Chapter 24

Midnight visitor

Three hours after Regina nodded off to sleep she wakes with a start! She hastily sits up, looking around the room as the beads of sweat pour down her body. She's confused and disoriented; unsure of where she is. Thank God she never turned her table light off (she thinks in relief) as she slowly starts to recognize her surroundings. She tries to slow down her breathing while undoing her top buttons; she's trying to cool down and instinctively reaches to feel her heart rate. 'My heart rate. My heart. Emma!' Reality quickly sets in and as peaceful as she felt falling asleep she can't remember what nightmare troubled her awake. 'It's probably better this way.' She reaches over to her nightstand and takes a sip of water.

She notices her phone is vibrating. 'That's probably what woke me up.'

It's a text message. Her mouth goes dry. It's Emma. "Hey...r u up?"

"Yes. Is everything okay?" She immediately worries at Emma texting her so late.

"Yeah..I just couldn't sleep."

...

A couple of seconds go by with dots indicating that Emma is typing, then they disappear and reappear again. Regina is about to respond.

"Can I come in?"

"You're here?!"

"Yeah sorry, I found myself making my way to...well your front porch...sorry I'll go."

Regina found herself yelling, "No!"

"It's ok. Don't apologize. I'll be right down."

Regina quickly throws her robe on and quietly makes her way down the stairs. She's trying to run her fingers through her still damp hair and tries to briefly catch her reflection in the mirror but she doesn't want to make Emma wait out in the cold. She's usually more put together than this.

When Regina opens the door she feels an array of emotions wash through her: excitement, anticipation, longing, but most of all worry. Emma is standing there looking sheepish and cold.

"How long have you been out there? Come in."

Just as Emma is about to step forward Regina remembers her spell. "Wait." She waves her hand over the door. "Ok come in."

Emma who's hugging herself and wearing that dreary red leather jacket Regina hasn't seen in ages, comes in and just stands there looking at her. 'Looking absolutely gorgeous even cold and fidgeting like that.' Regina mentally chastises herself for these thoughts and tells herself to regain control. 'Why are these thoughts in the forefront of my mind with reckless abandon? Oh gee perhaps because the woman gave you her heart!' Still that didn't mean Emma belonged to her. That didn't mean she could so blatantly think of her like this. Especially now that Emma obviously came over to clear her thoughts and tell her how she would have done the same for any friend.

"I'm glad you took precautions." Emma says pointing at the door.

"Yes well...given the circumstances..." Regina pauses then continues, "You look cold, that jacket can't possibly keep you warm. I'll get you a blanke..."

"No it's ok. I'm warmer now. You're house is always warm." Emma smiles.

They are both just standing there looking at each other like two nervous teenagers on a first date. Emma notices Regina must have gone to bed with wet hair the way it's wavy right now. Emma gets a funny feeling of privilege to see her like this. 'She's so incredibly beautiful. I wonder if she knows how perfect she is?'

Regina suggests, "Why don't we go sit by the fire in the living room?" Regina turns to walk there.

"No...wait! Look I'm sorry I came over this late. I guess I was worried."

"About your heart?" There! Regina said it! She put it out into the universe. But maybe that wasn't such a good idea because Emma looks hurt.

"No. About you and Henry." Emma closes her eyes trying to get the words out. "And yes, I think I have to explain..."

"I know you Emma. You did what you did because you always do what you feel is the right thing. You don't have to explain." 'Her kind and noble savior.' Regina can't help but wonder if right now Emma was deeply regretting her decision. If the brunette was truly honest with herself she didn't want to hear Emma's explanation because she was scared. She was scared Emma had changed her mind and felt she'd been wrong in saving her.

Regina's mind went to a dark place. 'I didn't deserve to be saved.' Even though she's spent all this time trying to redeem herself and although she had truly changed she had done such evil in her past...so many murderous and awful deeds. She knew she merited to be in hell right alongside that monster. It was the least she deserved after all the lives she'd destroyed.

But then she can't help but remind herself how 'sharing hearts wasn't that simple.' How one couldn't just freely give their heart to anyone of their own volition. She knew what everything meant. It was that meaning that brought her world to a pause. Deep seeded emotions and feelings arouse in her like a lotus from the dark mud when she awoke back in Storybrooke. Yes, she very well knew what everything meant but she was certain Emma didn't fully know? Or even allow herself to understand. Yet Emma had chosen Regina over rationale so many times before that she wondered? 'Dear God!' She couldn't help but wonder...

