THE STAIRCASE
By Red Charcoal
Author's note: So it's 3am as I post this. I am so tired I have no clue if this chapter is good, bad or indifferent. If it's the last two, please blame sleep deprivation. Enjoy...
CHAPTER 49: SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE
Regina's nostrils twitched as she woke and she immediately snapped her eyes open warily. OK, no Emma Swan perched by her bed today. Her heart sank slightly until she got a glimpse of a steaming cup of coffee on the chest of drawers by her bed.
A note was beside it.
She reached for both and sat up in bed, inhaling the slightly nutty Cuban scent of her favourite blend.
She unfolded the note curiously and read.
Hey Regina
I have my own itinerary figured out for today. But think you can be free at five? Come home then. Text me if you can't make it.
Emma.
PS Enjoy the coffee. Henry tells me this is how you like it.
Regina frowned, trying to work out the note as if it was a secret code. She'd had some vague plans for the day for Emma but nothing concrete, and nothing that couldn't be postponed. She glanced at the clock. 7.03am. Hmm. Well she supposed a day in the office wouldn't hurt, given she'd been letting things slide since Emma had arrived in town.
She reviewed some work in her head briefly as she sipped her coffee, delighting at the fact it really was just the way she liked it. She could get used to room service. She smiled distractedly for a moment and then realised she was actually daydreaming. Like some foolish love-struck teenager. She put the finished cup down and stood.
She slipped on her blue silky robe and padded down the stairs, half expecting to find the blonde in the kitchen attempting to make eggs. Instead she found Henry munching on cereal in his striped pajamas, with a still slightly sleepy look on his face.
"You're up early," she commented, glancing around. No one else in sight.
Henry shrugged and continued munching. She tried again.
"Emma left already? Did she say what she's up to?"
Henry shrugged again. Regina narrowed her eyes and stared at her son. He'd been like this through his not-speaking-to-his-mother stage and she was not keen to go back to it.
"Any particular reason you're not talking to me?"
Henry nodded his head and swallowed, offering a small smile. "Couldn't talk with my mouth full," he said smartly. "And Emma left half an hour ago."
"Hmm," Regina said and opened the fridge, reaching for bread and a jug of orange juice.
"Mom, can I sleep over at Jason's tonight? His parents' number is on the pad if you wanna call and check."
Regina poured juice into two glasses and brought them over to the table.
"We'll see. What's the occasion?"
"He got the new Batman v Joker Xbox game for his birthday. He keeps saying it's the greatest game ever."
"Henry, it's a school night."
"We won't be up too late and I can go to school from his place tomorrow with him."
He looked at her so hopefully that she caved with a long sigh. "Fine. But you have to promise to do your homework when you're there. I'll be checking with the Fletchers to see that you do."
"Thanks Mom," he grinned and then, as she tapped his OJ glass pointedly, he grabbed it and gulped down his juice.
"So," Regina said as she headed back to the counter to put some bread in the toaster, "Did Emma not say anything about her plans?"
"Just that she has to see Ruby." Henry shrugged again as if it was all too hard and put his bowl in the sink. He suddenly looked desperate to leave. "Gotta get a shower and get ready for school."
He bounded up the stairs before she could reply. Regina eyed the whir of small legs thoughtfully until he disappeared.
Well. At lunchtime, it might be worth a little stroll over to Granny's to find out exactly why Miss Lucas was monopolising all Emma's time.
Not that she was jealous or anything. A ridiculous notion. She frowned faintly as that 'ridiculous notion' continued to plague her for the rest of the day.
"Madame Mayor, what a pleasant surprise," Eugenia Lucas greeted her as she headed to the counter at lunchtime. "We haven't seen you in here in some time. What can I get you?"
Regina glanced behind the woman and then around the café. She slid a hand to hips encased in a black cotton pencil skirt. "Is Miss Lucas around?" she asked casually.
Surprise washed across the older woman's face, and Regina supposed it was an odd request. She barely spoke to the waitress/part-time deputy sheriff beyond placing curt orders and eyeing her more outlandish outfits with disdain.
