Hey guys, thanks for the awesome reviews! I'm updating this story more frequently right now because I have some Christmas scenes worked out, so I want to get to it in time for the holiday :) That being said, 'Another Sleeping Curse II: Torpid Wakening' is on the back burner for the moment, as not to compromise either story's quality. But don't worry; I'll go back to my usual update schedule after the holiday.
Hahah...KooshGID, I am, in fact, going for the slowest burning SQ award, if you'll nominate me ;)
This chapter has some flashbacks to when Emma and Kate met... I hope you enjoy chapter 25 :)
Regina woke the next morning to gentle sunlight streaming in through the window and a long forgotten weight of a certain body resting on top of her. She smiled as she opened her eyes to see a matted head of blonde curls. The excitement brewing inside her must have woken her lover, as she began hearing muffled groans.
"Mmm," Emma mumbled as she slowly lifted her head, her face only inches away from Regina's. "Morning."
Regina ruffled her hair, smiling wide and batting her eyes. "Good morning."
They lingered in the warmth of the position for awhile. Regina continued to scratch Emma's head, her eyes gleaming, thrilled to be touching her lover. Emma released a low hum, easily pleased by the stroking.
"We haven't done this in awhile, have we?" Emma asked.
Regina shook her head, still grinning. She bit her lower lip in a way that made her look like a lustful teenager.
"Breakfast?"
Emma nodded. "In a minute," she answered, with a devilish grin. Before Regina could question the expression, she found herself giggling wildly, as Emma sank down under the comforter, blowing raspberries on her stomach.
Regina had slipped on a robe and made her way down to the kitchen to start breakfast. She remembered doing this in the past—happily cooking for Emma. It was the easiest way to the blonde's heart and she was more than glad to do so. She sprinkled cinnamon on top of the coffee grounds with delight. Just as she turned the machine on, she felt strong arms wrap around her waist.
"Hmm," Emma said, having witnessed the coffee preparation, "I must've done something right—you only add the cinnamon in there when you're pleased with me."
Regina turned around, draping her arms around Emma's neck. "Many things, dear," she said before giving her a kiss. She then moved to the counter and began cracking eggs. Emma leaned her elbows on the surface as she watched her lover's every movement.
Only scraps of eggs and seeds from the English muffins remained on their plates. The last bits of coffee remained in the mugs, but the liquid had grown cold, as they had lingered for as long as they could. Neither wanted to get up, knowing that it meant Emma would be leaving for Boston.
But the departure was inevitable. Regina bunched her robe tightly as she stood on the porch in front of Emma. The cold air was making the warmth of their morning disappear.
"I don't want you to go," she finally said.
Emma chuckled. "Regina, you were the one who said—"
"I know," the brunette let out. "I'm going to miss you, that's all."
Emma stroked her brunette curls as she gave her a pouting smile. "Me too, babe," she said, "but it's only a month. And I don't know about you, but I'm already sitting my ass on that damn bench in my mind."
Regina smiled as the blonde kissed her forehead. "Go get your things from your parents' place and tell Henry I'll pick him up later."
"I'll see you soon," Emma said. Regina nodded. She watched as her lover walked down the path. In that moment, she cursed herself for suggesting that they should wait a damn month. She wanted nothing more than to call her back, tell her she was wrong, and that Emma should just stay forever. But instead, Regina went back inside to shower before picking up her—their son.
The first week back in Boston had been relatively easy for Emma. With Kate busy studying for finals, she had taken on more shifts at the station. She thought many times about how to break the news to Kate. Even though Regina had advised her not to, Emma's guilt was crushing her. She needed to tell her girlfriend that things had changed with Regina—after all, that had always been their agreement. But every time she tried, the punky girl was off to practice or headed out to study at some coffee shop.
"So," Neal said, as they sat at their favorite bar after a shift, "you gonna tell me what happened in Storybrooke?"
Emma sipped her beer. "If written, the tale would put Henry's book to shame," she joked.
Neal laughed and motioned his hand forward, urging her to spill the details. "How about a synopsis?"
She sighed. "To make the story short," she began, "we did a lot of back and forth flirting mixed with fighting. In-between all that, we managed to have some pretty decent conversations."
He nodded, baiting her to get to the good parts.
