Hello :) An update.. at last. Enjoy!
A soft black muzzle brushed against chocolate color hair as Regina adjusted the rigging to the surcingle wrapped around Dancer's belly. The mare was undoubtedly begging for treats as she was prone to do, but the woman wasn't having any distractions and she ceased her movements and gently pushed the muzzle away. "Yes, you did a fabulous job today. You definitely earned an extra apple pretty girl." Regina patted the mare's shoulder in a way of praising her before she clipped the end of the long line to a ring on the surcingle to secure it. Satisfied it wasn't going to fall and cause either one of them to trip, the brunette led Dancer towards the stable.
A short time later, both were standing in the wash rack as Regina cooled the sweaty horse with cool water from a hose. A month had passed since returning from vacation and the leaves around Storybrooke had started to turn to various shades of bright orange, red and yellow. The air was cool, but not so much that she feared chilling Dancer by hosing her down. The horse in question snorted and then shook, spraying Regina with water in her characteristically charismatic fashion. Unbothered, the brunette wiped water away from her face and continued, her mind drifting to the events that had taken place in the last few weeks.
School had started, and both Taro and Henry shuffled around the house grumpily each morning as she corralled them into the car and down to the bus stop at the end of the street. Taro, to his credit was still acting incredibly apathetic about his current situation, but every now and then Regina could see through the cracks in his mask. Emma assured her that he would eventually open up and she needed to remain patient - a trait that the older woman reminded the blonde that she was famous for. The less than endearing smirk from her girlfriend told Regina that Emma wasn't buying her self-assured confidence and the brunette had settled on busying herself with the cookies she was baking that morning. Thankfully, Emma switched the conversation over to the talismans they were working on for the townspeople, putting Regina back in her element.
After putting the hose away and removing as much water as possible from the black coat, Regina led Dancer back to her stall. Before leaving, she slipped the mare an apple from a bag near the door, black lips wrapping around it greedily as soon as it was offered.
"I'll see you tomorrow, pretty girl." She promised as she closed the door and made her way to her car.
After taking a shower, Regina busied herself around the house, picking up after the pair of teenage boys and occasionally, a certain blonde sheriff. It was nearing dinner time, but Taro was working at the library with Belle after school and Henry was babysitting his baby uncle while Snow and Charming went out on a dinner date. So, it was just her this evening.
She was tempted to text her girlfriend and invite her over for some overdue quality time to themselves, as the last few weeks had mostly consisted of talismans, teenagers and planning the Annual Fall Harvest festival. Reaching for her phone, the brunette swiped it open and selected her messages, finding Emma's thread and beginning to type out an invitation just as the doorbell rang.
Setting the device down, she crossed the room to the door and opened it. She smiled.
"Sheriff."
Emma quirked an eyebrow at the formality but as usual, rolled with it. "Madame Mayor."
Regina gave the blonde a smirk that was bordering on predatory. "Something I can help you with?"
Emma feigned an innocent tilt of her head as she considered. "I believe there are a few things that come to mind…"
Without further invitation, the blonde pressed herself against the older woman, expertly pushing them back inside the manor while unleashing a fury of hungry kisses onto Regina's lips. The brunette chuckled against the taller woman as she used her foot to shut the front door, sighing as her back was immediately pressed up against it.
"I've missed you." Emma confessed when they finally broke apart a few heated moments later.
Another smile and a rush of heat up the back of her neck made Regina lean in and capture another kiss. "I've certainly missed you, dear."
"The boys are out." Emma stated dumbly as the Mayor started peppering her neck with chaste kisses.
"Mmmhm." Regina hummed against the soft bit of flesh just above a creamy collar bone, laughing softly as a nip to said collar bone elicited a moan from her girlfriend.
"We should.. probably..." Emma stammered, trying to focus, "move to the bedroom." A pause. "Or something."
Or something? That gave the brunette a wicked idea and she pushed herself off of the door and turned them around, pushing Emma towards her office. "Or something?"
Panic appeared in green eyes as Emma put her hand up to Regina's chest to stop them. "Wait, your office? What if…" She gave the smaller woman a look that read 'what if the boys come back?'
The brunette gave her a devilish smile befitting the Evil Queen. "Magic." She gave the blonde a final push into her office and waved a hand to close the door, a sprinkling of magic appearing just as a new lock bolted the door shut.