"Ruby? Why, no. She took the day off. She and Emma disappeared together first thing this morning."
Regina pressed her lips together to prevent herself saying the first words that came to mind. Her teeth ground together.
"Mayor Mills? Are you all right? You look a little pale."
"I am fine, Eugenia. I think I will have your chicken salad special."
Without waiting for a confirmation, Regina stalked to the corner booth, grabbing a nearby newspaper, making a science of opening it and pretending to be utterly absorbed. After reading three times that Farmer Nate's top hog, Bubba, had won Best in Show at the local fair last month, she slapped the paper down and reached for her phone.
She realised she hadn't yet confirmed her availability for Emma's appointment tonight, so she fired off a text. Then she sent a second one, asking: "Where are you?"
She stared at the phone, as if willing it to yield all the blonde's secrets but it stubbornly refused to so much as blink.
"Keep glaring at it like that and you'll fry it," Granny chortled as she placed a chicken salad in front of her.
"Thank you, Eugenia," Regina ground out, and turned to her food, nudging the phone aside with her elbow. Every now and then as she chewed moodily she cast surreptitious looks at it.
It never beeped for the rest of the day.
Regina found concentrating at work was not an option and by 4.30pm she was practically climbing the walls in frustration. Her secretary had taken to creeping into her office as though fearful of an impending nuclear explosion. She may not have been far wrong.
All Regina's clandestine enquiries had proved fruitless and no one had seen Emma nor Ruby anywhere around Storybrooke all day. In fact the only place she hadn't checked – nor would she on principle, she told herself firmly – was Ruby's apartment.
She glanced at her phone again, checking the signal strength was strong (three bars) and the In Box contents (no new messages).
This was ridiculous. She pushed back her mayoral leather chair, stood, snatched the device and slammed it furiously into her handbag.
"Miss Greene, I'm going home. You can forward any urgent calls to my cell." She stalked out, not bothering to acknowledge the exceedingly relieved look on her assistant's face as she departed.
The emptiness of her manor struck Regina when she let herself in. She knew even before she looked that Emma was not here. Her home seemed to vibrate on a different frequency when the blonde was inside. It sounded absurd but it felt true. She brought a haphazard humanness to it and Regina could always tell when Emma was about. Her shoulders slumped as she dumped her keys on the small table near the entrance, along with her handbag.
She walked upstairs and stuck her head in each of the rooms to check, but the emptiness confirmed her suspicions.
Finally she pushed open her own bedroom door.
No one.
Still, she was early. It was only 4.45pm. She kicked off her patent black heels and sat on the edge of her bed staring numbly around. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Getting Emma back was not supposed to make her feel more dejected and lonely than when the other woman was in Boston.
She sighed and turned. Her glance fell on her bedside table. Beside her empty coffee cup she'd forgotten about that morning lay an embossed envelope. Her eyes widened and she virtually launched herself across the bed and tackled it.
Inside she found a letter in Emma's curly, almost childlike handwriting.
Regina - Meet me here:
Underneath read a strange string of numbers, and a suggestion she wear warm clothing. She stared at the number again before the penny dropped. Ah – map co-ordinates. Her Mercedes had a GPS that would direct her right there – as Emma clearly knew.
She spotted a postscript.
PS Didn't get your text at the time you sent it – I was out of range.
PPS I missed you. x o x
Regina smiled and felt foolish for her fears, putting the card down slowly.
What any of these plans had to do with Ruby was a mystery, but she was sure she'd find out in good time.
She changed out of her pencil skirt and silk blouse, into warm woollen trousers, a designer tee-shirt then, over that, a thicker button-down navy shirt. Lastly she slipped on some thick socks and dark, stylish hiking boots that she had bought once on a whim and never worn.
She glanced at the clock. 5.05. Right. Time to go. She paused, incredulous she had forgotten. Henry. Then she recalled his plans for the evening.
How suspiciously convenient.