Emma suddenly burst into excitement. "Did you ever expect Regina to have read Richard Dawkins?!"
"Emma," he pleaded, "I don't care about all the dorky conversations—did you or didn't you—?"
She slapped him, making him chuckle. "Perv."
"Hey," he said, "I'm not interested like Hook would be—I just wanna know if you guys are…romantically involved…if it was a success?"
She raised an eyebrow at him. "After a lot of 'almosts' and 'maybes'," she said, "after the wedding, if you must know, we did make love. Yes."
Neal burst out laughing. "'Make love'?" he asked, calling her choice of phrase into question, "Emma Swan, I don't think I've ever heard you refer to sex as 'making love'!"
"Well, that's because I've never felt this incredible passion before!" she cried out in her own defense. "It was remarkable—it was beautiful."
He still chuckled, trying to catch his breath. "You are such a lesbian."
She shoved him back. "And you are such a jerk."
"Aw, come on, Ems," he pleaded. "I really am happy for you, you know that," he said with sincerity. "So, what about Kate?"
Emma took a deep sigh. "I have to tell her. I've been trying to since I got back," she said. "Regina and I are waiting a month—you know, to see if we still feel like we want to give it a shot. But honestly, the sooner I break things off, the better."
Neal agreed. "She'll be fine, right?" he asked. "I mean, she did know from the start where you stood."
Emma looked down, disappointed in herself. "I hope so, Neal."
About a year ago, Emma found herself back in Boston. She and Regina had broken up a few weeks prior, and Emma knew it would be a terrible Christmas. Regina had asked her not to come for the holiday, saying the wounds were too fresh. Instead, she promised her that she could take Henry for New Years'. Emma hated the holidays anyway—too many bad memories of disappointment and loneliness. Instead, she took on extra shifts at the station that Neal had set her up with.
On one particular night, she was patrolling near the university. Students were out, celebrating the end of finals and partying for the last time before returning home. Emma grumbled to herself when she'd spotted a bunch of stumbling kids. She watched them for a bit as they moseyed up the block. She hoped they'd just go back to their dorms or apartments and sleep it off. But when she saw one of them pick up a rock and throw it through a car window, she shook her head. Dealing with drunks was not her favorite—especially drunken kids.
"I hate my life," she said to herself as she slowly approached the group. "Excuse me," she said louder, making them turn around, "you guys mind telling me where you're headed?"
A kid with a fairly stealthy Mohawk turned around with a snide look on his face. "What's it to you?"
Emma laughed. "Oh, nothing," she said, opening her jacket to reveal her badge. "I just happen to be a cop."
"We weren't doin' anything wronggg," another slurred out.
"Yeah—dunno if that car would agree," Emma said, pointing to him as he almost tripped. "Have you all been drinking tonight?"
They all pretended not to hear her, so she asked again. They remained unresponsive. "Listen guys," she said, trying to reason with them, "we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Now, I want to see some I.D.s, please."
It was then that the girl with the short, dark hair came forward. Emma looked her in the eye, taking notice of her nose ring and eyebrow piercing. Emma breathed in, looking for a scent of alcohol—but this girl smelled clean and walked with normal grace—she was sober.
"Listen," the girl said, looking at Emma's name tag, "Officer Swan, they're just blowing off steam from finals. I promise we'll be heading home now."
She was sweet. She reminded Emma of a girl who would often watch out for her, back in her delinquent years. When she looked over at the drunken idiot who'd smashed the window, she saw many similarities to her younger self.
"I get that you're trying to look out for your buddies," Emma said. "Had they only been drunk, I would have let it slide. Really, I didn't want to deal with this tonight." She pointed to the broken window. "But he just messed this car up—I have to take them in."
Emma moved to get her handcuffs from her back pocket, but the girl stopped her. She was surprised to find the girl gripping her leather jacket.
"Please," she begged. The girl batted her eyes and made it clear she was trying to get Emma's attention. "You seem like—," she said, tracing her finger down to the opening of Emma's Henley, "—a very, very, understanding…woman."
Emma couldn't help but laugh as sex dripped from the young girl's tongue in a bold attempt at seduction. "Really?" Emma asked. "Trying to bribe me?" She shook her head and moved to cuff the girl's friend. "Nice try, but not gonna work on this cop."
