Emma lay in the warm sun, the breeze cool off the water, but she wore her bikini as she laid on the blanket, propped up on her elbows as she watched Regina and Henry race each other down to the water, both of them squealing as they ran in as far as they could stand before running back up onto the beach.
She watched with appreciative eyes as Regina dared Henry to run back into the water with her, to go further than they had before. She wore the same classy black bikini as before, perfectly fitting on her body, covering her up as modestly as a bikini could and yet Emma found it to be the sexiest thing she'd ever seen and as she peered over the tops of her sunglasses, Ruby poked her arm as she sat down next to her on the blanket.
"You're drooling, Em."
"I am not!"
"Can't say I can't blame you though," Ruby chuckled lewdly and it earned her a warning glare from Emma before she focused her attention back on Regina again. "You know how lucky you are, don't you?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm not even gay and yet I can totally appreciate how good she looks in that bikini. How can she look so classy and so fucking sexy at the same time?"
"Because she's Regina," Emma replied softly, smiling as Regina ran further into the water than Henry, who was still standing on the beach laughing as Regina turned to mock glare at him for tricking her that time. "I didn't think they'd get along like this."
"No, me neither."
"Henry adores her," she continued, watching as Regina stalked towards Henry and chased him over the beach, flicking the cool ocean water at him as she gained speed quickly. "I'm still not sure how she feels about him, you know? I mean, I don't expect her to love my son so quickly because he's a part of me. I mean, she felt guilty being around him before, Rubes. What if she still feels that way?"
"Does it look like it?" Ruby mused and Emma shook her head no as they watched Regina wrap an arm around Henry's shoulders and playfully ruffle his hair. "Not that it matters or anything, but it's kind of funny how much they look alike, isn't it?"
Emma ignored her comment, having thought that herself especially over the last few weeks when it became more of a regular thing for them to all spend time together. She wasn't sure where Henry got his dark locks from, maybe they came from Neal's side or one of her birth parents' had dark brown hair. It wasn't something she often thought about because Henry was her son and that was all that mattered in the end.
She thought back to what Regina had told her, about why Henry made her feel so guilty and it tore at her heart because if she had been there for all of Henry's life, there would be no mistake that they were a family, one perfectly happy little family. Anyone who would look at them would've clearly seen it and it was thoughts like those too that Emma had been so careful not to let herself run away with.
"Ruby, come on!" Henry called out as Regina stared to walk back over to the blanket, her chest heaving as she ran her fingers through her damp hair. "Race me?"
"Don't fall for it, it's a trick," Regina chuckled as she grabbed a folded towel on top of the blanket Emma and Ruby were laying on to dry herself off. "Perhaps you can get him back for me, Ruby? Give him a taste of his own medicine?"
"Oh I'll give him a taste of his own medicine and then some, trust me on that," Ruby chuckled as she pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail and took off towards where Henry was standing on the practically deserted beach with his tongue sticking out.
"Having fun, Regina?" Emma grinned as she watched Regina drop her towel and sit on the blanket next to her.
"Yes, I am actually. I just needed a break."
"I think you just wanted to spend some time alone with me."
"That as well, darling."
Emma glanced over the virtually deserted beach and aside from two teenagers fishing off the docks a few hundred feet away, there was no one else around and they practically had the small beach to themselves. She used the opportunity to catch Regina by surprise and kissed her on the cheek before reaching out to grab her chin gently and turn her face so she could kiss her fully on her parted lips.
"Emma what are you—"
She shook her head, kissing her once more, unable to resist herself despite they were in public yet the only ones there on the beach that day. She could feel Regina resisting, her lips unmoving and she let her chin go, frowning as Regina looked down at her disapprovingly.
"Emma, you know we can't—"
"Nobody else is around," Emma whispered and she frowned when Regina barely moved beside her, her brown eyes darting around the empty beach worryingly. An idea popped into her head but she wasn't sure if Regina would go for it. She moved to pull the big beach umbrella out from the ground and positioned it so they were both well hidden behind it. "Can I kiss you now?"
