Thank you for the reviews! I really love getting them. Another shout out to my girl Pixip53 because she's awesome and somehow manages to keep up with my manic mind flawlessly.
Enjoy, my pretties! *hops about happily*
Songs: My Madilyn Bailey Pandora station, so all over the place because there is a lot packed in here. But, I decided during this chapter that Batch's song will be I Was Here by Beyoncé, so enjoy that.
Emma woke alone to damnable birds chirping outside the window and the sun blinding her from the East-facing window. This very reason signified their continued desire for the master bedroom. She and Regina hated mornings. Despite the harsh awakening, she finally felt rested in her body and her mind, perhaps her karmic reward for being so nice to Regina the previous night. Blinking slowly, she glanced around the room for any sign of Regina. Finding none, she checked the table for the monitor, finding only her phone. A shot of panic tore through her, and she forced a deep breath into her lungs. She trusted Regina with the kids, right?
With shaking hands, she checked her phone, forcing herself to go through her normal waking up routine when Annabel wasn't screaming for breakfast or something cold against her gums. She found two texts waiting, one from Ruby and the other from Regina. She checked Regina's first.
Breakfast is waiting. The time stamp told Emma that she'd sent it a few minutes prior. Must have been what pulled her completely from the comfy place between sleep and reality. A smile spread without her permission, and no amount of berating from the smarter half of her brain diminished it.
"Damn it, Swan," she cursed aloud and pulled up Ruby's text message.
Hey, yo! 1) you okay? You sounded pretty out of it last night. 2) I need you to go across the line with me to get something. Belle knows.
The fuck you need to cross the line for? Emma tapped out instantly and forced herself out of bed. This felt worthy of rising and shining, a worthy cause that wasn't Regina's amazing cooking.
Jack and I finally figured out what to do about the wolves, and we need to get equipment. Just trust me. This is great.
What are we getting?
If Belle doesn't know yet, I'm sure as hell not telling you. It's a surprise, and I need your help. You in?
Fine. Breakfast first. Come get me in an hour or so. Belle can stay with Regina and the kids today. Emma pushed down the instant and gut-clenching worry. Regina had done beautifully with the kids the past couple days. They'd be fine, right?
Checking the balcony, Emma crossed to her room to find more clothes than boy shorts and a sheer white tank top. She threw on the first pair of jeans and bra she found and then pulled the tank back on.
Cool. Stacy and I are just finalizing everything now, so I'll be over in bit. What the hell had Ruby done?
Curious but not aching, Emma left it for the moment and stumbled down the stairs. Her boot slipped, and she cursed her sore arms as she caught herself on the rail and then glanced around to see who had seen. No one. One of those mornings, uncoordinated as hell. She chuckled at herself and made her way to the kitchen. Chaos greeted her in the usually clean and orderly room.
Henry tossed a toothy grin at her as she entered. "Mom taught us how to make eggs benedict. I made the biscuits," he announced proudly, and Emma smiled.
"You guys on the patio?" He nodded. "Meet you out there. Can't wait to try it." She kissed the side of his head, and he grabbed the jug of milk that he'd come after and heralded her arrival as he slipped out the back door.
Emma rubbed her eyes with a thumb and forefinger, waking herself up for the assault of stimulation before coffee. Filling a cup of coffee and a glass of water, she took a deep breath and faced the day with a smile. A round of excited "mornings" greeted her, and she felt all of the morning grumps leave her. This. She needed this.
"Good morning, Savior," Regina said smoothly, her deep voice sounding happy. Emma sat her drinks on the glass table and then surprised the shit out of everyone when she rounded the chairs with calculated steps, buried her fingers in Regina's dark hair, and leaned over for a slow good morning kiss.
"Good morning, your majesty," she whispered and then dipped further and kissed the tiny girl in Regina's lap with applesauce on her chin. She smelled the sunblock on the infant's skin, safe and comfortable in the bright morning, and grinned. Yeah, she liked this. So did her kids.
She sat across from Regina and took a sip of coffee before digging in. She cracked a biscuit on her plate. "So who made what?" She asked generally and shared a grin with Regina when a cacophony of voices coming from only two people exploded on the patio.
"I made the biscuits," Henry proudly announced again.