A few days later, Regina was sitting at her desk staring at a small box she had removed from one of her drawers. It was a box that she had been keeping for nearly over a month, waiting for the perfect time to present it. She had failed, miserably, on several occasions to get the words out and today she promised herself she was going to address the issue that had been plaguing her mind since she returned from Florida - even if a spontaneous lunch date in her town office wasn't the most ideal location for such a serious conversation.
Brown eyes flickered to the clock to check the time, as usual, Emma was running late. Sighing, she placed the box back in its temporary home and closed the offending drawer a little harder than necessary. She sent a quick text to the woman in question asking if everything was alright, and then forced her attention to her computer screen to finish up a couple of emails.
Twice, she caught her eyes drifting over to the drawer and scowled at her own anxiety. She had enough to worry about without constantly thinking about the incessant question in the back of her mind. This ended today.
After sending her fourth email, the door to her office opened delivering a disheveled looking blonde carrying two take-away containers from the diner.
"I'm so sorry Regina!" Emma exclaimed, nearly stumbling over her own feet as she rushed towards the desk. "One grilled chicken wrap and Diet Pepsi, compliments of Granny's." The food in question was set in front of the brunette who smiled at the other woman.
"It's alright, I had plenty to keep me busy while I waited." Regina started in on her meal as Emma stuffed a handful of french fries in her face before sitting down. "Any interesting reason for your tardiness?" She questioned absentmindedly.
The blonde snorted, and started explaining a rather bizarre story of two neighbors and a billy goat a few miles out of town, causing the Mayor to almost immediately regret asking the question in the first place.
"... and finally I just couldn't take it. I said, 'Look. It's Larry's goat, it is technically Larry's decision on where the goat lives.' And of course," an exasperated sigh and a few more fries down the hatch, "Jackson was furious because of the 'inconvenience' of the smell was causing his hydrangeas to die - which, I am pretty sure isn't even a real thing - but whatever."
"And Larry won't relocate the billy goat?" Regina asked as she took another bite of her wrap.
Emma shook her head, swallowing a mouthful of grilled cheese. "'Ope. Says there isn't enough room on the other side of his property because his milking goats take up a large amount of space." The blonde took a sip of her soda before continuing, "And before you ask, I already suggested putting the billy goat in with the other goats but Larry insisted then I would be out everyday for a noise complaint."
"Sounds as though you had an interesting morning." Regina stated as she stealthily stole a french fry from the blonde's arsenal and popped it into her mouth before her girlfriend could comment.
To her credit, Emma was so engaged in her story she didn't even notice the case of potato theft that happened directly under her nose, and the brunette had to suppress a smirk at the irony. "Interesting is one word that comes to mind." The younger woman stilled, taking in Regina's still too-tense posture and giving a concerned quirk of her brow. "What about you? You seem rather tense, is everything okay?"
The brunette gave a small encouraging smile at the acknowledgment. "Yes, everything is fine." She pushed her lunch off to the side and opened the drawer that contained the elusive box. "I did want to discuss something with you, however, before we are interrupted or.. I lose the courage to ask."
Curious and - if Regina had to guess - slightly alarmed, green eyes followed the movement of her hand as she plucked the small box out of the drawer and set it on the desk between them. It was square, covered in soft black velvet and was slightly larger than the palm of her hand in size. The brunette gauged the blonde's reaction as silence loomed between them, threatening to suffocate the words trying to jump out. After the flash of curiosity/alarm, Emma had wiped her face of any and all expression and stared at the box.
"Emma…" Regina approached carefully, knowing the latter's overactive imagination probably had already blown everything out of proportion. "Emma, look at me."
The blonde squeaked in recognition of hearing her own name, and looked up at Regina with an unreadable expression, body coiled tightly with tension.
"Darling, it's not a ring." The older woman assured, reaching out and softly taking one of Emma's hands into her own. "However, it could be a rather significant step in our relationship, if you want it to be." She released the captive appendage and pushed the box towards the other woman. "See for yourself."
Some of the tension uncoiled from the Sheriff at the reassurance, and a slightly shaking pair of hands lifted the box off the desk and peered inside.
"Regina, is this a key to your house?" Emma questioned softly, almost to quiet for the brunette to hear.
"It is." Now, Regina was on guard. Emma was still unreadable in her expression, and the tone of her voice wasn't giving the older woman any significant insight to what the other was feeling. Taking a deep breath, she let the words she'd been biting back for weeks roll out. "I want you to move in with me."