Regina was warm. And not just your ordinary "wow, it's a bit warm in here, isn't it?"-warm.
No, she was boiling. Stewing.
The brunette slowly opened her eyes to find out why she was so warm.
The reason immediately made her smile.
Laura was basically lying on top of her. The redhead was fast asleep, with her legs completely entwined with Regina's.
And that was very nice. Except it was a bit… Warm.
So, Regina gave the younger woman a soft nudge. "Laura?"
"Mhmm?" Laura mumbled without opening her eyes.
"You're lying on top of me, dear," Regina slyly informed her.
"And so what?" Laura retorted.
"It's very warm."
"Don't care." Laura said plainly and shifted slightly so she now very literally was lying on top of Regina.
Regina chuckled slightly and bit back a little gasp. Her breasts were very much being sandwiched underneath Laura's, but this was definitely not the time to get aroused. She was still tired from last night, and after her first taste of magic, Regina couldn't imagine that Laura wasn't tired.
"Why is it that I have to leave you and your little fairytale town?" Laura muttered.
Fairytale. That made the wheels in Regina's head turn.
"Why haven't you asked me yet?" she inquired.
"Asked you what?" Laura replied and raised her head slightly.
"Well…" Regina wheedled. "You have asked about every last citizen in Storybrooke and been amused when I tell you who they actually are, but you haven't asked me who I am. Why?"
"Oh." Laura rubbed a hand over her face and looked at Regina with her beautiful blue eyes. "That's because I don't care."
"Pardon?"
Laura rubbed her foot against Regina's ankle. "I don't really care who you were in some Enchanted Forest. I'm much more interested in knowing who you are now and about your future and stuff…"
Once again, Regina was slightly amazed by Laura's laid back attitude. But she still felt like she should give Laura some sort of warning. "I wasn't one of the good guys," she said half-heartedly. "In fact, I was very… Bad."
"Okay." Laura said. She rolled off Regina but didn't flee from her. The redhead just calmly raised on her elbows to look at Regina.
"I've done some pretty bad stuff in the past," Regina continued slowly. "I thought that was the only way of life."
"And what changed your perspective?" Laura asked.
"My son," Regina said and smiled. "I adopted Henry and along the way I realized that I wanted to better myself for him. It was hard, but I think I made it pretty good."
"Sounds like you've been on one hell of a journey," Laura observed and drew lazy patterns on Regina's arm.
"I have." Regina confirmed, and then laughed. "It's a bit surreal to talk so calmly about it with you. I expected you to…"
"Run for the hills?" Laura suggested.
"Yes, something like that."
Laura sniggered. "Nope. Sorry. You're not getting rid of me that easily, Ms. Witch."
"My son is not really attending college abroad. He's in another realm," Regina said just to be rid of one more lie.
"Okay. Your son is in another realm. Still not shocked."
"Emma is his birth mother."
"Fine. You're co-parenting him. Still shockingly calm," Laura grinned.
"Is there any chance you're not from this world either?" Regina quipped. "You're taking all of this very well."
Laura chuckled. "You have no idea how many times I've been sitting in my gran's garden as a child, dreaming of mermaids and other worlds. Nine year old me is jumping with excitement right now."
Regina laughed and pulled Laura into her arms. It didn't take long before Laura kissed her sweetly, and Regina thought to herself that Zelena had been correct. I have definitely hit the jackpot.
She felt so very fortunate and would have liked to extend this moment with a few minutes. Or a few hours. But their kiss came to a natural end when Laura's stomach growled.
"Hungry?" Regina chuckled.
"Absolutely starving. But I think that's to be expected after last night," Laura said cheekily.
"Yes, last night was rather… Magical."
"That was an incredibly bad joke, Ms. Mills."
"How dare you," Regina sniggered and hopped out of bed, shrugging on a robe.
Laura smirked as she climbed out of bed as well and slipped her panties and tanktop back on. Then she with much further ado strutted past Regina and downstairs.
Regina grinned. She had absolutely zero problems with having Laura pottering around in the kitchen dressed like that. In fact, she liked it. Very much.