"I made the Hollandaise sauce and the eggs," Katy offered. Batch grinned bashfully at her friend and nudged her shoulder. "Batch made the apples and cinnamon." The girl nodded happily, obviously just as proud as the other two, and Emma's heart reached to orphaned wolf.
"I fried the bacon and ham," Regina supplied as Emma finished drizzling the yellow sauce over her biscuit, egg, and bacon combination.
"Did I put this together right?" Emma asked glancing around the table. Regina nodded and offered another bite of apple sauce to her youngest. Emma dipped some of the apples onto her plate and stabbed one with her fork, tasting it first. "Oh my god, why don't we make this for breakfast more often?" Batch beamed even as she bowed her head at the praise, and Emma smiled discreetly at Katy who seemed grateful that she'd taken the time to acknowledge her friend's need to belong. It wasn't necessarily for their benefit as Emma continued producing yummy noises and took a second serving of everything.
"I'll make a crisp for dinner if you'd like," Regina offered, and everyone looked at Emma expectantly. Ah, they wanted her approval for Regina's presence at dinner.
"If Belle and Ruby don't stay, sure. I don't want to make Belle sick with cinnamon," Emma agreed easily. She loved having this Regina around. Plus, her cooking far surpassed hers and Belle's and rivaled Ruby's on a mastery level, but only because of Ruby's wolf senses.
"They won't. They've finally purchased their house," Regina informed her, and Emma froze with the fork on her tongue. Regina shrugged. "The bookworm and the princess text."
"She know what Ruby's plans are for the wolves? Ruby texted me this morning," Emma carried on as though not a bad moment had passed in their relationship. Regina took a bite of her egg combination and shook her head.
Batch perked up and looked ready to say something, maybe ask for an elaboration. "Jack," she said forcefully. An anger they'd never seen on the girl danced in her eyes.
"Jack is on board, Batch," Emma assured her and almost offered to show her the text, remembered that she couldn't read, and sighed. "He and Ruby aren't going to let anything happen to you, okay?"
Batch shook her head in frustration. "No," she said, obviously trying to say something else.
"Hey," Katy said and touched her shoulder, squeezing lightly. "It's okay. We just need a verb here. Jack, what?" Batch met her gaze in confusion, grateful for the patience and obviously trusting Katy more than the rest of them but still unsure what Katy asked.
"You know, an action verb? Jack ran. Jack is… that sort of thing?" Katy elaborated without sounding condescending.
"Jack," she pointed at her fork, indicating that the utensil indicated the man in question. Katy nodded, picking up her cues easily. Maybe they'd done it before. "Ru-bay," she pointed to the salt shaker. Katy's brow furrowed but she nodded again. Batch held both of them up at the same height and then moved them in a slow circular motion until the salt shaker towered over the fork.
"Jack considers Ruby his alpha?" Katy asked, unsure of what she said. Batch nodded enthusiastically. Batch held up the fork and waved it emphatically, and then touched her chest above her heart? "Love?" Batch nodded. "Jack loves Ruby."
Batch paused, nodded, and then tapped her chest again. "Me," she said and nodded, willing Katy to understand.
"Jack loves you?" Katy asked, and Batch nodded and then held up the salt shaker. "Ruby," Katy followed. Batch touched it to her chest. "Ruby loves you?" Batch shook her head, held up the salt shaker, and touched the fork to her heart. "Jack loves you like a daughter?" Batch nodded.
"Are you Ruby's sister?" Emma piped up, too shocked for propriety. Batch shook her head sadly like she wanted that to be true.
She opened her mouth, closed it, huffed in frustration. "Stay with Low-ran," she said.
"You don't want to go back to the cave because Jack loves you like a daughter?" Katy asked. Batch nodded sadly, and everyone stared at the teen in confusion. She held up her finger and then stood, presented her back to them, and raised her shirt. A very old scar mangled her shoulder. Katy jumped up and wrapped the girl in a fierce hug, coming to a conclusion about something.
"You weren't born a wolf," she whined, hurting with her new friend. "Jack turned you because you reminded him of Ruby." Batch nodded into her neck and fisted the back of her shirt tightly.
Regina and Emma glanced at each other, not a bit surprised to find the other with a hand over her mouth in a gesture of shock or perhaps disgust. Ruby had just found solid ground with her previously estranged father, but no one wanted to say it aloud. He'd obviously traumatized the girl, even if he had taken her in as he should have. What the hell happened to her?
