DISCLAIMER:: do not own ouat or any of its characters. just borrowing for purpose of creative expression. no profit obtained.
A/N:: so I know I said this was going to be the date and the first of many revelations of the truth, but the chapter was too long and had to be split into two chapters. sorry about that, but I hope this is still a satisfactory chapter anyway. still firmly in the fluff.
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Chapter 25: You Are Who You're Meant To Be
Henry had been a ball of energy from the moment they'd gotten in the Mercedes, bouncing around in the backseat and talking animatedly about how he'd been helping Emma put her pictures into her photo albums one moment and then they'd been talking about flowers the next. Regina tried her best to keep one ear trained on the chatterbox in the back seat, while her eyes drifted every few seconds from the road to her rearview mirror, keeping a watchful eye on the bright yellow deathtrap on wheels that the blonde claimed was a suitable vehicle. They would need to have a serious discussion about the younger woman's chosen mode of transportation sometime in the not-too-distant future. She didn't want to worry about Emma or Henry's safety riding around in that tin can.
She blew out a sigh of relief as she pulled into the garage and the yellow bug pulled up to the curb out front. Regina grabbed her purse and the bouquet from the front seat as Henry clambered out of the back. She grabbed one of his mitten covered hands with her free one, hitting the button on the wall that would lower the garage door behind them with her elbow. They rushed out under the garage door just as it gave a small groan and began its steady descent.
Emma walked up the front path as they walked down the side, both parties meeting where the paths met before the stoop. The blonde scooped Henry up into her arms, blowing a raspberry against his cheek. He swiped at his cheek, making a disgusted face that wasn't the least bit convincing.
Regina grinned at the two before turning and stepping up onto the stoop, digging around in her purse for the keys. She pulled them out and unlocked the front door, pushing it open and stepping inside to get out of the snowfall. The air was starting to take on a bitter bite and she was feeling it in her bones.
Emma carried Henry in, setting him down just in the foyer. She began to unwrap him from underneath the several layers she'd insisted he wear as a condition of going with her to pull a Romeo with his mother. She handed his winter gear, piece by piece, to Regina and she hung them up. Once freed from all the layers, he bolted off up to the elevated part of the foyer and disappeared into the kitchen corridor. Emma smiled after him before slowly beginning to unbutton her own coat. Soft hands covered her gloved ones and she looked up into affectionate brown eyes.
"Allow me, Miss Swan." She continued where the blonde had left off, pulling apart buttons with precision skill. "What you did tonight..." She trailed off. Very few times in her life had Regina Mills found herself speechless. She parted the last button.
Emma shrugged out of the coat, her neck warming with the beginnings of a blush. She stepped past the brunette to hang up her coat, trying to hide the pink flush to her skin from the older woman.
Regina ran her fingers over the red roses where she'd rested them on the foyer table, smiling at the velvety softness of the flower petals. "It was amazing." She glanced back to find the blonde watching her. "You are amazing."
Emma smiled, the blush colouring its way up to her cheeks. She pulled the gloves from her hands as an excuse to avoid eye contact. She wasn't used to such attention and certainly not affection. It was still unsettling and foreign to have someone look at her with pure fondness. She didn't know how to process it yet.
"Emma! Dinner is done!" Henry peeked out of the kitchen corridor.
Regina picked up the flowers. "I should put these in water."
Emma breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. "I'll set the table." She shut the closet door and walked towards the little boy.
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Regina set the vase on the bedside table, adjusting the flowers in the crystal once more as she smiled at them fondly.
Emma slid her hand up the length of the woman's spine.
Regina shivered and turned, smiling at the blonde. She placed her arms delicately around the younger woman's waist. "Is Henry asleep?" Her smirk said she already knew the answer as she placed an open mouthed kiss to the hollow of the blonde's throat.
Emma nodded. "All that jumping around and excitement finally tuckered him out."
Regina smirked against the pale flesh. "I hope you aren't tired." She bit roughly at the blonde's pulse point, pleased when it elicited a low moan from the younger woman.
Emma was quickly losing her grasp on coherent thought, a process sped up by the mayor's hands starting to wander. "I... We have to be up early and I should get a... shower." She surrendered to the hand hungrily guiding her mouth to the brunette's, bracing herself against the assault of the older woman's lips.