Her mouth quirked at having been played so easily. Any other time she would be annoyed. But now? She shook her head wryly and hoisted her bag. She and Henry would be having a little chat tomorrow about his artful scheming with Emma. She smiled in spite of herself as she locked up and headed for the garage.
She keyed in the GPS co-ordinates and watched as her car's mapping system triangulated her destination. She blinked in astonishment and decided she had to have made a mistake. She hit delete, re-entered the number and waited.
Well. Same result. She was clearly about to be heading for the middle of nowhere. She started her engine and hit her garage button, wondering what on earth the unpredictable Miss Swan was up to now.
An hour later, Regina's Mercedes rolled to a stop at the end of a secluded, grassy road. The last of the day's dying sun cast elongated shadows across a small hollow and the brunette glanced around.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
She was in a circular grassy clearing, surrounded by weeping trees, which had candle-lit Japanese paper lanterns hanging from many of the branches. The effect was casting an enchanting glow around the spot which was surrounded by thick forest and emerald green mountains rising up in the mid distance.
Wildlife noises abounded, birds calling to each other, the buzz of crickets. A large white marquee tent was off to one side, lit up by a camping lantern and Regina could see an Emma Swan-shaped silhouette moving around. She appeared to be preparing food if the delicious aroma wafting from within was anything to go by.
Regina looked back to the middle of the clearing and saw a black tarpaulin laid out on the soft, mossy ground, upon which sat a plump, queen-sized airbed, covered in thick blankets with colourful cushions and pillows scattered all around, giving the air of a luxurious Arabian bedroom, only with nature for its floor and walls. A tall, thin battery-powered heater placed to one side provided another exotic lighting effect, a column of bright orange yielding toasty warmth. Emma had clearly thought of everything.
Soft, aching music was coming from the tent, and Regina realised it was getting louder. The mayor turned to see Emma striding closer, holding a CD boom box and a plate of food.
"Oh hey, you made it!" she beamed and pointed to the inviting airbed. "Pull up a seat. The show is gonna begin soon."
"The show?" Regina repeated stupidly, taken aback by the sight of the blonde. She was wearing tight black jeans, black boots and a black thick shirt – all of which showed off her fit, honed physique to impressive effect. She reminded Regina of a sexy special ops agent.
Emma placed the food tray and music player down and sat, patting the air mattress beside her. She removed her shoes and tucked her legs under herself. "Sit. I promise I won't bite." She waggled her eyebrows and Regina had to laugh at the absurd sight.
Regina settled down cross-legged next to the blonde, after removing her own boots, and eyed the most delicious-looking treats. Savoury triangles, little mince balls with a spicy tomato sauce, and curious vegetable creations with toothpicks through them that Regina couldn't identify.
"You've been busy," she said appreciatively as she snagged one. A flavour explosion rocketed through her mouth and she gave a delighted look. "Very nice."
Emma smiled, pleased. "Yep, I forced Ruby into servitude to get the food prepared for me. It's why I wanted to talk to her last night and endured all that second-hand smoke and bad house music at her favourite dive. She said the steaks and shots I bought her were a good trade off." Emma grinned. "Oh and I also suck at one-woman tent erecting, so I needed her help on that, too. It took a while but we got there in the end."
They both glanced at a fairly solidly standing tent and Regina nodded approvingly. "Well that was nice of Miss Lucas," she said, for once leaving out the sarcasm. It was nice. Her baser, territorial instincts to snarl at the waitress curled up in the corner of her soul, dormant for once. And the food was delicious.
"Here," Emma handed her a wine glass, and poured some white wine. "Cheers."
"Cheers," Regina replied and sipped, curious as to what the other woman's preferences were. An actually decent drop. "I like this."
"Don't sound so surprised," Emma laughed. "I did pick up a few tricks in Boston. And one of them was fine wine appreciation."
Regina's lips twitched and she glanced around. The sun had set completely now, so the lanterns hung in a circle around them were giving off a dancing, ethereal glow. Moths darted about the lights and the effect was magical. She half expected to see fairies come skipping out of the grass.
