None of them really knew how to behave after they'd been through such a huge change in their relationship. Still, Emma called her would-be landlord and canceled her apartment in Tallahassee, and Ruby, of course, changed her mind about Boston. But Ruby, despite the enthusiastic encouragement of the sheriff, refused to resume her position as Emma's main detective.
"Ruby, come on. Why?" Emma whined, frustrated by her lover's refusal.
Regina sat at the dining room table and watched as the two of them continued their heated discussion.
"Because I don't think it's a good idea for us to work together anymore. I just don't."
"But why?"
"Because I need space to be myself. I need to be independent of you so that we can continue to be close and intimate in our romantic relationship."
Emma sighed heavily and hung her head in her hands, "Fine," and proceeded to ignore her breakfast.
"Eat, Emma," Regina chastised her. Gently, she added, "Please."
Shaking her head, the blonde stood, pushed her chair in, and replied, "I've gotta get to work."
"What's with her?" Ruby asked Regina, once Emma had left the house.
"She's frustrated, Ruby. She wants to be close to you and still feels distant. She feels like you're still holding back."
"She said that?!"
"No."
"Then how the hell would you know that?"
"I know her. And so do you."
There was a long pause as Ruby stared down at her half-eaten meal and pondered what her lover had said.
"I think something's really wrong with her," the younger brunette finally stated, her voice sounding strained.
"I think she's depressed and confused, Ruby. I think she feels unimportant, because of the way we both left her. I made her think she was worthless without you, and that was very wrong. I shouldn't have abandoned her."
"Yeah, well, neither should I have, but I'm trying to make up for it, aren't I?"
"Maybe we should do a little more."
After another pause, Ruby conceded, "Maybe we should."
When Emma returned home from work that night, her lovers were both waiting for her at the door.
"Um… Hi," the blonde greeted them, caught slightly off guard by the way they were both posed and ready to welcome her home.
"Emma," Regina said slowly. "We've been thinking."
"Er… Okay…"
Slowly, Emma hung her coat on the rack beside the door, continuing to look at them both. Ruby was smiling softly, and when the sheriff turned to fully face them, she stepped forward and put her hand on her shoulder.
"We really messed up, Em. And we want to make it up to you. We know we can't fix what happened, and we can't take back what we did, but we hope we can help make it better and at least ease the pain a little bit. We know you're hurting, but we want to take care of you and make it stop."
The blonde simply stood there, staring at the two brunettes in front of her.
After a while, Regina offered, "Come upstairs, Emma."
Blinking a few times, Emma hesitated, so Ruby reached out and took her hand, gently pulling her in the direction of the staircase.
Soon, they were in the bedroom, with the door shut. Red rose petals covered the bed, and Emma's eyes went wide when she saw them.
"What… Why?" she asked, looking stunned.
"Because you're worth it, Em," Ruby told her, kissing her cheek. "And we love you."
When Emma paused, Regina told her, "We will both always, always love you."
It was hard for the sheriff to believe, after everything that had happened between them. She was waiting for the bottom to drop out from under her. Waiting for things to fall apart again. Even the argument at the breakfast table that morning had frightened her to the point where she was flooded with anxiety the entire day. By the time she got home, she was emotionally exhausted.
But hearing these words filled her with a sensation of warmth and comfort, even if they were difficult to accept. It was exactly what she wanted to hear. That she was loved. That she mattered to them. That she was a valuable part of their relationship. That she wasn't disposable.
Still, she said nothing, not knowing how to respond and feeling overwhelmed by what they had said. Realizing this, both Regina and Ruby stepped forward and began to slowly undress her, Regina carefully unbuttoning her uniform blouse and Ruby working on the button and zipper of her pants. The dance was slow and steady, not rushed like it usually was between them. The passion was in their eyes, but not in their touch. They wanted to take things slowly, so as not to overstimulate or push her into something she wasn't ready for or comfortable with.
When Emma's breath hitched, Regina whispered, "We can stop whenever you want. Just say the word."