Regina took the blonde's bottom lip beneath her teeth, biting down and pulling before releasing it. She stared into green eyes with irises so dark they'd almost gone black. "We'll make time in the morning Miss Swan... unless, of course, you'd like me to fuck you in the shower, in which case, we could kill two birds with one stone."
Emma's eyes had fallen to Regina's lips, locked there as she watched the word fuck roll between them. There was something hypnotising about that word falling from the full lips of the older woman; she was entranced.
Regina, having already made up her mind, dragged them towards the en suite bathroom. She only released the blonde once she'd pulled her inside and insinuated herself between Emma and the only means of escape. She began to unbutton her blouse, watching the young woman's every reaction.
Emma unconsciously licked her lips. Heat pulsed between her legs, discontent at being ignored as Regina pulled off her blouse and tossed it on the vanity, reaching around behind herself for the clasp of her bra. Suddenly remembering herself, she turned and reached into the shower, turning the shower head on and adjusting the temperature before turning back to the brunette. Her mouth dropped open when she saw the brunette standing completely naked between her and the door, something primal in the way her eyes glinted with the fluorescent light overhead.
"Lose the clothes Miss Swan. I don't trust myself to refrain from ripping them undressing you myself."
Emma pulled her long sleeve shirt over her head and tossed it aside, unzipping her jeans and working them down her legs. She kicked them away as they pooled at her feet. Her bra and underwear soon followed until she was just as devoid of clothes as the mayor.
The bathroom was blanketed with a sheen of steam from the hot water, Regina's skin glistening with it as she sauntered closer.
Emma backed up slowly, taking one step back for every step forward of the brunette, jumping slightly when the warm spray of water hit her.
Regina used the hesitation to her advantage, stepping into the enclosed space and pressing close as she pulled the glass door closed behind her, sealing them in the shower cubicle. Emma had stepped away from the spray and she slid under it, letting it rain down over her body, running her hands through her shorter hair and slicking it back.
Emma watched, entranced by the rivers of water as they cascaded down the woman's neck, over her chest, some continuing down the valley between her breasts, others rolling in a path over each mound and then falling over the cliff of a nipple in a waterfall that spilled down to the tile beneath their feet. She reached out, for a brief moment cupping her hands under the stream from each peak, catching the water as it fell before dropping the accumulated handful in favour of running hands over the flesh itself.
Regina smiled, her eyes falling closed. It felt like she'd been away from the blonde's touch much longer than the mere week that had passed since they'd last been together intimately.
Emma pressed in close under the stream of water, her mouth seeking and finding the brunette's, drawing her into a deep kiss that had both of them weak in the knees.
Regina surged forward, grabbing the blonde's upper arms and turning her, pressing her back against the wall and pressing so heavily against her that it felt as if their bodies were trying to become one. Her hands slid down the blonde's arms, coasting over her skin until she gripped her wrist and brought each arm above her head, pinning them against the tile. She held them there for a long moment as they kissed aggressively and then slowly, she released each wrist, her fingertips continuing to slide up over the blonde's palms until they found the spaces between her fingers, slipping into them as if that were where they'd always belonged.
Emma locked her fingers around the woman's hands, clasping them tightly as if they were her lifeline, the only thing keeping her from drifting away. Their breasts gliding against each other was driving her wild, fraying her senses until all she knew was need and hunger for Regina's body. She gained what leverage she could over the brunette and flipped their positions, pressing the brunette back against the tile. She released the woman's hands, her own trailing quickly down the older woman's slick skin. Her mouth followed her hands, trailing a path straight down Regina's torso as she fell down to her knees before her.
She looked up the woman's body, meeting brown eyes, struck by how right and familiar this position seemed. For a moment she almost felt once again the Princess kneeling before the Queen in her dreams. With a few quick blinks of her eye the feeling was gone and she brought her gaze down to the apex of the mayor's thighs, glistening with a wetness that had nothing to do with the shower.
She encouraged the mayor to drape her left leg over her shoulder and as Regina complied, she gave her a rewarding swipe of her tongue.
Regina's hand tangled itself in her wet locks, not guiding, merely maintaining a tangible connection, giving the older woman something to hold onto as the younger woman buried her face against her sex.