"Beautiful," she whispered and turned back to Emma, her brown eyes burning. "Beautiful," she said again, this time looking the blonde directly in the eye. She left no doubt as to what she meant.
Emma dipped her head and chose not to notice. "I love it here. I used to come when I lived in Storybrooke. When I needed some time out. I found this place when I got hopelessly lost this one day, and I fell in love. It's just so stunning. I remember once wondering how it would look glowing with lanterns. Now I know."
Regina swirled the wine in her glass and smirked. "How come I never knew you got so lost?"
"It's not something I wanted to advertise," Emma said and looked faintly embarrassed. "I am sure you wouldn't have let me hear the end of it. 'Sheriff loses Storybrooke, news at ten'."
Regina pressed her lips together and couldn't deny it.
"So what is this about?" the brunette asked curiously. "Why are we here?"
"We're here to see the secrets of the universe," Emma stated grandly, with a grin. "And because yesterday I didn't just read one card of yours, I read two."
"Oh?"
"Mmm."
"Which one?"
Emma put her plate and wine glass to one side and lay back. After a moment's silence, Regina followed suit. They lay side by side, looking up at the night sky and listening to the sounds of the nightlife and music. Regina shivered and Emma reached down and pulled a thick blanket up over them – one the mayor recognised as belonging to the B&B. Ruby had certainly been generous in her help.
An owl hooted in the distance.
Regina waited.
"Your card said: 'I have never been taken on a date. Deep down I sometimes feel I must be unworthy of such attention."
Regina stared up at the inky sky and tried hard not to let her own words affect her. The truth was she was ashamed no one had ever asked her out. Leopold didn't have to. Kings just take their due. Her lip curled in loathing. Daniel didn't get a chance. And Graham – well he was there for tension relief, nothing more – and had never exhibited the slightest romantic bone in his dull body. Nor did she want him to. But no one had ever treated her like a woman who deserved to be wooed. And no one had ever once asked Regina Mills out.
"Ah," she said uncomfortably when she realised Emma seemed to be waiting for a comment.
"So I wanted to give you a date to remember, Regina," Emma said softly, "Because I had never been on a date either - until I met you."
Regina felt shock surge through her body and she whipped her neck around to stare at the blonde. "Really? You?"
"Yep," Emma said. "Sex does not a date make. Entrapping sneaky bail jumpers doesn't count either. But I remember what it felt like when you took me for dinner and dancing in Boston. That was an amazing night and you made me feel so special, even if I was pretty much all over the place emotionally. And I wanted you to have that feeling I had – to feel worthy. And special."
Regina leaned forward and kissed Emma's cheek. She dusted the spot with her thumb as though sealing it. "Thank you," she whispered in her ear, and trailed her fingers through her long curling hair. "This is amazing." She paused. "What's this music? It's so haunting."
"Kate Bush – very '90s. But she seems to match the setting rather well, don't you think?"
Regina lay back and closed her eyes. "Yes, it's eerie and beautiful all at once. Like two lonely ghosts dancing."
Emma glanced at her and gave a small appreciative smile, then reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Two lonely ghosts dancing. Yeah. A lot like us, huh?"
The temperature had dropped a few degrees, even with the heater on, so Emma pulled up a second blanket and snuggled closer.
"So, where are these secrets of the universe you promised me?" Regina asked, enjoying the feel of the other woman's closeness. Her body heat was keeping her cosy.
"You're staring at them."
"Hmm?"
"The stars – look. Storybrooke is so far out of civilisation there's no ambient glow from any city lights. It means we can see so much more of our galaxy. Right now we're looking at light from stars that has travelled thousands of light years to reach us. Some of the stars may have already burned out and no longer exist. We could basically be gazing at the glows of the last traces of long-dead suns.
"And how is that providing us with the secrets of the universe?" Regina asked quietly, intrigued by the wonder and enthusiasm she could hear in the voice of a woman normally so guarded.
"Don't you see, Regina? We are small. Our worries are tiny on a galactic scale. We're specks of specks of dust compared to all this." Her arm swept across the sky in front of her. "It puts everything into perspective. Whatever fears we might have or issues or silly concerns – they are nothing when put next to the vast scale of infinity. The backdrop of the universe is a freaking sobering thing."