"Emma…"
"Look, I know it's stupid and probably really obvious what we're doing behind this umbrella and everything, but I haven't kissed you since last night," Emma said with a pout. She knew the pout always worked. The pout was dangerous and it was a weak spot for Regina.
Regina caved moments later, smiling lovingly at her as she leaned in and kissed her softly, her lips lingering for a moment before giving in completely. The kiss, however, didn't last long as a gust of wind swept the umbrella away and they burst into a fit of giggles as Henry stood just two feet away, mock gagging and rolling his eyes, unable to hide his own smile at his mother's happiness.
Emma couldn't help but smile either. It was moments like this that made everything in her life better and it was moments like this with Regina that she would forever cherish because that's what it was all about in life, the little moments.
Regina watched in delight as Henry grabbed on to Emma's hand, leading her through the entrance of the fairgrounds, pointing out at all the rides and all the games and concession stands. He looked delightfully overwhelmed as Emma did.
They had all piled into the yellow Bug after Regina met them at the Diner just before lunch. The fairgrounds were on a farm, twenty minutes out of town and after Regina explained how it only came once a year, she knew it didn't surprise any of them that the place was packed and they ended up parking almost a mile away from the entrance. Regina had wanted to hold on to Emma's hand as they walked along the road to where the entrance was. She wanted to hold her hand and kiss her as her eyes lit up in delight at the sights and sounds of the rural fairground that was far different than anything she'd ever seen before in her life.
Yet, the entire town seemed to be there and Regina feared people with lingering, curious eyes would be looking out for any signs of affection between the two. It had been hard over the summer to keep their hands to themselves, to keep those small lingering gazes from lingering too long, to keep their conversations light and the flirting almost always got out of hand before one of them stopped the other or Henry or Ruby would cast them a look that told them they were acting like a pair of teenagers in love.
It hadn't been easy, but beyond closed doors or at the stables or the cottage, they were free to be themselves completely and they had fully taken advantage of it every single time. Regina didn't want to think about how much she'd miss that, all of it, even moments like this where all she wanted to do was reached out and slip her hand into Emma's and never let go.
"Come on, Mom, let's go buy ride tickets and ride all the rides!" Henry laughed and he stopped and reached for Regina's hand, smiling up at her. "Will you come on the rides with us, Regina?"
"Of course I will," she said, smiling down at him for a second before her eyes met Emma's and she saw the same childlike excitement in her eyes that mirrored her son's.
Regina was thoroughly amused and took great delight in their excitement, especially in Emma's because the smile on her face as she looked back at her was breathtaking, so much that Regina felt her heart skip a beat and fill up completely with nothing but love and adoration for the woman of her dreams.
For hours she followed the trio, mostly led by Henry, sometimes Ruby, sometimes Emma. It was such a happy day watching the three of them fully enjoying themselves, riding as many rides as they could ride, playing as many games as they could and the only thing any of them one was a tiny stuffed wolf that Henry gave to Ruby. After Emma convinced Regina to come on the ferris wheel with her, she gave in and sat with her reluctantly, not willing to admit she was afraid something would happen if they got stuck at the top.
Of course when the ride stopped at the top after two rotations, Regina immediately grabbed on to Emma's hand tightly, her heart leaping into her chest and Emma was laughing—laughing!—at her as she leaned into her side. And then they were kissing and Regina forgot just for a moment where they were, Emma calming her down instantly with a simple, sweet, loving kiss.
"Is it over yet?" Regina asked, her eyes still closed as Emma held her hand just as tight back. "Emma?"
"Relax," Emma whispered into her ear. "Open your eyes."
"No."
Emma's lips were on hers again and she opened her eyes as the ride began moving again. She kissed Emma quickly, wanting the ride to be over but also wanting to spend a few more minutes stuck at the top of the ferris wheel and kissing the love of her life.
As soon as they were on solid ground, it took Regina a moment to realize she was still holding on to Emma's hand tightly, yet she didn't make a move to let go, not as Henry bounced over to them and pulled at their joined hands, chattering excitedly about the four of them sharing a blooming onion before going on all the rides again.