Emma's tongue moved between delicate folds of flesh with an old familiarity, as if she'd been doing this for years rather than a handful of times over the past few weeks. In their short time together she had made it a point to memorise every inch of the mayor. There wasn't a piece of her that she wanted to leave unmapped; she wanted to know her by heart. Everything she touched was committed to memory. She had learned the hard way that things can be taken from us without warning; time can never be guaranteed.
She ran the flat of her tongue over Regina's clit several times before pressing it against the bundle of nerves, applying pressure to the spot the mayor craved and needed it most. All Regina's little pants and whimpers were spurring her forward. She felt the woman's thighs beginning to tremble; she was close.
Emma entered her suddenly with two fingers at the same time that she sucked her clit into her mouth and Regina tumbled over the edge, coming gloriously undone around her.
Regina felt her legs become useless as stars danced behind her eyes. If not for Emma being there to hold her up, she knew she would have collapsed to the tile of the shower floor in a heap.
Emma removed her fingers so she could get a good grip on the woman's legs. As soon as she was certain that the brunette was stable enough, she stood, keeping her body pressed close just in case Regina had need of the support.
The brunette had most of her weight leveraged against the tile wall behind her, her brown eyes dazed, her chest heaving as her arms draped limply over the blonde's shoulders.
Green eyes studied brown as both women seemed lost somewhere in the comfortable silence that enveloped them. After a long moment, Emma leaned in and brought their lips together gently.
Regina's arms tightened their hold around her neck, keeping her close as she finally found her legs again and stood tall, pressing her body against the blonde's.
Emma stepped back, pulling them both underneath the spray. She parted from the brunette and turned the woman around, grabbing for the bottle of shampoo. She squirted some into her hand, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply as the fragrant concoction assaulted her senses. She lathered it in her palms until it was frothy and began to run her fingers through the brunette's hair, massaging the shampoo through dark locks. As soon as she was sure she hadn't left an inch unwashed, she pulled the woman directly under the spray, washing every last bit of shampoo out that she'd so carefully just spent minutes rubbing in. As soon as the last suds had spiraled down the drain, she placed a kiss to the newly clean hair.
Regina turned and wrapped her arms around Emma's waist, pulling her in close for a kiss. "I could get very used to this life Miss Swan."
Water was falling on their heads, dripping from the ends of hair strands, down the slopes of noses, collecting on eyelashes, and still the world seemed on pause around them. Emma knew she should be scared. That practical part of her brain, the part that catalogued every past mistake and kept her from making them again told her that she should be terrified. But her heart just couldn't seem to agree for once. It was telling her she was exactly where she needed to be. It was telling her that she didn't have to be afraid anymore; she'd found home. "So could I." She was still unsure of those words. Her stomach still dropped the tiniest bit at the idea of sacrificing any inch of freedom.
The smile that lit up Regina's face at her words... Emma knew instantly she would sacrifice any amount of freedom to always see that smile upon her face.
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It was the day of the ball and Princess Emma had never been so nervous in her entire life. She'd played hostess many a time at the White castle. Her mother had always been fond of parties and Emma had learned from a young age how to mingle among the crowd, making everyone feel welcomed and assuring they had a good time. Though she'd always rolled her eyes at the process when she was a girl, preferring to be out practicing her archery in the practice fields than inside in a stuffy ball gown learning her stitches and other things proper royal women must know, she had managed to absorb most of what went into putting on such an event.
But this wasn't just any ball. This was the ball. At the end of this night she was hoping to bring peace to the blood feud that had raged for between her family and Regina's for farther back than either of their lifetimes.
"You must hold still Your Grace; these ties are objecting more than they did a fortnight past." Faleen was comfortable enough with her now to admonish her gently as she pulled the lacings of her new gown tight.
Emma smiled at the girl's reflection in her mirror before taking a deep breath and straightening. She was in ivory tonight. It would please her parents sensibilities that she was still the pure innocent creature that they raised, but it was also a colour Regina had always loved her in. The brunette would joke with her, calling her the Swan Princess, teasing after her father's nickname for her. She needed to belong to both sides tonight, needed to be the balance between them if she wished to have peace. She was not on one side or the other, not tonight.