The completely sober girl flew to Emma's arm. "Why? I don't see any wedding ring?"
Emma chuckled once again as she rounded up the others. "What makes you sure I'm even gay?"
The girl put a hand on her hip and flashed Emma a look. "Really?" she said in the same way Emma had responded to her flirtation.
Emma shrugged as she pushed the kids toward her cruiser. "You're free to go, miss," she said to the young girl. "You can see your friends tomorrow."
"No!" she cried, running toward Emma. "Take me, too!"
Emma turned to her and stared. She studied her dark, brown eyes. She smiled softly, as they reminded her of Regina's. She looked at the girl's expression and grew amused. At this point, she wasn't certain anymore whether this was about saving her friends or flirting with her.
"You're not drunk," Emma said.
"How do you know?!" the girl cried out, feigning an intoxicated slouch. "You didn't give me a breathalyzer!"
"Go home," Emma pleaded.
"Make me!"
Emma shook her head and continued to walk the others down the block to the car. The girl continued rambling, arguing that Emma could arrest her for disturbance of the peace, interfering with an arrest, among a number of things.
"What, are you in law school or something?" Emma shot back as she turned her head, noticing the girl's perfectly adjusted walk. When the girl saw Emma was looking, she exaggerated her gait and pretended to trip.
"Pre-med actually," she answered.
After Emma put the others in the back seat of the cruiser, Emma turned to the girl. The young brunette crossed her arms and huffed, much like a certain mayor had done many times. Emma simply opened the front door on the passenger side. She gestured for her to go. "If you insist," she said, allowing the girl to sit. After shutting the door, Emma grumbled to herself—'this is going to be a long night'.
After drinks with Neal, Emma began walking back to her apartment. The air was brisk, but it felt refreshing on her flushed cheeks. She fumbled in her pocket, upon hearing her phone ring. Pulling it out, she read the name and smiled.
"So I take it this one month thing doesn't exclude phone calls," Emma said, immediately after opening.
"Cute," she heard Regina's voice and her heart fluttered. "I'm actually calling regarding a parental request."
"Oh?" Emma asked. "What's up? Is Henry okay?"
"He's fine, dear. It's just that I'm supposed to get a Christmas tree with him this weekend, per our tradition. But I have an out of town appointment—"
Emma switched the phone to rest against her other ear as she continued listening.
"I would get it next week, but all the best trees will be gone by then. Are you around this weekend to take him?"
"Sure," Emma said, "I could even hang around Sunday and we could—decorate—when you get home."
Regina didn't have to see Emma's smug grin to know what she meant. "There will be none of that, Ms. Swan," she teased. "And before you go on pouting that bottom lip of yours, much like our son does, I'm saying no not because I don't want to—'decorate' with you. We said a month and I'm keeping my word."
There was a long pause on the phone. Emma was, indeed pouting a bit. That was, until Regina's husky voice came through again.
"I am thinking of you, though—every day."
Emma beamed with delight. "Me too, Regina," she said softly. "I'll be in Storybrooke Friday afternoon."
"I'll see you then."
When Emma pulled the phone away, seeing Regina had ended the call, she instantly flipped to her calendar. "Twenty five days," she said to herself.
Emma opened the apartment door to be greeted by a panting puppy. She ruffled his fur and gave him a pat before he turned to pick up something with his mouth. When Blue came back, he promptly dropped a bitten apple on her boot.
"Blue Boy," she said, in-between laughs, "you gotta stop doing that."
"Yeah," called a voice from the other room, "what is his deal with apples?"
Emma gulped in surprise, as Kate walked out from the kitchen. She figured she'd be busy at the library studying—not here at the apartment.
"Dunno," Emma shrugged, as she went to leash up her puppy.
"I already walked him when I got home," Kate said, stopping Emma from clasping the leash. "That was about a half hour ago, so he should be good until his bedtime walk."
"Thanks," Emma said, while her girlfriend kissed her.
Emma took off her jacket and tossed it on the couch. She had gone through the anticipated dialogue a million times in her head, but for some reason, she was frozen. Where to start, she wasn't sure. But she knew it had to be done.
"Kate," she said slowly, "there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about—"
"Oh good, me too!" Kate answered, cutting her off.
Emma, believing Kate wouldn't feel like sharing her news after hearing Emma wanted to break up with her, rescinded.
