CHAPTER 21

Regina was stretched out on the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her head resting heavily in Emma's lap who was running her fingers through the brunette's thick hair. A simple effort to comfort the other woman. Both women had been silent ever since they'd parted ways with Cora and Henry Mills. The remainder of the meeting had been strained. But all the while, Emma had remained silent and stoic next to her girlfriend, silently awaiting her cues and attempting to soothe her with a gentle hand on Regina's leg beneath the table. After all, Emma knew that she had to let Regina get through the visit on her own. But that didn't mean she couldn't let the woman know she was there for her.

Now that they were back in the safety of their home, ever so patiently Emma watched her girlfriend vigilantly, taking note of every change in her facial features, knowing that Regina was trying her best to work things out in her head. Alone. Emma didn't have to like it. But still she remained patient. Continuing to run her fingers over Regina's scalp, Emma finally began to relax and allowed her head to rest on the back of the sofa. Just as she felt her eyes slipping shut, she heard Regina's voice break through the deafening silence.

"I thought this would feel different." She stated simply. Emma knew what Regina meant, but still she remained silent, waiting for the rest to come. "Shouldn't I feel happy? Shouldn't I want to be with them right now?"

Emma raised her head back up from the sofa to look down at her girlfriend whose voice sounded as if it might crack at any given moment. "There's no rule book for things like this, babe."

Regina sighed heavily, knowing that Emma was right. "I know you just found out about them recently. But until today, your parents have been dead for 16 years. You're the only one allowed to tell you how to feel."

Emma's hand stalled as Regina turned on her side and buried her face against the blonde's stomach. She opted instead to resume her soothing movements up and down Regina's side and back. The brunette pulled both her arms into her chest and curled herself into a ball, drawing herself in as close as she could to her girlfriend. Emma felt the sorrow flowing off of her and felt helpless to take the pain away. She may not be all that close to her own parents and in a sense, she knew what it felt like not to have them. But at the same time, they weren't really gone. Not like Regina had thought hers to be. Absent and deceased were two very different things. At least Emma's parents had been there when she needed them, which is precisely why she refused to tell Regina that she understood what she was going through. There was no way anyone could ever understand. So instead, Emma did the one thing she did understand. Comforting her brokenhearted girlfriend.

Emma felt Regina's body shaking and realized that while she had gotten lost in her own thoughts her girlfriend had been silently crying and doing her best to hide the fact. "I don't feel anything, Emma." Regina's words were broken up between gasping breaths. "I should feel something. Anything!"

"Shhh. I've got you." Emma shifted in her seat and raised the brunette's head so that she could stretch out next to her, both facing the back of the sofa. Emma curled her body around the slightly more petite woman and wrapped her arms around her tightly. Protectively. Their legs tangled together as Emma whispered reassurances into her ear. Regina continued to shake, her body wracked with sobs that threatened to choke her at any given moment. "Let it out, babe. I'm here. And I've got you. I love you, 'Gina."

Regina, whose hands were holding tightly onto Emma's, moved to slide them under the hem of her blouse. The need to feel Emma's hands against her skin was strong and so she guided them over her taut stomach and it was enough for Emma to realize that Regina needed a closer connection than the one their position currently afforded them. Emma went with it. Her hands tracing every inch of flesh she could possibly reach. Her fingertips grazed the edge of the brunette's bra and crept up further mapping out an endless path across Regina's chest, before gently dipping into the garment standing in the way of her present destination.

As soon as her fingertips brushed the other woman's sensitive breast, Regina's nipples hardened and her hips involuntarily rolled back pressing back into Emma's groin. Emma's breath caught in her throat before escaping in the form of a quiet moan into the back of her girlfriend's neck. "Regina?"

"Just make me feel something Emma. Please." Regina pleaded, burying her face into the pillow on the couch and rolling her hips back once again, enticing Emma, begging her to take things further and give her what she wanted.

Emma worked her left arm underneath Regina's neck and grabbed one of her free hands, holding on tight while her right hand changed direction and slid down to the top of Regina's pants. She only fumbled with the clasp and short zipper momentarily before her hand was slipping down further. Emma's fingertips slipped past the lacey waistband and before she could get any further, Regina threw her head back so that she could turn just enough to coax Emma's lips into embracing her own. The kiss was raw. And passionate. Tongues sliding against each other, temporarily sidetracking Emma from her previous endeavor. She felt Regina's leg shifting, opening herself up to give Emma room to continue toward her destination. Emma's mouth kissed a trail away from Regina's lips, across her jaw and latched onto her neck as her hand slipped further south and her fingers found what they were searching for.