After their breakfast (scrambled eggs and bacon), and a shower, the pair ended up walking aimlessly around in Storybrooke. Time was running out. They were nearly at the point where Regina had to drive Laura back to Boston.
"But I don't want to leave," Laura said firmly.
Regina squeezed her hand slightly and shifted on the bench they were sitting on.
"Seriously," Laura continued. "This has been the most amazing weekend."
"It has," Regina nodded and saw out of the corner of her eye, Emma rounding the corner. "But I'm sure we'll have plenty of other weekends together," the brunette continued.
Laura chuckled a little and clicked her tongue. "This is the first time I've been tempted to not give a damn about my store…"
"Don't say that," Regina warned. "You love that place. You didn't talk of anything else the first few months we chatted."
"Mmm, that was before our conversation turned R-rated," Laura smirked.
"Indeed."
Laura absentmindedly drew circles on the soft spot between Regina's thumb and second finger. Then she looked up at Regina. A smile tugged at her lips when she said: "Do something magical."
"Any special requests?" Regina joked.
"Nope. Just something."
"Mmm…" Regina considered it for a moment. Then she chuckled and flicked her wrist, making a little bird appearing in Laura's palm.
Laura smiled widely. "Aww." She said. "Can I bring him back to Boston with me?"
"Afraid not," Regina said in mock sadness. "He belongs in Storybrooke."
"Shame. He's cute. Like you."
Regina actually snorted at that. "Cute?" she echoed and rolled her eyes. "Did you just call me cute?"
"Yep," Laura said and laughed shamelessly in Regina's face.
Regina clicked her tongue and waved her hand again, making a second bird appear. This time, sitting on Laura's knee.
Laura chuckled and took the bird up in her hand. It didn't take long before both birds took of and leapt for the sky.
"Think they'll stick around until I come back the next time?"
"If I ask them to," Regina quipped.
"What about you, Ms. Mills? Will you stick around too?" Laura asked and took Regina's hand again.
"Of course I will." Regina assured. "This isn't the end of all things. We'll still have the chat site."
"Thank god for the chat site," Laura joked. Then she looked seriously at Regina. "Can I say something about Paris?"
"Of course," Regina said. True, they hadn't talked about it since Laura spontaneously invited Regina to come, but it wasn't a forbidden subject either.
"I just wanna say I'm sorry for springing it on you like that," Laura said. "And I totally understand if you don't…."
"I'm still considering it," Regina gently interrupted.
Laura's face lit up. "Oh. Okay. I just thought…."
"What?"
Laura shrugged. It was probably meant to be casual, but she looked quite tense when she said: "I was afraid I might have been… You know, pressuring you. You know me," she grinned a little. "As delicate as a blunt knife."
Regina chuckled and squeezed Laura's hand. "I think that's one of the many things I cherish about you. Your bluntness. And as for Paris, I'm still considering it. Is that okay?"
"Of course it's okay," Laura said. "Absolutely. Take as much time to consider as you need."
It was impossible to tell who leaned in first. Could have been Laura, but it could also very well have been Regina. Either way, they kissed each other. Right there. On the bench. And Regina couldn't care less about potential witnesses. Truthfully, she didn't care for much else when Laura was here.
It was a glorious moment. Regina desperately wished she could extend it with a few hours or a few days, but magical abilities or not, she couldn't stop time, and the damned clock kept ticking. They had a long drive ahead of them. Four hours to Boston. And Regina would like to reach Maine before it became insanely late, so…
"We better get going," she said.
Laura nodded grimly. "I guess so." then her sour expression lifted a bit when she said: "At least I get to spend four hours with you in the car."
"Aren't you lucky." Regina deadpanned as they walked back to the mansion to pack Laura's things.
Packing Laura's things didn't take long, so the couple briefly stopped by Granny's and ordered two cups of coffee to go for the car ride. Laura had cheekily said that she would definitely need coffee after the magical night she'd had.
Regina had rolled her eyes. But honestly, she was just as tired.
"We do have time to sit for two minutes, don't we?" Laura said as they waited for their coffee. Granny's was as usually quite crowded.