"Why don't you go first?"
"Well," Kate said as they walked into the kitchen, "you know how I applied for that study abroad program at Cambridge?"
"No—," Emma said as she opened the fridge to grab some leftovers.
"I told you like two months ago, remember?" Kate said as she zipped up her hoodie—the one that happened to belong to Emma. "We laughed and said if I got it, you could come too and be an English copper—?"
Emma did have a vague memory of the conversation. "Oh yeah," she said as she picked at the casserole.
"Well," Kate said, trying to hide the excitement on her face, "I got it!" She flew into Emma's arms.
Emma didn't quite know how to react. She embraced the girl, and patted her on the back. "That's—great," she said. Kate looked at her when they broke their hug. "So proud of you."
Kate raised an eyebrow. "You seem—surprised," she said, questioning Emma's expression.
"I am," she said, only to backtrack upon seeing an angry face. "No, not surprised that you got it! Surprised because—it sort of slipped my mind, that's all."
Kate was still annoyed. "Slipped your mind?" she said, crossing her arms. "How does something we discussed several times just 'slip your mind'?"
Emma sighed. "I'm sorry, I've just been preoccupied, that's all." She went back to her leftovers for another bite. "But I am really proud of you—this is big."
Kate nodded as she studied her girlfriend's mannerisms closely. "You don't want to go, do you?" she asked. "That's what this is about, right?"
Emma swallowed the food in her mouth. "That's not it—I just—"
Before Emma could say anything further, she felt Kate's arms wrap around her side. "You don't have to decide now, Em," she whispered in her ear. "I know this would be a big deal for you, with Henry and all." She kissed the back of Emma's neck, gently. "But he does have Regina. And she's a great mom. And it'd only be the semester."
Silence filled the air as Emma poked her fork through bits and pieces of the dish. She looked down, not ready to face her girlfriend.
"Anyway," Kate finally said, "you think about it, okay? You can let me know."
Without another word, Kate slunk off to the bedroom. The words didn't need to be said. In the back of her mind, she knew the true reason. She knew full well this was about Regina. They both did. But as Emma watched her walk away, she knew that Kate didn't know just how much it was really about her ex.
When she left for Storybrooke Friday morning, Emma didn't say much to Kate. She told her of course where she was headed and mentioned having to look after Henry, but she didn't listen when Kate explained her own plans for the weekend. She hadn't told Kate yet about Regina, nor had she tried again to end things. Emma felt guilt ridden, but didn't want to burden her with the news knowing Kate was thrilled about England.
As she drove up the highway, she noticed the slight change in weather. The ground was covered in a thicker blanket of snow once she was further north. Her mind shifted back to that long night at the precinct—the night she'd met Kate.
When they had arrived at the station, Emma moved the batch of drunken students into a cell. Despite their groans and pleas, she locked the door behind them and told them to sober up. She took the belligerent but sober girl aside, telling her to sit.
"Giving me special treatment, are you Officer Swan?" she asked with a wink, still pretending to be drunk.
"I would put you in the drunk tank with the rest of them," Emma said, sitting at her own desk, "But you're not drunk!"
"I am so!" cried the girl, slamming her fists on the desk.
"Fine," Emma said, getting up once more. She pulled the girl up. "You wanna fake being drunk for no apparent reason?" she asked, as she put her in her own cell, not locking the door. "I'll fake lock you up. Better?"
"Not 'no apparent reason'!" she shouted back.
"Oh?" Emma asked. "Then what's your reason?"
The girl smiled. "Go out with me!"
Emma raised an eyebrow. "What?!"
"You heard me!"
Emma looked at the grinning girl. She dismissed her with a wave of her hand. "You're crazy."
Emma rolled her eyes and returned to her desk. She looked over to the cell full of kids. Most of them had sat down, accepting their fate. They were relatively quiet. She pulled out her phone, scanning over the text messages again.
'I wish you could come home. But Mom's still sticking to the New Years' deal.'
'Me too, kid. Maybe next year.'
Henry had been trying his best to convince Regina to allow Emma to spend Christmas with them. But as much as the two of them brainstormed on 'Operation Swan Queen Christmas', Regina wasn't willing to budge on her decision. Emma sighed heavily.