After indulging in some deep fried foods, most of which Regina barely touched, they called it a day and walked the mile back to the yellow Bug, Ruby and Henry climbing in the back while Regina sat in the front next to Emma. Emma reached over, smiling as they intertwined their fingers and she drove them to the Diner, both of them listening to the excited chatter in the backseat unfolding between Ruby and Henry.
Over an hour later, they were in Regina's car, driving to her house, ready to spend a quiet night together before spending the entire next day just the two of them. Regina was both looking forward to it and dreading it because she could already feel how bittersweet it would be between them. It would be different than last weekend where they had spent hours making love, never rushing, just feeling one another, losing themselves in one another, fingers and lips mapping out each other's body, memorizing not just in their minds but also in their hearts.
"Hey," Emma said gently as Regina unlocked her front door and they didn't touch one another until they were inside. "I know that tonight and tomorrow is supposed to be about us, but I'm exhausted, Regina."
"I know, darling, I as well."
"Can we just…go to sleep now?"
Regina tried not to let the disappointment show and instead she nodded her head, smiling as she took Emma's hand in her and led her upstairs to her bedroom. Regina watched as Emma stripped out of her clothes and crawled into her bed, watching with tired, heavy-lidded eyes as Regina took her time undressing at the foot of the bed, hoping it would have it's desired effect on the gorgeous blonde in her bed.
With a slight frown when she realized that Emma was struggling to stay away, she turned off the lights and crawled under the soft sheets next to her, instantly finding herself wrapped up in warm, strong arms. As they shared a small kiss goodnight, Regina felt Emma mouth 'tomorrow' against her lips and she closed her eyes, smiling as she succumbed to the pull of sleep.
She had lost count of the hours as her body moved with Regina's, her lips kiss swollen and still aching for more. Regina scratched down her back with her short, manicured nails as Emma thrust against her harder, that delicious ache between her legs intensifying by every passing second.
"Regina," she whispered, just to say her name, just to feel her name rolling past her lips because it felt and tasted so good she couldn't get enough of it. Enough of her.
They had barely left the room since they woke up that morning, neither of them able to stop for very long. Emma didn't want this day to be over, she didn't want this week to be over and she definitely didn't want this summer to be over. It felt too soon, it felt like the week had gone by far too quick and she had to fight her tears every time the thought rolled across her mind.
"Emma, don't stop," Regina groaned, her nails digging into the tender flesh of her shoulders as she thrust harder, a host of new sensations rippling between both of them as Emma thrust the rubber cock harder and deeper inside of Regina. "Emma, fuck!"
Emma clenched her eyes shut tightly, the leather straps of the strap-on digging into her upper thighs as she increased the pace of her thrusts, unable to get enough of the strangled cries and moans that escaped past Regina's lips.
They hadn't planned on it getting this far, to trying something new on their last day together for god knows how long, but when Regina had tentatively mentioned it, it'd made Emma curious and after some pleading and making Regina come undone several times with her lips and tongue, she swayed Regina into bringing out something she had purchased recently and had been too afraid to bring it up with her.
Emma didn't give it much of a second thought and after they burst out into a fit of giggles trying and failing to fit the device on to Emma, the mood had suddenly shifted as Emma knelt on the middle of the dishevelled bed and watched as Regina licked over her lips and ducked her head down, taking the rubber phallus between her lips and sucked on it, pulling at it and causing the piece inside Emma to shift. She had to keep her libido in check in that moment, wanting nothing more than to flip Regina on her back and fuck her senseless.
It had been so slow at first, it being their first time and they were quiet as Emma slid it into her slowly for the first time and found herself being pulled down for a wild, wanton kiss that had her pumping her hips down into Regina's and they didn't hold back, not after Regina gripped on to her ass and demanded that she fuck her hard and fast.
She not only lost count of the hours they'd been making love and fucking, she lost count of how many times she'd made Regina cum screaming her name with the little addition between them and in both of them in more ways than one. She stilled her hips as Regina's orgasm pulsated through her body, their lips meeting in a lazy, wet kiss, lips smiling as Emma slowly pulled the rubber cock out from inside of her and panted as she laid to Regina's side, her whole body on edge and ready for release she had been close to but hadn't quite reached that plateau that time around.