Regina nodded, and they found an empty booth where they could sit and wait for their coffee.
Their booth didn't remain empty for long, though. It didn't take long before Snow turned up. She offered Laura a kind smile and said: "Are you going back to Boston today?"
"Yeah, I am," Laura confirmed with a slight pout. "I don't exactly feel like going home, but…"
Snow chuckled a little. "You'll come back, though, won't you?"
Regina shot her former stepdaughter a warning look. Stop fishing for information, god damnit. Snow was almost as bad as Zelena sometimes.
"Of course, I will," Laura said. "Definitely."
Regina shot Snow another look. You've got what you came for. Now kindly leave us alone.
But that was not how things worked, apparently. Life wasn't a wish-factory. Snow settled down next to them. And Laura engaged in a conversation with her.
"I like your town," the young redhead said. "It's quite… magical." She turned to Regina. "Pun intended."
"And what a horrible pun that was," Regina congratulated her.
Laura chuckled and shook her head. "I still can't believe I've actually exchanged garden tips with Snow White and Prince Charming."
Snow pursed her lips slightly. "You seem… Very well informed."
"As I said, I let it slip." Regina said plainly.
"And I didn't run," Laura grinned.
"And you don't think we're a bunch of crazy people either?" Snow asked and smiled a little.
"I'm pretty sure Mr. Welsh is far crazier than anyone in Storybrooke," Laura said and shrugged. "Mr. Welsh is one of my customers," she added. "Buys tons of flowers, but he's completely bonkers."
"Mr. Welsh…." Regina said slowly when she realized that she had heard that name before. "Was the one who…?"
"Yep," Laura grinned and squeezed Regina's hand. "He was."
"The one who what?" Snow asked rather curiously.
"Nothing," Regina said immediately. There were certain things she didn't need to share with Snow White. And almost getting caught "making out" in the back of Laura's shop with Laura was definitely one of them.
"Coffee's up," Granny called from the counter, and Regina squeezed Laura's hand again. "Shall we?"
"I guess so." Laura said and grimaced again.
They grabbed their coffee and before heading outside, Laura turned to Snow again. "It was really nice to meet you."
"Likewise," Snow smiled. "Thank you for the garden tips. They were really useful."
Laura chuckled dryly. "Giving gardening tips to Snow White. That's not something you get to do every day."
"No, it isn't. Come and visit us again," Snow said as she without much further ado pulled Laura into a hug.
Regina rolled her eyes and bit back a scoff.
But Laura appeared to be delighted and returned the hug. And furthermore, she didn't look like she found it awkward in any way.
After Regina quietly cleared her throat, Snow let go of Laura though, and allowed the couple to leave Granny's.
But they had barely made it outside before they ran into Emma, Killian and Zelena.
"Hey," Emma greeted. "Back to Boston again?"
"Yeah," Laura nodded. "Time's up. Unfortunately."
"Well, your flowers won't just sell themselves, will they?" Regina remarked with a raised eyebrow.
"No, I guess they won't." Laura agreed. "But it was really fun meeting all of you."
"Come back and see us sometimes," Zelena said and smirked slightly.
Yes, exactly like Snow White.
"Oh, I will," Laura assured. "Won't I, Regina?"
"Well, I should hope so," Regina said plainly, earning another not-so-discreet smirk from Zelena.
But the smile she got from Laura was totally worth Zelena's teasing.
After a few minutes, Emma, Killian and Zelena let the couple go about their business, and Regina and Laura headed towards the Mercedes. Laura turned around and said a final goodbye, and as they climbed into the Mercedes, Regina was pretty sure she heard Killian say something that sounded like "quite a lass" or something like that.
They drove through Storybrooke, and Laura immediately picked up on the "whoosh" when they crossed the town line.
"What was that?" she asked curiously.
"That was just my magic disappearing. I don't have magic outside Storybrooke," Regina explained.
"Oh. I guess that makes sense."
"It does?"
"Yeah. I've never seen you do magic in Boston," Laura shrugged and leaned back in the car seat.
"Tired?" Regina asked with a little glint in her eyes.