"What are you looking at?" the girl asked from her cell, interrupting Emma.
"None of your business."
"Someone's grouchy," the girl called back.
Emma looked up at her. "I wonder why—," she answered sarcastically.
"Nope," the girl returned. "It's not because of me—look on your face says otherwise."
Emma ignored her as she scrolled through more messages. She stopped when Regina's name was highlighted. She opened the message history. Moving passed the informative texts, through the unanswered ones, ignoring those fueled by fighting, Emma found herself reading messages from when they were happy.
'I miss you.'
'I miss you too, dear. Coming home after work?'
'you bet…can't wait for tonight."
'Mmm...Henry has a sleepover. I was thinking we could take advantage of having full reign of the house.'
'I like your thinking ; )'
"So, who is she?" the girl asked, ruining Emma's nostalgic moment.
"What are you blabbing about, Punky Brewster?" Emma shot out at the girl.
"The girl you're smiling about," she answered, "who is she? I didn't know you were spoken for—"
"I'm not," Emma answered, a little surprised by her own admission. The girl sat up and stood by the bars as she heard the answer.
"So you'd go out with me?"
"Nice try, but no," Emma spat back.
"If you're not taken," the girl said slowly, amused that she'd gotten a rise out of the officer. "—you could go out with me."
Emma laughed loudly. She slumped down into her chair, now moving onto looking through old pictures. "No," she chuckled, "I'm not going out with you."
"Why not?!" she asked. Emma was beginning to contemplate giving this girl a drink—maybe if she was in fact intoxicated, she'd be less persistent.
"Because—" Emma said, leaving it at that. She mumbled to herself, hoping the girl wouldn't hear.
"What was that, Officer Swan?"
Emma was mildly annoyed. "I said you wouldn't want to go out with me—"
"Oh," The girl said. "So—it was that bad, huh?" Emma shot her a raised eyebrow. "The break up—with that girl of yours."
Emma couldn't believe she was talking to a girl who was faking being drunk, about Regina no less. "Yeah," she nodded.
There was a long silence. It was as if the girl was trying to respect the pain Emma felt, knowing she'd treaded on difficult territory. Finally, after several minutes had passed, she spoke.
"It's Kate, by the way," she said, making Emma look up.
"Emma," she returned.
"Emma," Kate repeated, smiling at the name. "I'm sorry—for prying," she said, as she gripped the cell bars. "But you do look like you want to talk about it."
"I don't want to talk about it," Emma said. She pointed to the metal bars of the cell. "I want you to take advantage of the fact that I left your cell unlocked."
Kate laughed. "Listen, I know you want to talk—otherwise, you would have ignored me." Emma rolled her eyes, but they both knew it was true. "At dawn, when you let my friends go, I'm going to this little coffee shop for a bite to eat," she said. "You can come with me, and I'll listen all you want," she suggested. "It's either that, or I'll make sure I'm in the area of your police beats every day, cause a bunch of ruckus so you have to take me in, and we can have this conversation over and over again. Your call."
Emma stared over at the girl who looked incredibly self-satisfied to have outwitted the cop. She smiled at her. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because," Kate let out, grinning wildly, "I'm drunk, remember?"
Emma remembered everything from the following morning. After having released Kate's friends, she did join her for coffee. Being somewhat sleep deprived, she spilled her guts to the girl. Sure, she omitted the details regarding the fairytale identities and the curse, but she told Kate the most important part. She told her that she was still madly in love with her son's other mother, despite having broken things off.
Kate was a good listener. And as great a listener as she was, Kate was persistent. Their coffee date had grown into several meetings and conversations. Emma rejected the flirtation, insisting she wasn't interested in dating anyone. But, there came a point where the two of them slipped into a comfortable place. Emma felt as though she was being selfish after awhile of this routine—taking the girl's time without giving anything in return. So, she reciprocated in the only way she knew how. Before either one knew it, Kate's things were in Emma's apartment and Emma was taking her to dinner, without being asked to.
Emma felt the pangs of shame and disgrace flooded her system as she passed the town sign. She dismissed the feeling. This was a weekend to be shared with her son. She needed to put everything else—guilt about Kate, feelings for Regina, all of it—on hold for the weekend. But as she pulled up to the white mansion, she wondered if she could do so.