Regina and Ruby both paused, checking for their lover's reaction. At first, Emma hesitated, so they both stepped back, and when she shook her head, they waited.
"No," the blonde told them. "It's okay." Another pause, and then, "You don't have to stop."
Once they'd undressed Emma completely, the brunettes smiled and slowly began to undress themselves as well, leaving their clothes in a pile on the floor (even though Regina hated that). Then, the older brunettes took out the item that they knew drove Emma crazy and fastened it around Regina's hips. To Emma's surprise, Ruby pulled another strap-on from the nightstand and put it on herself.
"Come here, baby," Regina said softly, beckoning the sheriff forward as she stepped back and sat down next to Ruby on the bed.
Emma stepped forward, heart racing. It had been so long since they'd made love that she felt strange and out of place. It was unfamiliar, but at the same time, it felt so comfortable, so right, that she didn't refuse it.
Regina scooted backwards until she was leaning back and supporting herself with her hands behind her.
"It's okay, honey," Ruby told the blonde. "Let Regina make you feel good."
Cautiously, Regina took Emma's hands and pulled her forward until the blonde was kneeling over her. After meeting Emma's gaze and offering a sweet smile, the brunette slid her hands over Emma's thighs.
When she felt the woman's legs shake, ever so slightly, beneath her touch, she asked, "You ready, sweetheart?"
Emma blushed and nodded slowly, so Regina reached between the blonde's legs and stroked her between her folds, gathering the woman's wetness on her fingers.
Seeing this, Ruby's heart began to race, especially when she noticed the way Regina's fingers were glistening when she pulled them away. Then, Ruby and Emma both experienced a heart-stopping moment of arousal when Regina put her own fingers into her mouth and sucked off the slick coating.
"Fuck," Ruby breathed, as the woman slowly and seductively pulled her fingers back out of her mouth. "Regina, that's…"
"Help her, Ruby," Regina interrupted, her voice soft as she continued to stare into Emma's eyes. "She's very wet."
"I can see that," Ruby commented, moving so that she was kneeling over Regina as well, just behind Emma, with her breasts pressed against the woman's back and the shaft of her strap-on pressed against Emma's ass as her hands gripped her hips.
"You ready, Em?" Ruby asked, lightly rubbing her thumbs over her hip bones.
Emma nodded again, her whole body shaking now, and tried to relax her muscles as Ruby gently pushed her forward and Regina put her hands on top of Ruby's and pulled carefully.
"That's it, baby," Regina told her. "Just like that. Relax for me."
Ruby helped her ease down onto the shaft of the strap-on, and although Emma was trying her hardest to do as they told her and relax, her whole body tensed when she felt the length of the toy filling her to the brim. Letting out a soft, high-pitched moan, Emma's shut her eyes.
At first, Regina let the feeling of fullness sink in and savored the look of pleasure on her lover's face. Once she knew the woman was ready, she slid her hands over Emma's thighs again and slowly lifted her hips. When Ruby felt this, she moved her hips forward slowly, pushing Emma's forward too, causing her to rock into Regina's gentle rhythm.
"Nnnng," Emma moaned, as she felt the movements swell inside her. Then, she managed to squeak out a quiet, "Please."
"Yes, princess," Regina whispered. "Anything you want."
When the blonde began to move her hips forward on her own, Ruby stroked her hair away from her neck, kissed her there, and praised her, "Good girl."
Of course, the warm stimulation of Ruby's lips on her neck made her whole body shiver, but when Ruby's hands slid over her breasts and twisted her nipples, just enough to sting, Emma felt herself jerk forward, her hips lifting slightly.
This was Regina's cue to increase the speed and pressure of her gentle thrusts. They weren't hard or forceful, but they were enough to work her lover into a frenzy. Ruby felt her own arousal pooling between her legs as Emma's body continued to shake as she kept playing with her nipples and squeezing her breasts.
"That's it, baby. Gina's got you," the younger brunette told her lover. "Keep going."