"How old were you when he bit you?" Katy asked without releasing her.
"Al-ex," Batch said.
"You were about Alex's age?" Batch nodded. "But wolves don't change until they're 13, right?" She looked at her mothers who nodded a confirmation. Batch released her and returned to her seat. She'd not dissolved into tears as they'd thought. She picked up the salt shaker and slammed it on top of the fork and then glanced around for them, no explanation required of exactly what she wanted Ruby to do. Take Jack's alpha status.
"No cave," she declared. "Ru-bay." Her chin tipped upward a bit as she hit her chest, showing her strength and pride.
Katy smiled and wrapped an arm around Batch's shoulders as she sat. "I think all wolves should live like Ruby, too," she agreed, and Batch grinned at her with a brightness in her eyes that she sometimes got when someone really understood her. She then turned those bright eyes to the two adults too stunned to comment on the new knowledge, glancing between them to spark some sort of response.
"Batch, if you don't want to go back to Jack, we'll make sure you don't have to," Emma promised, putting her anger aside to comfort the anxious teen.
Batch gave one sharp nod of acknowledgement. She reached for another biscuit, retracted her hand, and looked at them again. Wolves had huge appetites. If a normal person consumed 2,000 calories without any intense exercises, a wolf easily consumed at least twice that. They required a lot more energy to maintain their strength and senses.
"Eat as much as you'd like, Sweetheart," Regina said and touched her arm. Batch smiled and reached for the biscuit again. "Are there more wolves who feel this way?" Batch nodded, brow furrowed in confusion. "Are their wolves who are unwavering in their loyalty to Jack?" Batch thought about the question for a moment and then nodded slowly.
Regina's eyes jumped to Emma's. Ruby was about to get herself into an alpha power struggle whether Jack stood united with her or not.
"She knows what she up against, guys," Katy assured them. "It's why she's working with Jack instead of just dethroning him even though he should have gotten off his ass and done something ages ago," Katy snapped harshly, her respect for Jack falling quickly.
Batch touched her arm and shook her head, confusing all of them. "Jack good. No cave."
"Exactly," Ruby's voice called behind them as she entered the patio from the kitchen like she owned the place. She leaned over and snagged a piece of bacon and shoved it in her mouth cheekily. Her eyes went wide and she whipped around inhumanly. "Belle, don't…"
"Bloody cinnamon-mongers," an accented voice cursed them from the kitchen, followed by the sound of her chucks slapping on hardwood.
Ruby winced and then turned back to them with a look that said 'save me' on her face. "I'm so used to being overloaded by cinnamon that I don't even smell it anymore sometimes."
"Where's Alex?" Katy asked, just now noticing the girl's absence.
Ruby shrugged and squeezed between Emma and Katy on the bench and fixed a huge ham biscuit. "At Granny's. We had breakfast with her this morning, and Alex couldn't bear the thought of being parted with her today." She chomped into the biscuit and hummed.
"I made the biscuits," Henry said, much more subdued than the first few times he'd said it.
Ruby grinned at him, her jaws puffing out like a chipmunk. Batch and Henry laughed at her while Katy rolled her eyes with a grin on her lips. Ruby swallowed roughly and snagged Emma's coffee, taking a big swig. "You about ready to go? I don't want to leave my heart in Belle's chest any longer than necessary. Her body is already making two wolves."
"Emma?" Regina sat straighter, coiling with tension.
"Uhh, Rubes needs my help. I'll be back later. Belle is going to hang with you guys today. Could you call the principal and get Katy's exam times set up and take care of that other thing she asked for last night?" Emma handed the reins to The Queen easily who looked more than a little shocked. Emma grinned. Life seemed easier when they focused on the kids.
"Absolutely," Regina accepted responsibility with enthusiasm, and Emma smiled.
"Great. Let's go. Belle wants to clean our house tonight," Ruby subtly slipped her new title of homeowner into the conversation. Everyone reacted with bittersweet excitement.
"How do you feel?" Emma asked, and Ruby shrugged while taking another hunk out of the sandwich. The bright gleam in her eyes said everything, though. Scared and unbelievably happy.