"Although it's not the first time you've put me before yourself." She did it again. Regina can't control herself. She didn't want to probe Emma. She knew that Emma is the type to run away. But part of her is desperately anxious to know the truth and that's the part that's taking over her mouth!

"And you've put yourself before me Gina. So many times I've lost count." Emma barely whispers.

"Is that why you did it? Is that why..." Regina pauses having an extremely difficult time finding her words. "Is that why you gave me your heart?" There is it. The dread and incredible sadness washes over Regina. 'Emma thinks she was paying back a debt.' Regina's eyes well up with unshed tears and she feels a cold chill through her body.

"I...no!"

Regina startles with mouth agape. 'Is there hope here?' She thinks solemnly.

"I mean yes! I don't know!" Emma feels what remains of her once whole heart is about to come out of her mouth with it's racing tempo. She moves forward invading Regina's space taking trembling hands into her own.

"Regina all I know is that when I saw you lying lifeless on that floor in Tartarus I would have given anything to bring you back."

Both women look into each other's eyes with the pent up emotion of a thousand years.

"Why?"

"Regina." Emma pleads looking down not wanting to spell it out. Once she says it. Once it's out there she can't take it back. It'll be real. It'll be the only thing that's ever been real. The one thing she kept to herself, tucked so deeply in her soul she never thought it would see the light of day. The one thing she believed she was not worthy of.

"Emma Swan. You are my best friend, my co-parent, my..." Regina chokes back a sob, "my resilient opponent and my greatest ally. Why did you give me half of your heart?"

At that moment Emma's sky blue eyes darken and drift down to Regina's full lips as she swiftly catches her by surprise with a gentle but passionate kiss. Regina quickly recovers from her amazement at Emma's bold move and her hands rise up to caress Emma's soft, beautiful face. And before she knows it she pulls Emma in fiercely, feeling their salty tears mingling with their pressing lips.

At that moment the women feel an intense surge of euphoria bursting from their contact with a blinding light symmetrically spreading for everyone to see and feel.

Emma pulls back, "Was that?"

Regina nods yes with a tear stained smile and crushes her lips against Emma's once more. She needs to steel one more kiss before Emma has time to think and freak out. This time demanding entrance with her tongue; needing to taste anything she can of Emma's. The blonde complies and gives back as good as she gets, as she feels her back pressed against the stairwell railing. Emma's not sure how they got there for she feels lightheaded in the best of ways. Emma slips her hands through Regina's robe feeling her soft body underneath the silky pajamas and she squeezes Regina's waist and wraps her arms around the brunette's back. Emma pulls her in tightly. 'God!' She wants to rove her hands and explore all of Regina right now but she doesn't want to overstep her boundaries on their first kiss (that has actually turned into The make out session of true love). Emma has a fleeting thought of being romantic for Regina and making everything for her so special. Something she had never cared for before now.

Both women are panting and reeling from the best kiss either has ever experienced. They stop only for air and lean their foreheads against one another as they feel the heat rise between them.

You're not surprised." Emma points out.

"It makes perfect sense. One can only receive the heart of..." Regina hesitates.

"It's ok. I want this. I'm not gonna freak out." Emma had already guessed but she wanted Regina to say it.

"One can only receive the heart of their true love."

"Then why didn't you say anything if you already knew?" Emma smiles at her like a wondering gleeful child. She takes Regina's hand and interlocks their fingers. Their hands making shapes and expressing their timid emotions.

"Denial. Oh not so much my own. But fear of yours more so. I figured it out once I came back to life and when...well, even though you gave me your heart and my body accepted it I wasn't sure if you meant it that way. I'm not sure if I'm making any sense to you but I suppose I needed to know you felt the same...to hear it. Besides I needed time to process everything."

"And did you?"

"Not really. Did you?" They both laugh.

"Sort of. Honestly I thought you'd reject me."

"What...why?" At Emma's statement Regina pulls back to look into her wanting eyes. Knowing all too well Emma felt her whole life the rejection of being abandoned. Regina felt responsible for this and she internally swore, if Emma would allow her, to spend the rest of her life showing her just how wanted she was.