When Emma's moans became more frantic, Ruby looked over her shoulder at Regina and said her name gently. With a nod, Regina slowly began to lift Emma's hips, and Ruby joined in by easing the woman off of the toy, earning a whimper of protest.
"Shh," Regina hushed her. "Ruby wants to make you feel good too. Tell us how you want it, baby."
Hesitating, Emma replied, still breathless, "On my back."
With a smile, Ruby nodded her head and helped her ease back onto the bed with her head resting on the pillows. Regina stroked the blonde's hair back and kissed her forehead as Ruby positioned herself between Emma's legs.
"I want to make love to you," Ruby whispered in her ear, rubbing the shaft of the toy against her clit.
Emma whimpered.
"I wanna make you cum, babe."
"Do you want that, honey?" Regina asked seductively, rubbing her thumb over one of Emma's nipples, causing her to arch her back. "Do you want Rubes to make you cum?"
Nodding vigorously, Emma tugged at Ruby's hips to pull her closer, then moaned as the pressure of the toy against her clit increased.
"As you wish," Ruby told her, pulling away just enough to line up the head of the strap-on with her entrance. "I'm gonna make you cum for me, baby, and Gina's gonna make you feel good, too. You like when she plays with your nipples, huh, babe?"
Nodding again, the blonde lifted her hips as the shaft of the toy slipped into her pulsing core and Ruby began to thrust slowly with gentle movements.
"I love you," Ruby whispered, gripping Emma's hips tightly as she rocked herself into Emma's core.
"As do I," Regina told her, pinching one of her nipples gently.
"I love you," Emma moaned desperately. "I love you both so much. Please. Please, don't stop. I need you."
Ruby's breaths grew labored as she worked up a sweat, thrusting into Emma's core a little harder, until she felt the woman's body shaking hard. The blonde's thighs clenched around Ruby's hips, and her legs hooked behind the brunettes as she lifted her hips to meet Ruby's strong, rhythmic movements. Sweat soaked her brow and dripped from her temples, and Regina stroked it away with one hand while continuing to stimulate her breasts with the other.
Soon, Emma's moans grew much louder and became far more frantic, and the movements of her hips became erratic.
"You gonna cum, baby?" Regina cooed with a smile. When Emma replied, "Mmmm," Regina added, "Open your eyes while you cum. Look at us. Look how much we want you."
When Emma opened her eyes, her lovers were looking down at her with passion and love in her eyes, and it pushed her over the edge.
"Wanna watch you cum," Ruby told her breathlessly. "Let me make you cum. Cum for me, Em."
"Oh, God!" Emma groaned, then let out a sharp scream that made both of her lovers shiver. "Fuck!"
Pinching the blonde's nipples harder, Regina said, "You're so fucking sexy when you cum. You look so fucking hot."
"So hot," Ruby echoed, still moving fast inside of Emma. "Fuck."
"God. Fuck. God! Ahh! Ruby!"
"That's it, baby. Ride it out."
It lasted longer than either of her lovers expected, and Ruby didn't stop moving until she was sure it was over.
"Oh, my God," Emma breathed, when he walls finally stopped clenching around the shaft of the toy. "Oh, my God."
"What is it, babe?" Regina asked, stroking her hair back out of her face.
Ruby joined in with, "You okay?"
"So good," Emma sighed, shutting her eyes. "I love you."
Her lovers lay down on either side of her, and after a few quiet moments, Emma sat up and turned around so that she was kneeling and facing them. They looked up at her, wearing satisfied smiles, and she slowly moved a hand between each of their legs, stroking their clits.
"Wait," Ruby gasped, pushing Emma's hand away carefully.
Regina did the same.
"Tonight is for you," the older brunette explained. "Just for you."
Emma began to protest, but Regina quickly sat up and silenced her with a kiss.
"Hush now, love. Come to bed."
Once again, they fell asleep in each other's arms, content to have each other. For the first time since their breakup, Emma truly, deeply felt wanted and loved. Healed, even. The wounds would take time to close completely, but this was a start.