Emma's teeth scraped the sensitive skin just below Regina's ear as her fingers slid against warm and soaking wet folds, causing Regina's hips to buck up against hers again. The brunette was driving Emma crazy. But this moment wasn't about Emma. It was about Regina and her need to feel some sort of human connection. And right now, the connection she was looking for was raw human need at its most basic, which Emma was more than willing to indulge. Regina's fingers laced through Emma's and squeezed in a near death grip as Emma touched and teased her where she needed it most. Regina wanted to feel something? Emma was damn well going to make sure that she did. Slipping their linked hands down the front of her girlfriend's shirt Emma toyed with one nipple, teasing it to a stiff peak. Gently pulling and rolling it between her fingertips before moving onto the other, alternating back and forth between the two as she placed open mouthed kisses on her neck. Biting. Licking. Sucking. Eliciting as many sounds from Regina as she possibly could.

All the while, her fingers continued to slip through soaked lips, dipping gently inside where Regina wanted her most, before pulling out in exchange for circling her hardened clit. The actions had them both writhing against each other on the sofa, which thankfully afforded them little room to move, effectively giving the desired effect of keeping them as close together as possible.

"Emma…" Another broken sob escaped Regina's lips. "Please. I need-"

"I know what you need." Emma breathed into her ear, momentarily letting go of the brunette's neck. "I'm right here."

Emma chose that very moment to bury three fingers deep inside the brunette, eliciting a gasp followed by a whimper of pleasure. It was all Regina needed to begin rocking her hips against the rhythm Emma was quickly creating. She knew Regina wouldn't last long and even though she knew her girlfriend wanted it fast and over with for the moment, Emma couldn't resist pulling out to tease her clit a little more. Regina quickly protested by squeezing Emma's free hand tighter than Emma thought humanly possible and gave the woman what she wanted. Once again, sliding easily inside, thanks to the dripping entrance she'd previously been exploring. Emma could feel Regina's walls tightening and knew it was only a matter of seconds before she fell over the edge.

"Emma, I-" Regina's breath was coming in short ragged gasps. Her chest rising and falling on the verge of possible hyperventilation.

"I've got you 'Gina." Emma told her. "Just let go babe. I'm right here."

But Emma knew she was struggling to let go. Something was holding her back, yet Regina continued to fight for the orgasm that had been building and threatening to explode for the last several minutes. And suddenly it dawned on Emma exactly what she needed to do. With one last thrust, Emma's mouth found the sensitive spot right between her girlfriend's neck and shoulder and she bit down. Hard. Regina exploded. Completely shattered. Her body convulsing. And this time, it wasn't from the tears or the sorrow but the sheer ecstasy of the mixture of pleasure and pain. Emma held her tightly as the woman in her arms began to come down from the high she'd been seeking.

When Regina finally stilled in her arms, Emma knew that she'd passed out from the absolute exhaustion of the day, mixed with their frantic love making and Emma would be damned if she'd wake her. So she remained still. Their hands still joined and holding onto one breast while the other remained deep inside her girlfriend. It was a moment she was more than willing to live with. Be it five minutes or ten. Or an hour. She wouldn't move until the other woman came to. If it were up to Emma, she could stay like this forever. Regina needed this moment. And if Emma was honest with herself, she had needed it too. So she allowed herself to relax and it didn't take long for Regina's deep and even breathing to lull Emma to sleep as well.

. . .

The room was dark, the sun having gone down, when Emma felt Regina stir. Instantly alert, Emma tightened her arm around her girlfriend to keep her from moving any further. She made a few soothing sounds to keep her still, knowing that Regina would be stiff from their laying in one position for so long. Not to mention the fact that Emma had fallen asleep still inside her girlfriend. Something she could honestly say she had never done before. Emma found the act more intimate than any moment she had ever shared with anyone before and was suddenly reluctant to let Regina go. She felt Regina's walls squeeze her fingers and Emma's breath caught in her throat.