Regina digested that and stared up. She did feel small compared to the stars. She always had, even when she strutted around a castle and barked orders at armies of a thousand men. Looking up made her feel small. So, in decades gone by, she made it a policy to never ever look up.
Tonight, Regina Mills looked up. And in a brief moment she understood: Sometimes it was OK to be small. That was nothing to fear.
She gazed in amazement.
What a concept.
"Do you see?" Emma asked softly.
"I think I do," Regina whispered. And she meant it.
She turned to Emma and studied her profile in the dancing lantern light. "Does this mean your fears about us now feel small and in perspective, too?"
Emma's lips curled in amusement at the leading question. "Smaller."
Regina slid closer and slipped a hand over Emma's waist, drawing them together. She rested her head against the blonde's chest, enjoying the thudding of her heart. It picked up its pace.
"A shooting star!" Emma exclaimed and her arm shot up to point.
"Mmm hmm," Regina said absently, and began to nuzzle the blonde's neck. "Lovely."
She felt eyes drop to watch her. "Regina, I don't think your mind is on the wonders of the universe."
The mayor gave a throaty chuckle which reverberated through both their chests. "Oh, I'd say it most definitely is."
Emma sucked in a breath and let it out shakily.
"I … ah..."
Regina plucked at the buttons of Emma's shirt and then looked up at her hopefully. "Emma?" she said, asking a vague question that needed no further explanation.
"Um…" Fear briefly crossed the blonde's eyes. Then she drifted her gaze skyward. "Yes," she said and swallowed. "I … Yes."
A smile lit up the brunette's face and her fingers began to now tug at the buttons in earnest. Warm fingers slid inside as she finally undid four buttons only to curse as she discovered a black tank top underneath.
"Dear, you're rugged up like an Arctic explorer," she complained. She tapped her fingers against the offending material and pouted.
That broke the tension and Emma laughed aloud, nudging Regina off her so she could sit up. The blonde drew the long-sleeved half unbuttoned shirt off herself, and then quickly stripped off the tank and a white bra, giving the mayor a generous view of pale skin and rounded bare breasts, swaying gently. Emma shivered and slipped the thick shirt back on but did not button it. She lay back down and tossed her tank top in the general direction of the tent.
Regina swallowed. Her fingers were suddenly inside the shirt, ghosting over warm flesh, seeking out soft breasts. Her hands shook as she felt for the hardening peaks and then she leant forward, flicking the shirt away with her knuckles, and dropped her mouth to a tight knot.
Her tongue licked and swirled across the nipple, and she occasionally paused to nibble and lightly chew, delighting in the choked gasps she could hear from the blonde beneath her. She swapped nipples and moaned herself.
"Well dear," Regina said after a moment, eyes sliding up to Emma's, "You certainly are tasty."
"Fuck," Emma muttered, her eyes rolling back in her head.
"I intend to. Patience."
Emma's breath hitched and Regina paused and watched in fascination as her chest rose and fell more rapidly.
"Take it off," Emma suddenly hissed. "Your shirt. I want to see you, too."
Regina felt arousal skitter through her at the brazen demand. She looked at the lust-blown irises of the woman beneath her and quickly leaned back, unbuttoning her shirt and slipping it off her shoulders. Her fitted designer tee underneath went next. She stared at the blonde in nothing but a lacy black bra.
Hands shot out from under the blanket and began to touch her, so, so gently. A deep sigh followed, but Regina was unsure whose it was.
"Off – take it off," Emma groaned. So Regina reached behind herself and unlatched her bra.
Her breasts fell free and she felt Emma's eyes boring into her. The blonde's mouth had dropped slightly open, taking in the sight of breasts, and dusky red-tipped nipples jutting out against the cold night air. Hands suddenly reached for them, sliding and kneading, and Regina felt a bolt of heat shoot directly her to her core.
This time she knew the moaned sigh was hers.