"Because...I don't know. This is...This is..."

'Dare I say it again?' Regina thinks.

'Say it Emma.' Regina pleads with her eyes. Regina still couldn't believe this was happening. She couldn't believe Emma chose her.

"True love." Emma smiles brightly and presses a gentle and timid kiss to Regina's nose. Regina didn't know Emma could be so tender. There was apparently a lot they both didn't know.

"Regina I've never felt this way before, obviously. I convinced myself that you couldn't possibly want this a long time ago."

"I thought you'd run for the hills." Regina states at the same time then realizes Emma said "a long time ago."

"Wait. Did you say a long time ago? How long have you had feelings for me?" The surprises never cease coming from Emma Swan.

Emma decided to be brave. No more holding back. After all they just shared true love's kiss which is something Emma did not believe she would ever have romantically in this life.

"I love you Regina. I have loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you. That's why...in answer to your question. That's why I gave you my heart."

Regina looks at her with elated disbelief even after all they had shared.

"Oh Emma." Regina crashes her lips back onto hers. She feels Emma's heart beat inside her racing in unison with it's other half. Regina pulls back and lovingly looks into blue eyes, "I love you too."

For a moment both are lost in the intensity of all these incredible revelations and feeling such overwhelming love for each other. Regina nor Emma can control the tears that continue to freely flow from so much pent up emotion. Each woman secretly and deeply harboring feelings that were being held at bay, mostly by self-sabotage. Tonight they simply couldn't hold back any longer. Perhaps they should be going slower. Perhaps they've opened up too quickly but neither woman cares anymore. The dam of denial was compromised the moment Emma realized Regina was the only person worthy of her heart and now there was no stopping them.

Regina continues, "I'm sure I always have as well. From the first moment you came into my life I wanted to hate you so desperately. I felt such unrelenting passion whenever you were around. I didn't want to see it. I just didn't know how to reconcile with loving the woman I was meant to hate."

"I didn't make it easy."

"No, I didn't make it easy. You were trying to be civil. Although if I had been civil you would have left Storybrooke and well, none of this would have happened."

They continue to stand there just holding each other; afraid to move because this was something neither woman had ever allowed themselves to do. None realizing just how badly they craved each other's simple touch.

"I wouldn't have left. And we didn't make it easy on each other...And then there were obstacles. Like..."

Regina completes her thought,"Graham...Then Neal..and..."

Emma completes her sentence understanding her hesitancy, "Hook And Robin."

"Oh dear." Regina closes her eyes with regret.

"It's not your fault. It's not our fault. Regina there's something you don't know; when we were in Tartarus your mother said something that made it seem as if we were..."

"Mom!? Ma?!" Henry is at the top of the stairs with a giant grin on his face. The women detangle and Regina quickly wipes at her own eyes.

"Henry how long have you been up there?" He starts to make his way down the stairs.

"Long enough to be totally scarred from watching my moms share true loves kiss."

Both women look down in a deep blush as he rushes the rest of the stairs and crushes them with a monster hug.

"Don't worry I walked away and gave you guys some privacy but I couldn't hold back any longer. And by the way...I knew it! At least I'd hoped for it."

"Ha! Really kid?" Emma beams at him. She looks at Regina seeing the sigh of relief they both share at Henry being happy about them. "We didn't exactly know." She looks at Regina and softens. "Well, we hadn't exactly admitted it to ourselves."

"Yeah well, sometimes these things take time."

"When did my son grow to be so wise?" Regina brushes his hair with her hands like when he was a child.

Suddenly, the front door swings open loudly.

Both women still holding onto each other with Henry quickly turn towards the sound and separate.

'Damn it! I forgot to put the spell back on.' Regina thinks but it was too late.

Standing at the door are Snow and David.

"It was you?!" They look between Emma and Regina absolutely stunned.

Hey guys! I hope you are still enjoying the story! Thank you again for your encourgaing and lovely comments. I was deeply fretting over this chapter because I didn't want to rush things or seem out of character for the girls. But all in all I think I've tortured everyone and myself long enough and it was time to get the ball rolling on these ladies. At least in our world they are canon. Please let me know what you think!

Much love!

xoxo