Faleen tied off the ends of the ribbon at the base of her spine. The girl, one year younger than her own fragile age, glanced over her shoulder at the reflection of the princess in the mirror. "You look beautiful Your Grace; all eyes will be on you tonight." She blushed and downcast her eyes. "Including Her Majesty's."
Emma beamed proudly. Her hair had been curled and left down, though it was pinned back from her face with a diamond pin that had been a gift from Regina for her fifth name day, the first after they'd met. Her tiara sat upon her head, glittering regally upon her golden locks, another gift, this one from her mother. "Yes, I believe she will be pleased." She smirked into the mirror. Knowing Regina, she'd been spying this whole time. As much as the older woman promised that she only spied on those who required such measures, Emma knew that her curiosity was something she couldn't help but indulge. She puckered her lips at the mirror, blowing a kiss to the woman she was sure was watching on the other side, before turning to her handmaid.
The girl was standing, hands clasped, waiting to be dismissed.
Emma smiled warmly. "Your duties for the night have concluded. In your chambers you will find that I have had a dress made for you. Wear it tonight. I want you to enjoy yourself."
The girl looked up with wide eyes. "But Your Grace, I am just a servant."
Emma shook her head. "Tonight, you are my guest. I have seen how you look at Pinocchio. Perhaps you will find him asking for a dance."
Faleen blushed, turning her face against her shoulder to hide it from the Princess. She thought she had done a good job of being discreet about her crush on the carpenter's boy. He was over five years her senior and ruggedly handsome.
"Princess, you are embarrassing the girl."
Emma smirked. She had figured Regina would not wait long to come to her. The older woman did so dislike having the Princess outside of her presence for very long. "I am merely telling her to enjoy herself. She has earned it." She put a hand on Faleen's arm, drawing the girl's attention. "And we all deserve a happy ending, with whomever our heart desires." She dismissed the girl with a nod of her head, waiting until she disappeared out the door before she regarded her other visitor's presence, though she didn't turn to look at the woman. "Impatient tonight, aren't we my love?"
Hands slid over her shoulders from behind, fingers sliding delicately along the gown's neckline until it reached the point of the modest V, caressing the bare hint of cleavage that the gown displayed. "You look divine."
Emma smiled. She could hear the awe that barely masked the desire in her tone. "I suspected you might approve." She turned and had to bite back a gasp. Regina was in a blue so deep she appeared to have ripped a piece from the sky at peak of night and robed herself in it. The gown was tight, the skirt branching out just a little to allow her movement, long sleeves extended down to where tan hands sprung from delicate wrists. Her hair was up and she too wore her crown. It glittered brightly upon the dark waves of her hair. "And you look..." She trailed off, exhaling in a rush as if her lungs had failed her.
"It seems we both have pleased the other." Regina's fingers slid down the bodice of the ivory silk gown, her nails dragging along the fabric. She watched their descent with dark eyes. "You know, with just a flick of my fingers, I could rid us of these troublesome fabrics. It would be so simple."
Emma smirked. "And how do you propose we make peace in the realm if we don't even attend our own ball?"
Regina smirked, her eyes still on her hand, now tangling in the fabric of the skirt, pulling her closer. "Our only common cause is you. The closer I am to you, the better, and right now, I desire to be much closer." Regina leaned in towards her lips.
Emma felt herself surrendering, something inside her stomach fluttering. Her eyes fell closed.
A knock at the door to the chamber interrupted them, causing the brunette to look up with a dangerous growl. This had better be good or the Princess feared for whichever unfortunate soul happened to be on the other side of that door.
The door opened and a guard stepped in. "Your Grace, Your Majesty." He bowed.
"What?" Regina's impatience was barely contained.
"The first carriage has just arrived to the outer gates Your Majesty, several more on approach."
Emma smiled. "The guests are arriving. I'm afraid we must resume this... discussion later." She kissed the corner of the older woman's lips, turned down in a scowl. She leaned in towards the woman's ear. "Play nice and tonight you may have me bound and at your mercy."
Regina's eyes went wide at the promise, her lips turning up at the prospect. She turned to the guard. "We mustn't keep our guests waiting." She grasped the Princess by the hand and led the way out of the chamber.
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"This place looks beautiful."