She lowered herself down onto Emma, pressing their breasts together. Skin on skin, in a most delicious sensation of flesh and fevered friction. She slid a leg between Emma's, and leaned forward for a demanding kiss.
This kiss was better than any she had experienced before so far. Their tongues duelled and fought, as their bodies rocked, tops of thighs rubbing against molten cores. Closer now. Regina could feel her centre aching for attention. Mingled moans were filling the night air.
"Need to feel you, please, please let me feel you," Emma whispered, as if reading her mind, when they finally tore themselves away from each other's lips, gasping for air.
The brunette lifted herself off Emma and put her weight on her forearms. Invitation made. Emma seized the opportunity to undo the single button and side zip on Regina's pants and push the fabric hastily down to her knees.
Regina felt the blonde's warm, questing fingers sliding down towards her centre, pausing to first scritch at her coarse, fine curls hidden inside her silky panties. Fingers now slipped lower and dusted and wriggled against her outer folds, a slightly cooler sensation against her blazing heat.
It was sublime.
She bucked and then pushed forward, forcing the roaming, scrabbling, maddening fingers to find and rub against her clit. She was gasping at the sensations. The exploring fingers wiggled further down and then Emma's wrist paused and twisted, slipping fingers inside her, into her copious wetness.
Her body clenched instantly at the intrusion.
"Oh!" Regina gasped and froze. She bit her lip and stared at Emma, startled.
The sensation had suddenly shifted from wonderful to … something else. Something darker.
Anxiety flitted across her features and Emma immediately saw it, green eyes registering shock, and pulled her fingers quickly out.
"S-sorry," she said, eyes impossibly wide. She pulled her liquid-coated hand up and, unseeingly, shifted it to her mouth as if by rote, licking her fingers. And then she also froze. A look of horror crossed her features as she dropped her hand like it was a searing hot poker.
"I recognise your taste," Emma whispered in a strangled voice. "I had tried to forget it…" She bit her lip and paled.
"I remember the feeling of your fingers in me," Regina whispered back in anguish. "It brings back other … feelings. Not pleasant ones." They looked at each other fearfully for a moment.
"What do we do now?" Emma asked in a small voice.
The sounds of nature seemed impossibly loud as neither spoke.
"I should have realised. Archie warned me this might happen," Regina said, breathing raggedly. She tried to soothe her beating heart, trying to remember the psychiatrist's calming strategies. At least this wasn't one of her panic attacks. It was more an unsavoury reminder of certain events. Unpleasant rather than anything else.
"Archie?! You told him about wanting … us? I mean a-a… sexual relationship?"
"Yes." Regina's heart rate was now back to normal, she noted, and the anxiety seemed to have drifted just beneath the surface again. She exhaled in relief and chanced a look at Emma.
The blonde looked outraged and Regina almost laughed. "Well I had to tell him, dear, if I wanted there to be an 'us'. I discovered I am not particularly good at progressing my mental health all by myself. Neither of us are, now are we?"
Emma looked away. "I guess not."
The blonde shifted her legs uncomfortably and Regina's nose twitched. Oh. She realised the blonde was both confused, worried … and still greatly aroused. She sighed.
"Maybe you should take care of your, er, situation? Yourself?" Regina said tightly.
"What?!"
"Do I really have to spell it out?"
"Clearly."
"Masturbate, dear, before you immolate."
Emma looked at her angrily, obviously dying to say she wasn't aroused, that she didn't still feel pent up. That it wasn't possible given what had just happened. Shame and humiliation darkened her features.
"I can tell," Regina explained simply, easily reading the thoughts darting across stormy green eyes. She stared back up at the stars. "I can smell your arousal. I can hear your heart thudding away. I know. And it's OK. I really don't mind."
"It's not OK," Emma said crossly. "How can it be OK for me to just … you know … like nothing's happened. And with you right here. I'm not an animal."
Regina almost laughed. "Of course you are, dear. We all are. And I just said I don't mind. Just go ahead and get it over with. I'll even look the other way if it helps."
