This just happened. Thanks again for all the reviews and follows! You guys are great.
Their first morning back, Regina's eyes shot open just before dawn, and she was instantly flooded with an overwhelming sense of dread. It was a feeling not of fearing—but of knowing—something terrible was going to happen, and she kept herself still, hoping it would just subside. Emma shifted in her arms, as if she could sense Regina's inner turmoil even in her sleep.
The brunette pushed the foreboding off to the side for a moment and let herself revel in the warmth of Emma's body and the smoothness of her skin. In her unconscious state, Emma tightened her grip around Regina's torso and pushed her face further into the flesh in the swell of her breast.
As much as she loved her before and as excited as she was to marry her, their trip had been revelatory. They had let their walls down completely, and they'd both left buoyed by the easy affection and transfer of love that now moved freely between them. The feeling was utterly addicting and yet terrifying at the same time. With no walls up, Regina felt completely exposed in a way she'd never been in her adult life.
And she knew it was the same for Emma, who had virtually never let anyone in this far, maybe not even Henry.
But here they were, limbs wrapped tightly around each other, in a momentary weigh station between paradise and reality before they returned to the daily grind. Regina had truly not wanted to leave, and if it weren't for Henry, she would have tried to convince Emma to stay another week at the bungalow. So before they left, she asked the ferry driver to take their picture in the lounger that looked over the water, where they'd made love countless times during their interlude, where they'd taken in sunsets, and reveled in each other curled up during lazy afternoons in the sun.
As soon as they'd returned, Regina snuck up to their room and printed three copies of the picture—one for each of their offices and one for their bedroom. She looked at the picture on the bedside table now. Emma had a close-mouthed, almost wistful smile, but her right cheekbone gave way to that adorable dimple that Regina loved, and her eyes shined with contentedness and affection. Just as the driver had snapped the picture Regina had shot Emma a wide smile, her lips full, her eyes bright, her skin a sunlight glow. She was gazing at Emma with pure and unabashed love. They looked… happy.
Emma jolted her from her reverie by planting a kiss on her collarbone.
"Why are you awake? S'too early."
"I know, baby. Go back to sleep."
"Can't. Your thoughts are too loud."
Regina chuckled. "I'm not going to get away with anything for the rest of my life, am I?"
"I doubt it. Something bothering you?"
"No. I'm just not ready to return to reality. I want you to myself for just a little while longer."
"Mmm, me too. I love you so much."
"I love you, too."
"I was going to go for a run. Want to join me?"
"No, I think I'm going to unpack and help get Henry back in the swing, ok?"
"Ok. How about I'll meet you in the kitchen in an hour for breakfast?"
"Emma, you know I speak fluent Swan now, right? That's you saying make me breakfast."
"Well, you do make a mean omelet," Emma said, grinning. She pecked her on the lips, leapt out of bed, grabbed her grey sweatshirt and running tights, and disappeared into the bathroom. Regina got up and began unpacking their bags, separating the laundry and putting folded clothes neatly back in the drawers. When she had gotten through most of their clothes, she grabbed the printed photographs and brought them into her study so she could hide them away until she got the chance to buy frames. She sat at her desk and turned on her computer, waiting mindlessly for it to come to life, when she heard the front door shut softly.
Less than a minute later, there was a soul-sucking sound. Really, it was a series of sounds that happened in rapid succession. First there was a squeal of tires followed by a loud thwack, and more screeching tires.
Regina's blood went cold, her mind instantly picturing a car barreling down the road, moving too fast in the darkness that still clung to the early morning hours to see a runner clad in grey and black, and plowing into the slender body, killing her instantly. She imagined a pile of mangled limbs on the road, a dense heap of flesh housing the mind and spirit that comprised the love of her life.
"EMMA!" she screamed, still in her study, her body frozen with horror.
She willed her limbs to move, lumbering on instinct toward the door, her senses dulled into submission by sheer terror.
Her fingers gripped the handle on the door, and she swung it open and clamored down the porch steps. It was hard to see in the dark, but she could make out a grey SUV pulled onto the side of the road and a short man hovering over something. Her stomach clenched painfully, and she walked, limbs weighed down with dense fear, toward the car.
When she was just 10 feet away, the man turned his body just a few inches, but it was enough for her to see that the body on the ground was that of a deer, and to the man's right, Emma was hovering over it, hands perched out from her waist, a circuit of white magic shooting down to the animal's bloodied body. And then, just like that, the deer got to its feet, took a moment to right itself, and trotted off into the darkness.