"Did you sleep okay?" Emma asked as her lips began to form a smile against her girlfriend's ear.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep on you…" Regina turned her head just enough to capture Emma's mouth with her own. The kiss was gentle. Not needy. Not sexual. Just…simple. "I can't believe you fell asleep with your-"

"No worries." Emma responded, still speaking quietly, afraid to cause a shift in the mood of the moment they were sharing. "I'm going to move my hand."

Regina nodded in acknowledgement, her hand squeezing the one Emma held against her chest and Emma kissed her again. Crushing their mouths together and this time it was Emma moving against her. Gently rocking their bodies together, distracting the brunette as she slowly eased her hand free of the warm, wet confinement. As soon as her hand was hers once more, Emma moved to take Regina's face between both hands and kissed her one last time before pulling back to look her in the eyes.

"How did you…?"

Emma smiled and nudged the brunette into turning over in her arms. "Had to distract you. I have no idea how long we slept. Didn't want it to hurt you."

Regina shook her head, burying her face in Emma's chest, taking her shirt in both hands, holding on tight. After a moment, she pulled back looking at Emma with something akin to fire in her eyes. "And now, Agent Swan, I'm suddenly feeling a little worked up again."

"Is that so-"

Emma was interrupted by the sound of doorbell ringing loudly through the house. She would say she didn't remember it being so loud, but then again, Emma couldn't exactly remember a time when she was ever present in the house when said doorbell had been used. Both women sat up slightly, looking in the direction of the door and then back to each other.

"Don't look at me." Emma laughed. "I only know one other person and I didn't invite him over."

Regina sat up the rest of the way, effectively forcing Emma to follow suit, when the doorbell sounded off again. Both women stood and Regina began to resituate her shirt and fastening her pants. Emma simply stood there watching the brunette try to smooth out her sleep wrinkled clothes. Suddenly there was a harsh pounding on the door. Not hard enough to be of concern, but persistent enough to make them realize someone was intent on visiting. Emma smiled to herself, shoving her hands into her back pockets as she watched her girlfriend hustle down the hallway, running her hands through her hair before reaching for the door. She flipped the switch for the hallway light and the one next to it, which would illuminate the front steps as well. Just as Regina pulled the door open, the person on the other side was standing poised, ready to knock and ring the doorbell again at the same time.

"Kathryn?" Regina was surprised to find her best friend standing on her front stoop. Regina suddenly realized they hadn't spoken since the night she and Emma had taken the other woman out to dinner so she could introduce her best friend to her girlfriend. Regina stepped back then, ushering the blonde into her home, making sure to lock and deadbolt the door behind her. "What are you doing here? Is everything okay?

"I was about to ask you the same thing." Kathryn looked at Regina as if she had two heads. But as they walked into the living area, Kathryn noticed Emma standing off to the side, picking up what appeared to be her jacket from the floor. "I only called and text you a million times. I knew you were going to meet your parents today and then I didn't hear from you. So I may have…panicked."

Kathryn's voice trailed off as she took in Regina's wrinkled clothes, Emma's jacket which had previously been in the floor and the lack of lighting in the rest of the house. "I didn't…interrupt any-"

"Oh god no!" Regina was quick to cut her off. Emma turned to lay her jacket over the back of one of the dining room chairs, simply to hide the smirk she knew she wouldn't be able to keep off of her face. "No. We just…fell asleep."

Kathryn nodded slowly as if she wasn't buying a word of what her best friend was saying. Regina reached for her phone on the end table and realized that she must have silenced it at some point and her eyes widened at all of the missed messages, calls and voicemails. Kathryn gestured to the phone in Regina's hand. "I wasn't joking."

"I can see that." Regina laughed, sitting the phone back down. She would deal with it later.

"Hey, Kathryn." Emma spoke up. A mild attempt to end the near awkward interaction. "You want something to drink? Water? Beer? Wine? Soda-"

Kathryn held her hand up to stop Emma's nervous babbling. Why the blonde was nervous, Kathryn hadn't a single clue. Maybe it was simply because they didn't exactly know each other yet. But it honestly didn't matter to her either way. She liked Emma. "No thank you, Emma."

"Okay." Emma ran her hand through the back of her hair and grabbed her jacket once more. She immediately noticed the shift in Regina's body language and knew the brunette automatically thought she was going to leave. She took the two steps between them to close the distance and gently kissed her girlfriend on the cheek. "I'm just going to…put this away upstairs."