"Where is it?" Regina asked. "I'm certain we'll be requested to assist with the task." The kids and Emma groaned, knowing it to be the truth.
Ruby grinned wider and swallowed. "Across the street. Alex is so used to being here that we thought it'd be best to keep her close. Not to mention, I'd feel better with two biggest badasses in Storybrooke as neighbors, given recent circumstances," Ruby added in a light tone, sparing Katy's feelings. The girl looked positively dashed anyway. Ruby bumped her shoulder amiably.
"We're still kicking, kid. Plus, Alex starts preschool this fall, and I like knowing she's got a good babysitter who can ride the bus with her while Belle and I are at work," Ruby tossed out the responsibility as if it were nothing to her at all to trust Katy implicitly, and the teen lit up.
"I can do that," she promised, taking the responsibility in stride. Of course, Regina would still be unemployed at that point and loved the kid like one of her own, but giving the task specifically to Katy offered the girl that chance to feel like she actually did something to make up for her past mistakes.
"Great because I'm going to be huge in a few months," Belle's raspy, unenthusiastic voice called from the yard. They glanced over the rail to find her on the bench, keeping a safe distance from the cinnamon-infused apples and the kitchen. "If you feed my daughter cinnamon, however, I shall curse you all."
"Mom, can we go to the youth center after we clean up?" Katy directed towards Regina. "It was supposed to open by the start of summer, but we missed it. I want to get everything ready by the end of June."
"Of course, Sweetheart. Start clearing the dishes and load the washer. Henry leftovers. Put them in baggies. Aunt Ruby and your mother can take them on their trip," Regina instructed the kids. Batch looked at her expectantly, wanting a chore, too. Regina grinned. "Batch, would you mind cleaning the kitchen? We made a terrible mess this morning." The wolf nodded happily and followed the other two inside with full hands.
Ruby wandered off the deck to check on Belle, and Emma sipped what coffee Ruby left her, unable to hide her grin. "You doing okay?" She asked, and Regina released a tense sigh.
"I think I've more than earned my prize," she answered, her sultry tone sliding straight into Emma's stomach and igniting a slow burn there.
"Tonight," she promised. "We'll send the kids to help Belle and Ruby and give us an hour or two to ourselves." The plot sounded solid, and the devilish look Ruby tossed in their direction told them all they needed to know. Their friends had their backs, even for kinky slightly evil Savior and Queen sex.
"I'd like your word in writing, Savior," Regina challenged the promise. Emma grinned and took a big gulp of the water previously untouched, and The Queen licked her lips.
"Thanks for last night," Emma said almost sheepishly, embarrassed that she'd gone to Regina of all people for comfort.
"I survived," Regina clipped, sounding more annoyed than she actually was. Emma smiled at her. She'd enjoyed the physical closeness more than she cared to admit, and decided that she never would. "I'll ensure that Henry and Belle continue mending their relationship," she changed the subject to the one they always felt comfortable discuss, their kids.
Emma nodded. "That's good. She made a big impact yesterday at the skating rink." Regina nodded, having heard all about it while they prepared dinner.
Emma scooted until she sat beside Regina, straddling the bench to keep a bit of distance while touching Regina's knee with her own. "Do you think I should talk to Ruby about what Batch said?" They both glanced towards the wolf they loved like a sister.
"She's only just begun to reconcile with her father. Perhaps, it would be prudent to refrain until they've settled the wolves," Regina suggested and leaned over to place Annabel into her play pen. The tiny thing immediately grabbed her keys and stuck them into her mouth.
When she turned around, she swung one leg over the bench and scooted forward. Emma's eyes darkened with desire as she levered herself on her hands and moved forward until her legs encircled Emma's hips over her thighs. The Savior grabbed her hips, fingers digging into flesh through the black silk pajama bottoms. Regina responded with a hum, wrapped her arms around Emma's neck, and started a slow, barely noticeable rock in her hips. The position and the motion put pressure on her entrance and wet nether lips but not enough leverage to touch her clit.
"How long do you intend to play your game with the water, Dear?" She asked against the shell of Emma's ear, and The Savior shuddered.
"Why? You like it?" Emma returned, unable to stop her hands from slipping beneath the silk top to squeeze and caress Regina's waist and ribs, brush the underside of her breasts.
