Chapter twenty-two
Graham sat down cross-legged on the grass and his mouth quirked up in a smile as he ran his fingers through the blades of green.
To no one's surprise, Dawn's wedding gift had thrived under Emma's green thumb and had even expanded beyond the boundaries of the fence.
It had quickly become Graham's favourite place in the Underworld.
"This may be the most relaxed I have ever seen you."
The demon's eyes snapped away from a flower he had been inspecting and his smile widened at the sight of Dawn holding the glass of wine she had offered to get for him after he successfully disarmed her during their sword play training.
He pushed himself up a little to accept the glass from her and she didn't wait for an invitation as she sat down opposite him, holding her own beverage, though she wasn't quite as interested in the greenery and she looked at him expectantly for a reply.
"Emma is alive, Regina is happy and we haven't heard from Zeus in months, what is there to be afraid of?" he asked and did a small toasting motion with his glass before he took a drink. He chose not to include the training because it had been going surprisingly well in the last couple months, it turned out he could achieve quite a lot when he wasn't hiding behind a pillar.
Dawn just let out a laugh and blushed a little.
If she was debating her attraction before, she was almost certain now. He would probably never be the type to lead an army into battle, but he no longer was the type to hide whilst others fought, especially now that knew how to actually hold a blade.
"So my mother's happiness is the key to treating your anxiety?" the demi-goddess asked and brought her own glass up to her mouth in the hopes that it would hide her blush.
"You've only known her for twenty years," Graham replied, even though he had in fact seen the slight hue on her cheeks.
"I'm sure that she couldn't have been that bad," Dawn said.
"Her mood has mellowed significantly since you were born…"
"And now?" Dawn asked.
"She is the happiest I have ever seen her, I don't think there are many who would be willing to attack her sister for…" Graham replied and ran his hand across the grass again before he added, "I've never seen a single change to this domain since I first appeared here, other than you and Emma of course."
Dawn nodded and replied, "the garden really is beautiful, isn't it?"
Graham reached over to pick the closest flower, which was a daisy, and handed it over to the demi-goddess.
"It really is," he replied, though his eyes stayed trained on his companion.
Dawn couldn't hide her blush this time and she looked down to the daisy.
When she said that he looked relaxed, she didn't think that it would extend to the kind of confidence he would need for this.
Especially when it came to Hades' daughter.
To be fair, this had been something he had been thinking over for a couple months. He knew he had feelings for her, which was only compounded the more that he found that he enjoyed her company and he discovered that he genuinely loved having her as a friend.
The only concern now was that if he acted on his feelings, he could lose that friendship and Dawn would feel far less comfortable being in the Underworld when Hades was not around.
"My mother is not the only one that Emma has changed for the better, you know?" Dawn said and finally looked away from the flower and over to the demon's eyes.
"It is not only Emma I have to thank for that," he replied and shifted slightly closer. He'd had alcohol, confidence and the absence of Regina going for him right now, so why not go for what he had been thinking of?
However, he forgot to factor into his plan that there would be doubts running through his mind.
Would Dawn want to kiss him?
If she didn't, then he could lose his closest friend, what if she told her mother and he was punished?
Dawn noticed how his eyebrows scrunched together and she actually laughed out loud at him.
Of course he couldn't manage to be smooth for long, it was strangely adorable.
Especially since he had just answered her question as to whether he liked her back or not.
She moved past the flutter in her stomach and leaned forward to place a soft kiss to the man's lips and then back up to inspect his face.
His eyes were wide, his cheeks crimson and he was clearly breathing deeply as he processed whether or not that had actually happened.
Instead of sputtering in fear, though, he managed to smile and his eyes closed as he let out a long breath in an attempt to calm his beating heart.
"I assume that was what you wanted?" Dawn asked.
Graham opened his eyes and nodded before he placed his glass on the ground so that he could use the hand to cup the side of her face and pull her into a much longer kiss.
His hand remained on her cheek when they parted this time, but he frowned when something occurred to him, "your mother may throw me into Tartarus…"
Dawn made a point of letting out a deep, exasperated sigh and she asked, "could we please not discuss my mother right now?"
The demon just nodded enthusiastically and allowed himself to be pulled in for another kiss.
Emma let out a relieved sigh as she pulled her dress away from her body.
As much as she wanted to turn up to her mother's ball in her usual tunic (the clothes of the world without magic were definitely out of the question) she knew it would hardly be 'proper'.
Now that she was no longer in a crowd of nobles though, she pulled on a t-shirt and then her new favourite piece of clothing known as sweat pants, both of which she had grown accustomed to since New York City.
Regina (or Dawn?) appeared from the other room dressed in her own night attire and Emma said, "I think that all went rather well, don't you?"
As she said this, they each made their way to their respective sides of the bed and began to climb underneath the duvet covers.
"Rather well?" Regina repeated with a raised eyebrow, "your mother was suspicious the moment she laid eyes on me and I'm sure that was not helped when you asked if I could share a chamber with you."
The princess just shrugged and said, "she hasn't burst in here to confront us, my father must have talked her down."
"And that is your standard for success?" Regina replied.
Emma shrugged again, and said, "you can go whenever you want to…but I promised my mother I would stay for a few more nights."
The goddess inspected the younger woman's expression, she was obviously trying to hide the look of disappointment that she was feeling.
"I don't want to leave," Regina finally said and put her arm out so that the princess could slot into her side like she did every other night, but unlike every other night, Emma hesitated.
Regina pushed herself up slightly so that she could look at the other woman's face fully, "what's wrong dear?" she asked.
Emma chewed her bottom lip and replied, "it's just…I have no desire to share a bed with Dawn…"
Regina frowned and looked down at her body, she'd actually forgotten that she was in a different form.