"Mmm, a little. I didn't get much sleep last night. You should be tired too, Ms. Mills."
"It's fine. I've had coffee."
"So have I, but I'm still tired."
"Poor thing," Regina mocked sweetly.
"Are you seriously not tired?"
"No," Regina boasted.
"Bullshit," Laura said plainly, and they both laughed.
Regina was tired. And especially when they finally reached Boston. Exactly four hours later, the Mercedes pulled up in front of "The Secret Garden".
"Walk me up?" Laura asked as she slung her overnight bag over her shoulder.
"Of course."
Laura unlocked the door. Regina was immediately greeted by the smell of flowers, and she quickly realized that she had missed it.
"Home, sweet home," Laura muttered as they walked up the stairs and she unlocked her apartment door.
Regina nodded and smiled when she looked around in the colorful apartment. She had missed that too.
"Do you want a cup of coffee before you hit the road again?" Laura offered. "It'll only take me a minute to make it."
"Coffee sounds good." Regina smiled. Maybe a cup of coffee would keep her awake.
That one cup of coffee quickly turned into three cups of coffee, and Regina quickly ended up dawdling and extending her stay just a minute. And then another minute. And then another.
"More coffee?" Laura offered.
Regina nodded and let the younger woman pour her a third cup of coffee.
Once the cup was empty, Regina said: "I really should get back on the road now." She rose from her seat and shrugged her blazer back on.
Laura stood from her chair too. She locked her fingers on the lapels of Regina's blazer to pull her closer. Then she said: "Or you could stay here instead."
Regina raised an eyebrow.
"I mean it," Laura said and entwined their fingers instead. "Stay. Just tonight."
"Laura…"
"I really can't send you out on a four hour long drive," Laura continued. "It's getting late. You're tired. You need to rest. We'll order Chinese or Thai or whatever you like and go to bed early. How does that sound?"
"This was not a part of the original plan," Regina pointed out. "I didn't bring anything. I don't have a toothbrush…"
"I have an extra," Laura interrupted. "It has never been unwrapped. You can borrow that."
"…Or a deodorant."
"I have an extra of those too."
"I didn't bring anything to sleep in," Regina insisted.
"Well, I happen to have a secret stash of silk pajamas lying around," Laura quipped, but, after earning an eyeroll from Regina continued: "No, jokes aside. But I definitely have something you can sleep in. That won't be a problem at all." Without releasing her grip on the lapels of Regina's blazer, the redhead leaned forward and pecked Regina's lips.
"Why do you have to be so fucking convincing?" Regina complained. "It's not fair."
"Stay." Laura said and pecked Regina's lips again.
"Laura... You're not playing fair."
"Stay," Laura said again, and her voice dropped an octave. "Just tonight."
"Laura…"
"Please?" she whispered in Regina's ear. "Please?"
"I…" Regina felt how all of her fine arguments began to crumble. Why not? You don't have any plans tomorrow. And Laura's right, it IS getting rather late, isn't it? You're tired. Not even three cups of coffee can change that. It could be dangerous to drive when you're this tired.
"Fine." Regina surrendered without much further ado. "I'll stay. But just tonight. tomorrow I will have to go home."
"Of course," Laura beamed and leaned in and kissed Regina again. "You're staying." She said, and her face almost split in half. That's how hard she was smiling.
"I'm staying," Regina confirmed and now she was grinning too. Laura's enthusiasm was adorable.
"Do you want something special for dinner?" Laura asked. "That sandwich place definitely wasn't very good, was it?"
"No, it wasn't," Regina acknowledged. "Just order whatever you want. I'm not picky when it comes to junk food."
Laura sniggered and as she muttered something about Chinese not being typical junk food, Regina found her phone and started typing:
"Staying in Boston until tomorrow. Kindly don't blow up the town while I'm gone."
She had no choice but to send it to Zelena. Otherwise the former Wicked Witch would "attack" Regina tomorrow and inform her "not to disappear like that. I get worried."
The response came within seconds:
"Getting difficult to say goodbye, sis?"
Regina neglected to answer that. But Zelena had a point. It was getting awfully hard to say goodbye.
To Be Continued….