"I can barely feel my toes," Regina murmured with a smile as she idly traced her fingertips over Emma's clammy skin, her fingers teasing over hard nipples as their eyes bore into each other's in a heady, lustful gaze. "Oh."
"Hmm?"
"Take it off," Regina said as she reached for the straps, tugging at them, trying to get them undone. When she pulled it free and tossed it aside, the hungry look in her eyes had a wave of arousal pouring through Emma's body. "Grab on to the headboard," Regina demanded, her voice heavy and thick with desire.
Emma didn't have to be told twice, her body moving swiftly up the bed, her knees on either side of Regina's face as she gripped tight on to the headboard, so tight her knuckles went white before Regina's tongue even dipped out for a taste. Emma threw her head back as Regina wrapped her arms around her thighs and pulled her down on to her face.
"Fuck!" Emma cried out, her whole body nearly exploding at Regina's insisted, hot, wet tongue against her core, fucking her hole into abandon until she clenched her eyes so tightly all she could see were stars. "Oh god, Regina…I-I can't…god, your fucking mouth…!"
Regina purred, sending a shockwave of pleasure straight through her core and she gripped tighter on to the headboard, her legs feeling weak as she felt herself come undone as she rode Regina's face. She didn't—couldn't—open her eyes until she felt the soft touch of Regina's fingers over her wrists, encouraging her to let go while moving her to lay next to her on the bed.
"I can never, ever get enough of you, my love," Regina whispered, pulling her in for a deep, languid kiss.
"Nor can I."
They laid there, holding on to one another, watching one another as the warm, late afternoon sun shone in through the windows, bathing them in its golden light as their eyes grew heavy, both fighting the physical and mental exhaustion the day had brought for both of them.
When Emma woke an hour later, she laid there just watching Regina as she slept peacefully in her arms. They had never made love to the point where it had escalated for hours on an end and the ache between her legs and the many little love bites Regina had left behind on her body reminded her of just how amazing it had been.
"Mmm, Emma, don't go," Regina murmured sleepily as Emma shifted and slipped out of her arms, sitting up with her back to Regina as she shakily ran her fingers through her hair. "Emma?"
"It's almost six," she said quietly, not turning to look at her lover behind her. "I—I have to go. I have to pack."
"Emma, don't go."
"I have to," she sighed heavily, standing up on shaky legs as she plucked her clothes off the bedroom floor where she had left them the night before. She could barely bring herself to look over at Regina laying in bed, watching her as she dressed herself and when she did, the look in Regina's eyes nearly broke her head. "I'm sorry, Regina. I really do have to pack. There's just…so much to do before we leave in the morning."
"Can I have one last kiss before you go?"
Emma smiled and nodded as she knelt on the bed beside Regina and leaned down to kiss her. The kiss itself was rather chaste compared to all the others they had shared, but Emma knew that Regina could feel the love pouring through it still.
"I love you," Emma whispered as she opened the bedroom door.
"I love you."
It wasn't until Emma was outside that she realized her Bug was still at the cottage. With a bitter laugh escaping past her lips, she called Ruby and asked her to come pick her up at the Diner, not saying another word to her before she hung up her phone and turned it off. She was a mess by the time Ruby pulled up in her red sports car and she never said a word, just cried quietly as Ruby drove them back to the cottage.
She wasn't ready to leave Regina behind. She wasn't ready for this to be over even though she knew that it wasn't going to be completely over, their summer of rekindled love was coming to an end, far faster than she had wanted it to…
She just wasn't ready to go home yet because Regina felt like home. Because Regina was it for her and she would never feel so safe, so loved, unless she was there.
With her.
Regina pulled her car to a stop away from Emma's yellow Bug and Ruby's flashy red sports car early Friday morning. While the blonde was nowhere to be seen, Ruby was carrying a box of things out to her car and waved at Regina as she just sat there, her hands gripping tight onto the steering wheel.