Regina reached out to squeeze Emma's hand and distractedly watched her go until she rounded the corner to head up to their bedroom. When she turned back, Regina found Kathryn staring at her with a smile on her face. "You two were totally having sex. Weren't you!"

"Kathryn! Oh my God. No! We were not." Regina laughed nervously, suddenly feeling like she should be doing something other than looking at her best friend. "We fell asleep on the couch after we came home from the meeting."

"And had sex." Kathryn mumbled, clearing her throat as she took a seat in one of the chairs next to the sofa.

"Seriously. What is your fascination with-" Regina shook her head and walked into the kitchen. "Never mind. I don't even want to know."

"Oh come on, Regina!" Kathryn's tone was verging on whining. She watched her best friend walk back into the room, two bottles of water in hand. Regina shoved one in Kathryn's face before sitting down on the end of the sofa closest to her friend. "I have to live vicariously through someone. You're the only lesbian I know!"

"That is an outright lie, Kathryn Midas." Regina pointed a finger at the blonde. She was about to continue chastising her when she heard Emma coming down the stairs and the doorbell was suddenly ringing again.

Emma rounded the corner looking at the two women seated in the living room. She grabbed Regina's phone to check the time. "It's like nine p.m. Are we having a party that neither of us is aware of?"

"Don't look at me." Regina smirked, repeating Emma's earlier comment. "The only people I know are in this living room." She paused. "And jail."

Both blondes looked at Regina like they weren't sure they'd heard her right.

"It was a joke." Regina shook her head, waving them off. The doorbell rang again reminding them that someone was still standing outside the door and Emma sprang into action, moving to find out who their mystery guest could be. Turning back to her friend, Regina picked up the conversation again. "I'm sorry I didn't get your messages, Kat. Today was…interesting. And by the time we left the park I was just- I was in no position to be speaking to anyone. I don't even think I spoke to Emma until several hours later. We just…came home and fell asleep on the couch. I-"

"She's really good for you Regina." Kathryn smiled softly at her friend. "I'm really glad you found someone. I just hope she deserves you!"

"Kathryn." Regina laughed. Shaking her head, she smiled at her friend's protective demeanor. "Sometimes I wonder if I deserveher. You have no idea how good she's been through all of this. She just…lets me go through the motions. Never pushes. And always always is the most understanding person I've ever been involved with."

"Well she must be!" Kathryn laughed at that. "After all, you've officially completed your first clichéd task as a newfound lesbian!" Kathryn shook her head at her best friend's confused look. "I'm not a lesbian and even I know all the U-Haul jokes, Regina!"

Regina couldn't even bring herself to dignify the line of conversation with a response. She knew her friend thought she was being funny, but how could Regina explain that it was more than that with Emma and make her understand. It felt as if Emma had been there for Regina's entire life. It had simply taken them until now to find each other. Regina figured no one but Emma could ever understand that. But she didn't mind. It never hurt to have things between them that the outside would never understand. They honestly didn't need to. Their lives were their business and theirs alone. It didn't need to be justified by words or defensive arguments. What she and Emma shared was simply that. It was between them. Besides, how do you explain to anyone, even your best friend, that there was something about this woman that she'd somehow known all of her life? That something about Emma was there, flowing through the blood in her veins. And how it physically hurt to be away from her for too long.

Over the past month Emma had even stuck with her desk duty at work in attempt to keep more regular hours, just in effort to maintain some semblance of a steady routine. Regina knew that eventually Emma would go back to doing what she does best. Working with her partner to catch all the bad guys and the thought terrified Regina to no end. But under no circumstances would she let Emma know just how much she dreaded the day. The offbeat hours of coming and going whenever she and Neal would be needed and being left at home to wonder when and or if her girlfriend would make it home safely. Regina shook the thoughts out of her head and realized that Emma was trying to get her attention.

"Is she picking up your bad habits, Swan?" Regina turned when she heard Neal's voice. She smiled up at the man and stood to greet him. Neal had after all been quite a bit of support throughout the ordeal of Emma's accident and the following fiasco with her Uncle and the rest of her family. When she got close, Regina held out a hand, but Neal had other plans and pulled her into an easy hug. For a brief moment Regina felt slightly awkward, but quickly relaxed and returned the sentiment before pulling away. "I'm sorry I just dropped in on you. I-"

"Nonsense." Regina was quick to interrupt him. "You're welcome here any time, Neal. Would you like something to drink?"