She rolled over onto her side and affected an uninterested posture.
There was silence for several minutes and she finally peered back to see Emma staring at her darkly.
"Regina," the blonde intoned and exhaled heavily, "while I admire how pragmatic as all hell you can be at times, this is not how I pictured our first time making love."
"Oh?" Regina turned back, suddenly vaguely interested in the conversation's turn. "How did you picture it?"
"Mutual for one thing," Emma said in frustration. "And not giving you flashbacks for another. So it's all in or none in on the sexy times tonight."
"Oh," Regina repeated, looking at the dark determination in the eyes opposite.
"So unless you want to join me in a bit of simultaneous, DIY self-exploration, we should go back to watching the wonders of the universe."
Emma flopped back with a disappointed sigh and stared up into space. Her breath then caught and she suddenly looked intrigued. "Wait, you don't do you?"
Regina glanced over.
"I mean you could, too? You know, attend to your needs at the same time I do," Emma finished. "Never mind. It's a stupid idea. Grandeur of the universe it is."
A jolt of fear shot through Regina and her lips thinned.
"Hey, what is it?" Emma's voice softened.
"I'd like to, Emma, but I can't."
Emma stared at her uncomprehendingly. Regina sighed. "I've tried and I can't. Not since that day … on the staircase." She brought her arms up and hugged herself and willed the utter embarrassment not to show on her face.
Emma's mouth opened in shock and she stared at her.
Regina wished she hadn't said anything. "Stop looking at me like that," she demanded. "I feel like a zoo exhibit."
"I'm so sor..."
"No! Not back to this again! I don't want your pitying apologies." Regina's eyes flashed. "I just want us to be an 'us'. Why is this so hard?!"
She suddenly slapped her hand against the mattress in irritation. Then dropped her other hand across her eyes, to hide the tears she felt building.
"Maybe," Emma began hesitantly, "you just need the right … um … stimulation?"
Regina froze and snapped her eyes open, turning to Emma curiously. "Excuse me?"
"I think maybe – well clearly - we're not ready to be together-together. Y-yet. But I might be able to help get you in the mood to help you? Because, shit Regina, two years is way too long to have absolutely zero orgasms. That sort of torture should be against the Geneva Convention."
"Tell me about it," the mayor muttered softly.
Emma smiled coyly at that and slid her shirt off her shoulders. Naked from the top down now she stared intently at Regina as she began to play with her own breasts, never once taking her eyes off her.
She began to rub and tweak her nipples and watched as the mayor's eyes darkened with desire. She arched her back and wiggled her hips a little, which caused her breasts to gently sway.
"God," Regina swore softly, completely transfixed. Before she realised it, her own hand had slid down her pants, still hidden by the blanket.
Emma gave a small smile as she noted the hand movement. She stood, stepping off the air mattress, and shimmied her jeans down her legs, until she was standing nearly naked in the ghostly surrounds, only wearing small white cotton underwear. She moved until she was standing near the heater.
Regina could see a prominent damp spot at her crotch and her eyes widened, flicking back up to Emma's face.
The blonde slowly, achingly slowly, hooked her thumbs into the sides of the panties and pulled them down her long legs. She swayed evocatively in time with the music, rolling her shoulders and hips, her hair shimmering like a golden veil. Then she kicked her panties completely off her feet and stood stark naked. One hand touched her breasts, rolling her nipples. The other, her fingers slid down to her stomach, and then buried themselves into a small triangle of dark hair, curling inside, nestling deeper. Then they began to move in a timeless rhythm.
"Oh…"
The word was quiet and carried on the night air, and this time Regina realised she had been the one to say it. She felt wetness pooling between her thighs, certainly far more than she had felt in many, many months. She wiggled her fingers and felt an answering flash of arousal.
Emma gave her a hint of a smile at the sound and took her hand out from between her thighs and held it up to show it was glistening with her desire. Then she turned around and bent over at the waist, running her hands down thighs to rest on her calves, and shook her hips, providing the transfixed mayor with a spectacular view.