The entire summer had been amazing, every moment feeling like it was a dream. But it had been real. All of it and Regina wouldn't have traded a single moment for anything else in the world, not even to have another week with Emma, another month, even. The last week had felt so bittersweet, but they had made the most of their time left in Storybrooke together and it was worth it because Regina could feel the happiness that Emma had felt and not just with Emma, but Henry as well. It truly made her feel like she was a part of their family and that made this morning far harder than it needed to be.
From the ride through the trails and the picnic they had at the beginning of the week, to the day they spent on the beach, acting like a perfect little happy family, to the day at the fair which she had watched in amusement as Emma, Ruby and Henry practically ran to each ride like a handful of children, giggling and laughing and thoroughly enjoying themselves. Emma had come home with her after they all had dinner at the Diner together despite filling up on fairground food and cotton candy all afternoon. They were exhausted from the long day at the fair, both falling asleep far too early for Regina's liking, but they had fallen asleep in each others arms and she couldn't ask for anything more than just that.
Yesterday had felt almost bittersweet, much like it had the previous weekend when they had spent hours in her bed. But Emma hadn't stayed the night, apologizing for leaving her because she still had to pack up the rest of their things. Regina had never felt so alone, so empty as she struggled to fall asleep last night and she was up, bright and early, showered and dressed and out the door and into her car well before seven o'clock. And there she was now, still sitting in her car and fighting wave after wave of emotion she was going through.
"Hey, Regina," Henry smiled as he walked over to the driver's side of her car. "Are you going to get out?"
"Yes, Henry, I just need a moment…"
"Mom is inside," he said quietly and he bit his bottom lip in the worrisome way that Emma did at times. "She's kind of upset."
"Upset?" Regina asked, quickly undoing her seatbelt and climbing out of the car.
"She's not crying or anything, but she broke a few glasses she was packing up in the kitchen. On purpose, I think."
"Hey, kid, come help me grab the rest of your stuff from the bedroom, yeah?" Ruby called out and Henry nodded running off with Regina following close behind.
She entered the cottage with a bit of hesitation. Gone were most of the items she'd grown accustomed to seeing in the living room, personal items of Emma's, Henry's comics and video games and Ruby's magazines were gone off the coffee table as well. She made her way to the kitchen, flinching as she heard the tell-tale sound of glass breaking. She stepped inside and was greeted by the sight of Emma standing in the middle of the kitchen, broken glass at her feet and her fists clenched at her side as a half-filled box of glasses wrapped in newspaper sat on top of the kitchen table.
Regina stepped carefully over the glass, it crunching under her heels. She wrapped her arms around Emma and felt her body jerk and shudder as she started to cry and Emma clung to her, her body feeling heavy against Regina's own as they just held on to one another.
"Hey," Regina smoothed against Emma's back as Emma swallowed thickly, her face buried into her neck as she refused to let go. "Do you need a hand, darling?"
"It just slipped," Emma murmured against her skin and hair. "I didn't mean to let it drop and then the next one just…"
Regina managed to move back from Emma just enough to cup her face with both hands and she smiled at her, peppering kissing over her trembling lips before Emma let go of her. "It's all right, I'll help you clean up the mess. Do you have a broom anywhere?"
"Yeah," Emma nodded, pointing to the broom and dustpan that were propped up near the back door. "I-I thought you weren't coming over until later? Until we were leaving?"
"I thought I'd come early, spend a little bit of time with you before you leave."
Regina busied herself with the broom and dustpan, sweeping up the broken glass and dumping it in the garbage bad that lay open by the other side of the kitchen table. Her hands were shaking as she swept the floor once more to make sure she'd gotten every shard of glass and she felt warm hands slip over her hips and a warm, strong body pressed up against her back.
She turned in Emma's arms, her own tears brimming in her eyes as she leaned in to kiss the beautiful and breathtaking woman in front of her. She thought she could let her go, to hold back the tears until she was gone so Emma wouldn't have to see her cry, but it was just too much and this was really happening. It felt like she was about to just let Emma get away from her.
This isn't goodbye forever, this is goodbye for now.