Kathryn sat quietly in the chair next to the sofa, watching the exchange between Regina and Emma's partner. She wondered how long it would take her best friend to remember she was still there, before she finally introduced the two.

"I'm good. But thank you." Neal politely declined. Suddenly realizing there was another person in the room Neal glanced over Regina's shoulder and smiled at the blonde he wasn't familiar with. She was sitting primly on the edge of the chair and he noticed that she looked well off. Not that Neal ever cared about money, but what he did care about was nice looking women. He took in the woman's short skirt and nice blouse. Firm legs and blonde hair pulled up into a loose bun. He remembered seeing her the night of Regina's gallery opening. And if no one was going to introduce him, he would certainly do it his self. He stepped between his partner and her girlfriend, extending a hand. "Hi. I'm Neal. Emma's partner."

Kathryn took his hand which he grasped loosely and returned his smile. "So. You're FBI as well, then?"

"I am." He nodded, letting go of Kathryn's hand to shove both of his awkwardly into his front pockets. Emma looked back and forth between the two of them and suddenly her left eyebrow shot up on her forehead. "It's nice to meet you."

"Can we talk? In the kitchen?" Emma grabbed Neal by the arm, forced a smile on her face and jerked him towards the other room. Once they were out of earshot of Regina and Kathryn, Emma punched Neal firmly in the shoulder.

"What the hell was that for?" Neal asked in a hushed tone, wincing as he grabbed the offended arm.

"What the hell was that in there?" Emma hissed, looking at her partner like he'd lost his mind. "You can't just flirt with my girlfriends friends!"

. . .

"Did I- say something wrong?" Kathryn looked back and forth between Regina and the direction Emma and Neal had disappeared in. She was certain she hadn't, but far be it for her to deny the fact that Emma's partner was cute in an awkward sort of way. Kathryn thought she just might have to see about getting an FBI Agent of her own. "What do you think they're talking about in there?"

"How should I know?" Regina was quick to dismiss the weird incident. "Knowing Emma? She's probably telling him off for flirting with you. Though I wouldn't have exactly called that flirting."

"He is kind of cute." Kathryn shrugged, taking a seat once more. Regina followed suit. "So how did it go today? If you're ready to talk about it?"

Regina sighed then laughed nervously. "If I wait until I'm ready, I'll probably never talk about it."

. . .

"I wasn't flirting. I-"

"Oh the hell you weren't." Emma scoffed at him before she turned to grab two beers out of the refrigerator. She handed him one and hopped up on the counter as he leaned back against the opposite one. "So what are you doing uptown so late?"

The ease in which they could change tones with each other was nothing new. Neal was practically a brother to Emma and there wasn't a chance in hell they would ever be caught actually fighting with one another. "Actually, I tried calling you several times. I knew you were taking Regina to meet her parents this afternoon, so I just wanted to check in on you two, to make sure everything went okay."

Emma reached into her pocket for her phone and sure enough, there were several missed calls and messages. Apparently she'd slept through them. Or she was possibly just preoccupied at the time. She shrugged, shoving the phone back into her front pocket.

"It went as well as you could expect." Emma toyed with the label on the bottle in her hands. She was hesitant to discuss her girlfriend's situation, but Neal was her best friend and she trusted that he sincerely cared about both of them. "She's still angry. I guess I would be too, you know?"

"Yeah. So how were the parents?" Neal asked before taking a drink of the beer Emma had shoved at him. "Was it weird?"

"They seem okay enough." Emma shrugged. "But I think it's going to take some time before they're all taking family photos and spending holidays together. They're having a hard time understanding why she's so distant. But she lived 16 years without them. She wants to be happy about it. There's just…a lot of hurt there. I just-"

Emma let the sentence die off and nursed her beer in silence for a moment. She could hear Regina talking in the other room, but couldn't quite make out what was being said. Kathryn had shown up because she'd been concerned about her best friend, so if she was forced to make an educated guess, Emma assumed they were talking about how her meeting with Cora and Henry had went.

"So it's like 9pm on a Saturday night and we're not on call." Neal interrupted Emma's thought process. "Why are we not going out somewhere? And seriously…is Regina's friend single?"

Emma rolled her eyes and Neal smirked at her. "One, it's probably because we've had a mentally taxing day. And two, even if she is, just…no."