Emma looked at the Queen who had stepped up beside her, gazing around in awe. Her mother was just as fair as always, her black hair done up high on her head, a messy beehive of curls to contrast with her pale skin. Her dancing green eyes offset the softness of her features and complimented the lavender of her full gown. With her sparkling crown atop her head she was every bit the White Queen. "Thank you mother, for your words as well as your presence."
Snow White smiled softly, though her gaze never left the crowd to look at her daughter. "Your father and I have missed your presence in our halls. Though I was reluctant to cross kingdom lines, especially here, my desire to see you outweighed my better judgment."
"You have nothing to fear here; that is the purpose of this whole evening." It had been a great success so far. Everyone appeared to be enjoying themselves, even Regina was deterring from isolating herself, mingling with the crowd like a true royal. Though Emma did notice that the woman's brown eyes sought her green ones every few minutes, needing to know she was nearby and safe.
"I know what it is you wish to accomplish here, but our battle is an old one. The misplaced love of a young girl, even a Princess, does not change fate." Snow looked almost saddened by her own words. "I once held the same wish in my heart. Surely peace was due. The feud had been going on for so many generations that none of my forebears could even agree on the details. All the histories they passed down to me were just a little different, some small thing changed. Things get exaggerated, wounds are made out to be deeper than they truly are. I didn't want their war. So I tried, in my own way, to end it. I tried to make peace with Cora. She laughed in my face. She..." Snow swallowed down the emotion bubbling up. "It matters not what she did, but it changed my mind. I realised then that peace could only come when their line was extinguished. Regina is the last remaining. I have agreed to her terms for safety as long as she remains in her kingdom and does not raise her lands against us in an act of war. She can live until the end of her days in peace."
Emma felt tears sting her eyes. But, she had thought that...
"What you feel for this woman, it is idol worship, nothing more. You had your eyes turned up to her since you were a young child."
Emma wanted to object, wanted to insist that what she had with Regina was true love, something so pure it could conquer anything, just as her parents had with each other. She wanted to point out that they'd fought against all odds to be together and she and Regina would do the same. But the butterflies that had been fluttering lazily around her stomach from when she had been alone with Regina in her bed chamber had taken on a hard edge as if they were ramming against her insides, trying to break free.
"Your father and I have discussed it at great length and we will be taking you with us back to the White kingdom at the break of dawn tomorrow. We will give you this final night to say your goodbyes. If she attempts to keep you from leaving, it will be seen as kidnapping and an act of war against the White kingdom, rendering the treaty void. We will take appropriate action to see you safely home, where you belong."
Emma couldn't focus on her mother's words. Her eyes frantically sped around the room, searching desperately. Finally, she caught brown, a fixed point in a swimming sea of faces. She raised trembling fingers up towards the dark woman, calling to her without words, but her hand barely made it up off where it was resting against her skirts, to weak to move any further.
She saw purple gray smoke envelope the Queen just as her stomach gave a painful lurch. The room began to spin as her legs gave and she fell backwards, landing against something solid. She heard cries of surprise, but they seemed far away. The world had shrunken to a small bubble of space, everything outside its confines blurry and indistinct.
And then Regina's face was pressing close above her, but it was upside down. It took her a moment to realise that she was in the woman's lap, staring up at the brunette. Regina's mouth was moving, her eyes bright with fear and concern, but she couldn't hear her, nor could she manage to find her own voice to reassure her. Then her mother's face was leaning in from over Regina's shoulder. The woman glared at Snow White accusingly and then they were exchanging heated words. Emma gasped as another lurch of pain shot through her, causing both women to cease arguing and return to speaking at her, though she still couldn't hear them. For a moment the pain seemed to recede and she felt relief wash through her body. She gave the woman holding her a shaky smile, frowning when she saw tears in Regina's eyes. And then the pain came back so suddenly and sharply that bright light burst behind her eyes before everything started to fade to black. The alarmed face of Queen Regina was the last thing she saw before it disappeared completely.
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Emma shot up in the dark room, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath and recover from the dream. Her head spun as it had in the grand hall full of people, nothing around her in the gloom coming into focus. She had a distinct desire to run, run long and far, try and outrun the bad dreams that she felt waiting for her behind closed eyelids, but she was too afraid to stand, sure she'd fall flat on the floor in the attempt. She wanted to close her eyes to stop the rooms spinning, but she feared what awaited her more than the twisting of her surroundings.