"Wow! That was quite a show, Emma," Leroy said in a gravelly voice. "Thanks for saving the deer."
"Leroy, do me a favor. Go sleep it off. I don't want to have to haul you in. Again," Emma said.
"Will do, Sheriff."
He went to get into his car, and Emma just waggled a finger it him, and he walked off on foot.
When he was out of sight, Emma turned around, seeing for the first time that Regina was there and had witnessed the scene.
"Hey!"
She took a step toward her, but Regina took a step back, her face drained of color, her body stiff. She instantly registered what had happened, understanding what Regina had thought she'd heard and then seen.
"Regina! Stop."
"No. Don't. Stay where you are," Regina said flatly, her arm out straight in a stiff arm.
But Emma didn't stay. She continued to move quickly toward Regina, eventually half tackling her to the ground. Emma straddled Regina's hips and quickly poofed them to the bedroom so they were laying on the bed.
Regina's pupils were fixed and dilated with shock, her neck, chest, and hands were clammy. Emma stayed right where she was, over top Regina's hips, so she could look into her eyes.
"Regina, look at me." She picked up one of Regina's hands and placed it on her own chest. "You feel that? Still beating. And you know what? If I had been hit by the car, you would have saved me, just like you've done before. Are we superheroes? No. We're not invulnerable. But here, in Storybrooke, we do have magic, and if god forbid, something were to happen, it would be ok. Regina, are you listening to me?"
But Regina, still in the throes of a panic attack, was having trouble breathing, let alone hearing what Emma was telling her. Emma pulled Regina's chest up, so she was sitting in her lap, and she pushed her forehead against the brunette's.
"Regina?" she puffed out. "I love you. Please, don't be afraid. Nothing is stronger than the two of us together. Do you hear me, dammit?"
And then she felt Regina's brown eyes on her, and she pulled back so she could see her face, some color returning to her cheeks.
"I thought—"
"—I know."
"I thought I lost you. The sound. It sounded like the end," Regina croaked, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"I know that's what it sounded like. But it's not going to end like that for us. I think you know deep down, under all the fear, that's not what's going to happen."
Regina gave her a small nod.
"Man, we're an emotional mess. What happened to the impetuous, overwrought, sarcastic savior and the snarky, cold-hearted, evil queen?"
"I'm starting to think neither of us was ever really those people," Regina said softly.
Emma leaned in and kissed her, slowly, blissfully feeling the soft, full lips under hers. And even through the sadness and fear, she felt Regina come to life in the kiss, so she began to kiss with more intent, sliding her hands around her neck, tickling the fine hairs at the base of her skull.
Emma slid her hands under Regina's nightshirt and palmed her breasts with both hands. She pinched her nipples, and Regina began to moan, pulling her shirt up and over her head.
"Emma, make me feel you."
The blonde pulled her head back and drank in the sight of Regina; her hair was sleep disheveled, her jaw was fixed, like someone used to taking blows, and a worried crease was still pinched at her brow. And her eyes were still a muddle of love and nakedness. Emma knew she could make her forget for a moment that has anything to worry about—that anything she loves can be taken from her. And she knew there might be a million moments like this over the course of their relationship, and she was more than fine with that. Because she could do this. She'd gladly do this.
Suddenly, Emma's hands were everywhere. In Regina's hair, sliding down her neck, on her breasts, pulling her nipples, gripping her hips, rubbing her thighs. And finally, as Regina was trembling with need, Emma reached down, snaked her arm into Regina's sleep shorts and immediately found her warm, wet core. So wet.
Emma thumbed her clit, sliding two fingers into Regina with ease. And she began to thrust, spurred on by the panting and whimpering coming from Regina.
"More. Harder."
So she added another finger and began to push in with more force.
"Regina, look at me baby."
The brunette dragged her eyes up to Emma, lips parted and cheeks flushed.
"I can feel how close you are. Come for me. It's just us. Come for me."
Emma thrust in, pulling out until just her fingertips were left inside, then entering her again with force, finally curling her fingers and feeling that rough patch inside Regina that sent her spiraling.
"Oh Emma. Fuck. I'm coming!"
And the pieces of her came apart, atoms blown apart from pleasure. And then Emma began to put her back together, settling her down to the bed, caressing her body, tucking the covers around her.
"No, I should get up," Regina murmured.
"Believe it or not, it's still early. Just sleep a little. And let me love you. And love you. And love you."
Regina's eyes fluttered shut, the dread that had awoken her just hours before now long gone.