"Or maybe it's because you've found a girl and suddenly you're acting like a whipped husband!" Neal laughed so hard at his own joke that he never saw Emma come off of the counter or her fist nailing him in the shoulder again. "What the hell, Swan!?"

Emma quirked an amused eyebrow and left him standing in the kitchen.

. . .

Neal was quick to follow Emma back into the living room. He was holding his shoulder again, but either no one noticed or chose to not ask why. Emma took a seat next to Regina on the couch, leaving Neal to sit on the other chair closest to Kathryn. The two women had clearly ended their conversation once the two of them returned, but Emma felt certain that Regina probably didn't mind. She also couldn't shake the hassling Neal had given her in the kitchen and suddenly found herself wondering if getting out of the house wasn't exactly what they all needed.

"Everything okay?" Regina asked as the two partners settled into their seats.

"Yeah." Emma was almost too quick to answer. "Actually, Neal was just suggesting that if the two of you felt up to it, maybe we should all get out of the house and go have a drink or two?"

"That sounds fantastic, actually!" Kathryn regarded Regina carefully, hoping that she was up for an outing. And Emma looked at Neal, knowing him well enough to know that he was doing a silent victory dance on the inside.

"Sure." Regina nodded, taking Emma's hand for a moment. "I just need to change first if that's okay?"

. . .

An hour later, Neal stood back, holding open the door to allow the three ladies to walk in ahead of him. The bar was a dive. Dark and not too packed. One of the many qualities they'd all grown to appreciate over time.

"Right back to where it all started, Agent Swan?" Regina leaned in to whisper into her girlfriend's ear. She took Emma's hand and pulled her towards the bar. Kathryn was a grown woman and Regina felt certain she could manage on her own for a little while. She also knew that Neal had no idea what he was in for, setting his sights on her best friend. Neal was laid back. Kathryn liked to have fun. Regina hoped he could keep up. "Drinks first?"

"The last time we were here, you drank my beer, didn't bother to ask my name…" Emma laughed, following closely behind the brunette. Regina ordered two drinks but didn't take her attention off the gorgeous blonde hanging onto her. "And then you left with me. Am I going to have to keep my eye on you tonight?"

The two women strolled casually to the table Neal and Kathryn had laid claim to and just as Emma was about to pull out a chair, Regina relieved her of the bottle she was carrying. Depositing both drinks on the table, Regina backed away slowly pulling Emma with her towards the dance floor. Emma's breath caught in her throat at the look she saw in the brunette's eyes. Once they were in the middle of the crowd, Regina pulled Emma close, lacing her arms around the blonde's neck. Emma wrapped both arms around Regina's waist and smiled as Regina pulled her in for a slow lingering kiss.

"I wouldn't suggest taking your eyes off of me ever again Emma Swan." Regina's lips curled up in a smile that reached her eyes for the first time since leaving the park earlier in the afternoon. "You never know what you might miss."

Emma's chest tightened as they both began to move with the music. Whoever had taken charge of the jukebox had really done a number on it and Emma couldn't help but wonder if they'd thought it was 'Throwback Thursday' when an early 90's song began to play. Honestly she couldn't care less what was coming out of the old machine because she had the most gorgeous woman in the room wrapped in her arms who was dancing quite provocatively against her, if she did say so herself. It was almost as if they were reliving that first dance over again. But when Regina turned in Emma's arms this time, there was no awkward stranger to shove away. The only thing that remained the same was the sexual tension and the knowledge that when Emma took this woman home again, this time, she would definitely be taking her to bed.

Emma smiled to herself then, her hands tangled with her girlfriends as Regina pushed back against the blonde, knowing exactly what reaction she would be eliciting. Regina leaned her head to the side, resting it back against Emma's shoulder as Emma's lips kissed a slow trail from her neck to a very exposed collarbone. A particular place Emma happened to know was very sensitive.

. . .

Neal glanced over at the blonde sitting across from him who was watching their friends on the dance floor with an open mouth and curious eyes. Feeling a set of eyes on her, Kathryn turned back to the guy sitting across from her and shook her head. She fanned herself lightly as her face seemed to have gotten flushed all on its own. "Maybe we should have left them at home."

"That's nothing. You should have been here the first time that happened." Neal shook his head at the memory and laughed, causing Kathryn to laugh with him.

"They do make quite the couple, don't they?"