Arms encircled her, wrapping around her entire body arms and all and holding her tight. She didn't feel her body move but the next thing she knew she was being cradled in a lap, rocked back and forth as kisses were pressed against her hair. It was then that the roar in her ears calmed enough for her to hear someone talking to her.
"It's okay baby, you're alright. I've got you. You're safe now. You're fine. I've got you. I'm here. You're safe."
It took a moment but she let the reassurances sink into her and calm her. She buried her face against the silky fabric that covered the mayor's torso, but kept her eyes open.
Regina had one arm wrapped securely around the blonde, holding her close against her body. With her free one she cradled the woman's head as she rocked her. Emma's violent movement as she'd awoke from what must have been a nightmare had jarred the brunette from sleep as she'd been wrapped around the blonde. The younger woman had warned her that, like Henry, she suffered from her fair share of nightmares, unable to keep the demons away in the unguarded peacefulness of sleep. She pressed another kiss to the woman's temple as she felt her breathing start to slow to a normal rhythm. She slowed her rocking in response, letting Emma's actions guide hers.
It was another fifteen minutes before Emma calmed enough to pull up. She looked apologetically into the brunette's face. "I'm sorry I woke you."
Regina just shook her head, pushing wayward strands of golden hair out of the younger woman's face. She leaned in and kissed her forehead before resting her own against it and looking into apologetic green eyes. She wanted to ask, but she knew better than to push.
Emma stared into concerned brown eyes for several long moments before she stole a quick kiss and hugged the older woman hard, burying her face against her neck, breathing in her scent, a mixture of her shampoo, the leftover traces of her perfume, and her natural smell. It was like aromatherapy, lulling her into an even deeper sense of calm. Regina was here. Regina would protect her. It had all just been a bad dream. Yet a little part of her still expected to feel the acute stabs of pain in her abdomen.
Regina held her, her fingers running up and down the blonde's back through the thin cotton of her white tank top. "I'm here. You're safe. It was just a dream."
Emma held on as if her very life depended on it for a few more minutes, letting herself believe the woman who held her. Finally she pulled back with a sigh. She felt the urge to apologise again, but knew the gesture would be moot. There was no frustration in Regina's face at being woken up, only a flood of concern and unasked questions.
She wasn't ready to discuss these dreams she'd been having, that much she knew. She'd answer all Regina's questions eventually, but not tonight, not now. Their morning was going to start early and they'd already lost precious sleep as it was. She glanced back at her own side of the bed, the duvet a tangle. "Will you hold me until I fall back to sleep?"
Regina offered her a small smile and soft nod. "Of course darling." She helped the blonde lay back down, smoothing her hair as she rested her head on the pillow, before laying down facing her and pulling her in close. She placed a kiss on her forehead and then each eyelid. "I've got you. Just go back to sleep baby; I'm not going anywhere."
Emma smiled softly, breathing deeply. Feeling the mayor's presence so close calmed her and within a minute she found herself drifting off again. This time, her sleep was dreamless.
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"It's Saturday!"
Emma groaned and turned her face into her pillow at the excited voice of a five year old with way too much energy for this early in the morning. She felt the bed dip somewhere behind her and then all of a sudden it lurched. She managed to get out another groan before it lurched again. Her eyes snapped open and she brought them up to squint through the morning glow to the little body hopping up and down on the bed.
When Henry saw she was awake, he grinned. "It's Saturday!"
"So you've said." She wiped at an eye with the back of a fist.
"Momma's making us breakfast." He stopped jumping, tucking his legs up and falling through the air in a sitting position to land with a bounce on his rear end. Both his little hands wrapped around hers and pulled. "Come watch cartoons with me Emma!"
She sighed, sitting up and waving him off. "Alright. Go turn them on. I'll be right there."
Henry jumped to the floor and raced out of the room.