She turned back around. She looked Regina right in the eye, and gave a seductive, knowing smile. She licked her lips as she resumed touching herself, swaying once more to the music in the background.
Regina felt her heart hammering and her fingers began to dance rapidly over her folds, raking liquid across her bundle of nerves. Emma, watching her with scorching eyes, shuddered and then spread her swollen lips, showing Regina her most private secrets. The light caught the shadows and smooth skin and she appeared to be a mystical goddess. She shifted again and Regina could see she was incredibly wet.
She gasped, and a powerful tingle shot through her. "Oh god," she croaked. "Oh, hell…Oh fuck, fuck, fuck."
Her fingers were now drenched, her clit was so aroused, and she could feel herself clenching and unclenching in her lower stomach. "I think I'm going to…" she groaned, and her eyes shot up to look at Emma in wonder, and she parted her mouth.
Emma smiled encouragingly and plunged her own fingers inside herself, offering an almost primal moan. It suited the setting, with the haunting music, and strange flickering lights in the trees.
Regina's back arched, her hips thrust forward, and her last sight was dark eyes watching her hungrily before the mayor slammed her eyes shut and a keening noise erupted from her throat.
Her orgasm spread through her like warm, liquid honey, the most intense one she had ever experienced, and it filled her with such joy she knew it must be showing, or more likely, radiating, off her face.
She heard a different moan and her eyes flickered open. Emma was coming. Fingers were a blur as they danced across her clit and dipped in and out. Regina watched as the other woman's knees suddenly buckled and she landed heavily on the mattress, a hand still pumping between her legs.
"Oh hell," she gasped, shaking.
It took a minute for Regina to realise the woman was not just shaking from her orgasm but seemed to be cold.
"Come here," she demanded and threw back her blankets.
Emma gratefully accepted the offer and slid next to her.
"You are crazy, you know that," Regina tsked, pulling her close to her, and rubbing her back vigorously. "And I have no clue in the slightest how you can orgasm while freezing half to death!"
Emma gave a lazy smile and snuggled closer. "Mind over matter," she grinned, pushing her cold nose into Regina's neck. "And trust me, my mind is plenty overheated right now."
"Mmm," the brunette smiled in spite of herself.
Emma was indeed warming up exceedingly fast and showing absolutely no signs of discomfort.
Quite the opposite, in fact, if the neck nuzzling and almost feline purring were anything to go by.
"So my idea worked then?" Emma finally asked when she had cocooned herself happily against Regina. It was a redundant question. Regina knew there had been no hiding her completely earth-shattering orgasm.
"I think you know," Regina said and poked Emma's ribs, trying not to feel embarrassed.
Emma grinned unrepentantly. "I am really, really glad Regina. And I loved watching you come."
Regina rolled her eyes.
"God you are so fucking hot," Emma continued. "The way you moaned and lifted up your hips and swore at the heavens like a fucking sailor…"
"I did no such thing!"
"Oh you most certainly did. Just before you had lift off. Shit! I almost came from hearing you."
Regina flushed darkly, pleased the night hid it, and growled: "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."
Emma grinned. "Right, so next time we'll iron out some of the kinks so I don't risk hypothermia, but I have to say you were amazing."
Regina quirked an eyebrow cockily. "Next time?"
Emma stopped gloating immediately and sat up. The blanket fell from her bare shoulder but she didn't seem to notice. "There will be one, won't there?" she asked worriedly.
Regina silently watched, to her dissatisfaction, how quickly the fears and insecurities seemed to bubble up inside the other woman. "Plenty of next times," she agreed swiftly, and shifted the blanket back up to cover Emma's shoulder.
"Good," Emma said softly, and lowered herself back to the mattress. She slid a hand back over Regina's waist and removed any space between them. "I think that is … shit, yeah. Really good."
"So eloquent."
Emma snorted.
"And dignified, dear." Amusement danced in Regina's eyes and voice.
"And all yours," Emma answered sleepily, hunkering down for the night. "Don't forget you wanted this. Me."
"Indeed," Regina agreed quietly. "All mine."