The words she'd used to convince herself earlier weren't working anymore. Her heart clinched in her chest as she lost herself in the feel of Emma's insistent lips and tongue against her own. She nearly stopped when she heard Henry's voice, but Emma held on to her tighter and she groaned quietly into her mouth, her fingers sliding through golden curls as she pulled Emma impossibly closer.
"You should probably go say goodbye to Henry and Ruby. They're leaving soon and I'm just…going to finish up in here," Emma whispered against her lips, both of them trembling in each other's arms before Regina stepped out of Emma's warm embrace and wiped away at her own tears that had fallen. "I'll just…finish up. Go, Regina. Go say goodbye."
"Emma…" Regina trailed off, suddenly finding it far too overwhelming to face the woman she loved so deeply in that moment. She turned on her heels and made her way outside where Ruby and Henry were standing by the idling sports car. "Hey," Regina smiled down at Henry and she suddenly felt his arms wrap around her in a tight hug.
"I'm going to miss you, Regina," Henry whispered. "But I'll see you again soon, won't I?"
"Of course, dear," Regina smiled down at him and she ruffled his shaggy hair before he let go of her and climbed into the car without another word. "Ruby," Regina smiled easily at Emma's best friend, a woman who was more like a sister to her than anything else. "I need you to promise me you'll take care of her when I cannot."
"I will," Ruby nodded. "It's going to be…rough at first for her, but she's strong, Regina. She's the strongest woman I've ever known. Leaving you is…"
"I know," Regina said quietly and her eyes went wide in surprise as Ruby hugged her, the hug itself short and she found herself being kissed lightly on the cheek before Ruby dashed around to the drivers side of the car. "Goodbye," she whispered, waving to Henry as he stuck his arm out the open window, smiling at her as Ruby backed up the car and drove away down the gravel driveway.
Regina placed a hand over her stomach, suddenly feeling nauseated as she knew this was really happening, that this was her last few moments with Emma for who knew how long. A week or two at most, still far too long after spending weeks upon weeks together. She turned when she heard the front door of the cottage open and Emma walked out carrying the box of glasses she had been packing before. She put them in the trunk and piled a few other smaller boxes in the back that had been sitting on the ground by the car. She slammed the trunk shut loudly and Regina felt herself rooted to the spot, watching as she walked back to the cottage and pulled the door shut and locked it. Emma sighed heavily, her shoulders sagging before she turned around and walked over to where Regina stood just a few feet from her yellow Bug.
"Regina…"
"Emma," she pleaded with her eyes as they both moved to wrap their arms around one another. "Stay, please."
"I can't. You know I can't."
"Please, darling, stay here with me," Regina pleaded, her tears flowing freely as she held on to Emma with everything that she had. "Please don't go."
"I have to."
"I can't bear the thought of not being able to see you every day—"
"Regina…please," Emma sobbed as she clutched at the back of Regina's shirt, her fists balling up the material in tight, clenched fists. "Please don't make this any harder than it already is. We knew this day was coming and there's nothing that I-I can do to—"
"I'm begging you to stay," Regina said quietly, her voice hitching as her breath got caught in her chest. "Please?"
"I can't."
"Can't or won't?"
"Regina…" Emma shook her head as she tried to detach herself from Regina's tight hold and once she was free, she shook her head again and held up a hand to stop Regina from trying to grab on to her again. "I love you, Regina," Emma whispered and she fished out her keys from her pocket. "I'll call you when I-I'm home, just so you know I got home safe."
"Emma, please. Don't walk away from me!"
"I'm not walking away from you!" Emma yelled and her tears were flowing just as freely as Regina's were. "You knew this was going to happen and now you're begging me to stay even though you told me you understood why I can't! Why are you doing this? I can't do this, Regina, I can't make you feel like I'm leaving you for good. Why are you doing this? Why? You know what? I can't do this. I just…can't."
Regina grasped at her heart and the words, "because I love you," barely spilled past her lips as Emma climbed into her car, the engine roaring to life in seconds. "Because I love you," Regina said quietly to herself, watching as Emma drove away, leaving her standing there with tears streaking down her cheeks. "Because I love you so much…"