She ran a hand over her face before throwing the duvet off and trudging to the bathroom. She turned on the water, splashing it up over her face before looking into the mirror. She looked like she'd barely slept at all and she felt like it too. With a sigh, she picked up her toothbrush. Better brush her teeth, compose herself and get to the family room before Henry decided to come find her and got a good look at her. Or worse, Regina. The last thing she needed was the brunette cancelling their excursion to Boston because she thought Emma couldn't handle it. The blonde needed this day trip. And she was more than a little excited about their second date. Regina had showed her a little of her world, high class and sophisticated, on their first date. She had been in her element. Now it was Emma's turn. Regina wanted to see her world? Well she planned to show her.
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"Not even a little hint? Just a tiny one?" Regina pouted from the driver's seat as she pulled into a free parking space and threw the Mercedes into park. She jutted out her bottom lip just a little, her eyes big and round as she turned in her seat to regard the blonde in the passenger's seat.
Emma shook her head. "Nope. You made me wait on our first date; it's only fair." She shook her head again, ignoring the adorable pout.
Regina pursed her lips and crossed her arms, a stubborn look crossing her features. "Fine."
Emma grinned. "You look like Henry when you do that." She leaned across the space between them to steal a kiss.
Regina turned her lips away, but Emma just pressed the kiss to the brunette's cheek, undettered. She pulled back and opened her door, stepping out into the cold parking lot. She shut the door and rubbed her gloved hands together. She had dressed for their date later in her tightest pair of skinny jeans, which also happened to be her nicest pair, a form hugging black sweater and her red leather jacket that Gus had gotten her. She had put the wool coat on over it at Regina's insistance, the older woman insisting she'd catch a cold.
She heard the driver's door open and close and she glanced over her shoulder to see Regina regarding the hospital on the other side of the research center where the meetings were held. An apprehensive look crossed her face as she regarded the five story massive building. She had dressed in her own pair of skinny jeans at Emma's insistence, though she'd had to rip the tags off an unworn pair. She'd insisted on wearing a silk blouse and blazer, claiming it was a date and she needed to dress somewhat formally, despite Emma's objections that it wasn't necessary. She had claimed it was always necessary to look her best and Emma had dropped the subject.
The blonde walked around the car and put a hand on the blonde's forearm, distracting her from her thoughts and bringing brown eyes down to green. She offered the older woman a reassuring smile.
It took a moment but Regina finally returned it. She took a deep breath and held out a hand to the blonde. "Are you ready?"
Emma nodded, placing her hand in Regina's. "Let's do this."
Gaby was the only one in the small research classroom where their group met every month. She looked up when the door opened, smiling when she saw Regina. "Hey." Her eyes grew wide as she saw who the woman pulled in with her, grasping her firmly by the hand. "And Emma? Wow, what a surprise. I didn't expect to see you around. Cheryl will be so pleased. She was just emailing me about you the other day." She bustled over to them and gave them each a quick hug. "How's Henry doing?"
As Regina launched into a detailed and lengthy update on Henry's condition, mostly of medical terms Emma couldn't pronounce let alone define, she wandered over to the refreshment table, ignoring the putrid coffee for a glass of water.
She leaned back against the wall as she took some time to actually take in the room. It looked like a typical research classroom, medical posters on diabetes and osteoarthritis and other conditions were splashed here and there about the walls. One wall boasted a long table with computer terminals, all shut down when class wasn't in session. The wall at the front of the room had a white board, a long bar hanging from the roof above it where a projection screen could be pulled down. Rows of chairs lined the room and the blonde could just imagine that, when their little group wasn't in session, medical students from the hospital gathered in those very same seats to hear lectures from attendings and residents. Learning took place in this room. She hadn't been a student since before her child came into the world.
"You look thoughtful." Regina came up beside her.
Emma glanced over at the brunette before looking down into the glass of water she had yet to take a sip from. "I never finished school. I dropped out when I left the home; school was something I associated with being in the system and I wanted nothing to do with that. I got my GED a few years later, after I decided to clean my life up, but there are times I wonder who I'd be now... what I'd be now if I had just stuck it out." She shrugged, staring at those rows of chairs though she wasn't really seeing them. "Would I be on my way to becoming a doctor or a lawyer? Would I be studying art abroad in Rome? Maybe I'd be getting my pilot's license or becoming the head of some company." She glanced at the brunette with another shrug. "I guess I'll never know what I could've been."