Regina gasped at the added stimulation and nipped Emma's jaw as she pulled back to catch hazy green eyes. "Perhaps we should raise the stakes. If you reach the end of your glass, I must submit to you for an entire evening, or a time of your choosing if you wish to prepare for the encounter. A proper punishment."
Nails pressed into her ribs, and Regina smirked lasciviously. "Am I to assume you agree to the new terms of our arrangement?"
"Somehow I don't see The Queen submitting to anyone, not even me," Emma laid her counterargument at Regina's feet.
Hands glided over Emma's sculpted collarbones. Dark eyes held stormy green as they dropped lower and cupped Emma's breasts. A harsh sigh tore from Emma's throat at the first hint of gentle pressure. Nipples strained against her cotton bra, and Regina maneuvered her hands to brush her thumbs over them teasingly.
"Regina, the kids," Emma protested without any real conviction.
Regina leaned forward without moving her hands and pressed her cheek to Emma's. "Even though the wolf and bookworm may see what a good girl you are at any moment?" Emma's hips searched for friction without her permission, and Regina chuckled darkly in her ear. "Do you want them to watch me make you beg, Savior?"
"Regina," Emma moaned, confused by the image of her friends observing Regina riding her face. She'd never even thought about exhibitionism until Regina mentioned in the previous night. Now, it repeated in her head.
"I'd like Amelia to watch what a slut you are for your queen," Regina rumbled directly into her ear, not one trace of shame at her jealousy. "Would you like that, Savior?"
Emma nodded, her mouth suddenly too dry to speak. All the moisture in her body dove towards her pussy at once, and she felt helpless to the urges this part of Regina evoked. Her body spoke and granted respite to her heart and mind. Emma loved it.
"I'd love to fuck your tight ass, Savior," Regina continued, and Emma leaned forward to hide her burning face in The Queen's neck.
"I've n-never…" Emma stuttered.
Regina hummed, vibrating Emma's forehead with the sound. "Mine," she possessed the aforementioned territory. Emma gasped, slightly scared and turned on by the possessiveness in Regina's voice.
"Fuck," she muttered.
Regina glanced around. The children worked in the kitchen out of sight from the picnic table and their friends spoke softly to each other, probably about Ruby's trip out of town if Belle's tightened features indicated anything. Regina dropped her feet to the floor and raised Emma's legs to mirror her previous position.
"What are you doing?" Emma asked quietly into Regina's neck.
"Shhh, there are wolves about, dear," Regina reminded her and caressed her breasts again. When a hand sank to her crotch, Emma's eyes jerked up to stare hard at Ruby and Belle who obviously had fallen deep in conversation. Magic tingled against her clit, and Emma bit her forearm to keep from crying out.
"Are you watching them, Savior?" Regina asked, her eyes carefully pointed at the door, vigilant of their children's close proximity. Emma nodded, pulling roughly at the skin of her arm. Regina increased the amount of magic, and heat rose in Emma's chest and face, the bubble of pleasure expanding in her stomach. Her body shook with the exertion of holding perfectly still, and Regina smirked. She'd been so close before she'd ever touched the blonde.
"Come for me, Emma. Show them what a good girl you are," Regina encouraged against her ear and pressed the heel of her hand to her lover's crotch, adding physical stimulation to the magic. Emma's body shuddered violently, almost falling onto the floor from the force if not for Regina's steady arm around her back. She dropped her forehead to Regina's shoulder and breathed heavily, whimpering when Regina retracted the magic stimulation. She wanted more, she wanted Regina right then.
"Wear those jeans today. I want her to know what you've done as much as you do," Regina instructed, and Emma shuddered again.
"Fuck you. I'm soaked," Emma protested raggedly, and Regina chuckled.
"Wear them or I'll return to Granny's after dinner," The Queen threatened.
Emma raised her head with a hard glare in her eyes. "This is payback for the water, isn't it?"
Regina raised an eyebrow and then shoved Emma abruptly to the side. The Savior stumbled, barely catching herself before she hit the deck and then pulled to her full height on shaky legs to glare at The Queen as she sauntered towards the kitchen. Regina may have been the only woman on the planet who made baggy pajamas look sexy.
"Enjoy your trip, Savior," she tossed over her shoulder with a little wave.