Regina took the blonde's water cup from her hand and set it down on the refreshment table. She stepped up to the blonde, grabbing the younger woman's arms and wrapping them around her waist before she wrapped her own arms around Emma's neck. "I don't know what you would have been, but I for one, think what you became is more amazing than whatever that would have been. You are the master of Go Fish, the watcher of Saturday morning cartoons, the teller of bedtime stories, the orchestrator of snowball fights. You bring New York to Maine, contruct houses for snowmen, and throw dance parties in the middle of the afternoon. You help a sick little boy feel normal every single day." Tears gathered at the corners of the brunette's eyes but didn't fall. "You mean the world to a little boy, and to me. So, I'm not sure what you would have been, but I am sure that what you are is pretty magical."
Emma tightened her grip on the brunette's waist, staring into the woman's eyes. How did she always know the exact right things to say? How was she so perfect? Was this what it meant to find your soulmate? Emma couldn't help feeling like she'd discovered the rarest treasure completely by accident and now her life was richer than she'd ever be able to understand. It occurred to her that maybe the answer was to stop trying. "I love you."
That earned her another one of her favourite smiles and she knew in that moment that Regina was wondering how she knew the exact right thing to say too.
SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN
Regina looked around the neighbourhood they were driving through. There were less savoury places in Boston to be sure, but this particular section wasn't exactly known for its hospitable citizens. A sleek black Mercedes was a rolling target. She could only hope they were just passing through. But Emma had her make one more right turn and then pull over in front of a building that looked to be falling apart. The old brick six story's upper levels had its windows either boarded up or broken out. The fire scape was rusted with disuse. The brick itself was crumbling in some places. The building next door was just as dilapidated, but it had a trio of men sitting on the front steps.
All three were not people she'd associate with in life. One was in a hole covered wife beater visible through a half unzipped sports jacket and sweats. His blonde hair was thick, tattoos visible on his beefy neck. The second was thinner, but just as mean looking. He was pale with a shock of red hair underneath his pageboy cap. The third had his back to Regina, a hoodie up concealing any features, but she could tell he was shorter and leaner than the other two.
Regina was about to object to whatever it was they were doing here when, to her horror, Emma slipped out of the car, closing the door.
She looked towards the trio. "So, three Irishmen walk into a bar..."
Regina's eyes grew wide in alarm. Was Emma crazy? She didn't consider herself the least bit religious but she felt a sudden need to cross herself and pray.
But to her surprise the trio looked up... and smiled.
Emma grinned. She walked straight over and threw an arm around the blonde with the beefy neck, socking him playfully in the stomach. She hugged the pale redhead, but tensed when she looked at the guy in the hoodie, finally just giving an incline of her head in greeting.
Regina felt secure enough that Emma obviously knew these people and got out of the car.
Emma looked up at the sound of the Mercedes door closing and grinned, waving her over. She met the brunette halfway and gripped her hand, pulling her towards the group. "I'd like you to meet Damian." The blonde nodded. "Patrick." The redhead took off his cap and inclined his head. Emma paused. "And Breena."
Regina could see now that the figure in the hoodie was a girl, her long light brown hair hidden away, tucked into the hood. She didn't say anything in geeting, merely looked Regina up and down and the mayor got a decidedly hostile feeling from the woman.
"Guys, this is Regina." She beamed at the brunette and Regina instantly forgot the glare of the woman in the hood. Her eyes were only focused on the affectionate gaze of the blonde.
The blonde beefcake let out a wolf whistle. "Swan finally got herself a las. And a fair one at that. Never thought I'd see the day."
Emma rolled her eyes before gesturing towards the Mercedes with a tilt of her head.
Patrick nodded. "We'll keep watch."
Emma grasped Regina's hand and pulled her backward, leading her across the street.
The brunette hadn't noticed the squat brick building across the way with the dark green front door. There were windows but they were blacked out and there were no signs indicating the establishment wasn't just as abandoned as the other buildings. "What is this place?"
Emma smiled over her shoulder at the brunette. "You'll see. It's owned by the closest thing I've ever had to a family before Storybrooke, before you."
Regina had a feeling she wouldn't like this place, but she couldn't object to the bright glint in the blonde's eyes. She tossed one last look at her Mercedes before Emma threw the green door open and pulled her inside.