"And what if someone were to discover that I'm not who I claim to be?"
"The staff will wait until the chamber is vacant to perform their duties, and my parents have never once entered my chamber before breakfast," Emma replied.
Regina raised her eyebrow to hide that her mind was racing with images of Snow or David expressing their disgust at the sight of their precious princess Emma White cuddled up with Hades.
However, said princess had more than proved that she could no longer be controlled by her parents, so Regina clicked her fingers to dismiss the glamour.
Honestly, she would be more worried if her wife had been eager to share a bed with her daughter.
As soon as the image of Dawn transformed into Regina, Emma fell down into her arms and placed a kiss to her cheek.
Regina pulled her closer and dropped a kiss to her forehead, after which they lay in comfortable silence.
That was until Emma whispered, "thank you."
"Whatever for?" Regina asked.
Emma's chin came up so it was resting on her other woman's shoulder so that she could see her face as she replied, "for accompanying me, I know you have no desire to be here…"
"Of course I do," Regina said, feeling her cheeks burning crimson as she added, "you're here."
Emma's breath hitched, sometimes it was hard to believe that the ruler of the Underworld could be so romantic.
If it wasn't such an intimate moment, she wished that her mother could have seen it so she would know that her daughter-in-law was not the evil monster she conjured in her mind almost constantly.
However, any thoughts of her mother left her mind as she captured her wife's lips in a lingering kiss, before she pulled back a little so that words could leave her mouth before she could stop them, "I love you."
Regina's eyes flew open and she stared at the younger woman.
The words brought her back to that day, to the blood stained sand when Emma had just failed to utter them.
Now that she'd heard the princess say them fully, she couldn't be more grateful that she'd got them out when she could actually breathe.
"I love you too," Regina replied, as she cupped her cheek in her plam as if it would prove how she was feeling.
This time, Emma smiled into their kiss and their lips moved against each others for several minutes of passion.
Emma pushed her leg over Regina so that she was straddling her waist and began peppering kisses down the goddess's neck.
Regina's head involuntarily threw back to give the lips better access and it wasn't long until they found her pulse point and Regina's eyes fluttered shut.
Her hand came up to the princess's waist to hold her in place and a moan was about to leave Regina's lips until her mind caught up with what was happening and her eyes flew open.
"Emma," she breathed, hating herself a little as she pulled herself up to take the access to the pulse point away, though she still held her waist.
Emma took a couple deep breaths before she asked, "what's wrong?"
She was suddenly very aware of the fact that she could have been doing it wrong.
Regina quickly pecked the other woman's lips, which caused the her frown to fall away before she replied, "I believe if we go any further, any attempt to court would be moot."
Emma's sigh racked her whole body as she rolled off the goddess so that she was next to her again, she allowed herself from a couple seconds to stop herself from spouting some argument about why they should go further, before she said, "I supposed this wouldn't be the best place for…that, either."
Regina laughed as Emma cuddled back up to her and she started trailing her fingers through the blonde locks.
"I'm sure your parents would try to find a way to murder me if they were to discover it."
Emma nuzzled closer to the other woman and mumbled, "mentioning my parents has really helped the mood to pass."
"That was my intention, dear."
Hades felt the princess hum against her shoulder and she was almost certain that she was beginning to close her eyes.
"Goodnight," she whispered, dropping another kiss to her head.
"Night," Emma just about got out between a yawn.
"Interesting choice of disguise."
Regina raised her eyes to the sky with a deep sigh, before she turned to find Mal leaning against a tree.
With a couple quick glances to make sure they were alone, Regina allowed the glamour to fall away.
"I don't think the king and queen would have been nearly as hospitable if I had arrived looking like this," Regina deadpanned and took a step closer to the tree.
"I didn't realise you were afraid of them."
Regina scoffed.
The only situation in which Snow White and Prince Charming could cause her harm would be if they somehow managed to convince Emma to remain in the Enchanted Forest, which she was becoming increasingly sure was impossible, even if she always had at least a small nagging doubt in the back of her mind.
"Do you really believe that I called you here to discuss the Charmings?" Regina asked.
Hecate's smile fell and her eyes involuntarily move over to one of the palace's windows, a window for a room that she knew as currently occupied.
"I cannot hide Lily's parentage from Emma for much longer, she asked me to help this morning," Regina explained.
Mal's eyes shot back to Regina and she snapped, "Are you choosing a mortal over your oldest friend?"
Regina felt a muscle jump in her jaw, but chose not to respond to the tone.
Being her oldest friend meant that she knew when Mal was just lashing out.
After all, she wouldn't have helped to mask Emma's whereabouts from Zelena for the last two months if she didn't really care about Regina's happiness.
"If that were the case, Lily would already know the truth," Regina shot back, "but honestly Mal, what is the harm in her knowing she is your daughter?"
Hecate remained silent for a few moments before she replied, "my daughter is not immortal like Dawn, Regina, I have no reason to become attached."
"If you were not attached, those bandits would still be alive," Regina argued.
"How did you…"
"Do you expect me to believe that a child could kill so many men?" Hades cut her off.
"So you do pay attention to the lost souls?" Hecate asked, finally looking away from the ground with a smirk, though it was rather unconvincing.
"Stop deflecting, Mal."
Hecate narrowed her eyes, but Regina held her gaze.
She could just leave, but she knew that Regina would only make good on her word and go and tell Emma the truth.
"She seemed happy enough believing that the woman who raised her was her mother, I saw no reason to disappoint her."
"She is dedicating her life to finding you, I fail to see where the disappointment would come in…"
Mal shot her friend a withering look and pushed herself away from the tree so that she could stalk towards the other woman.
"I'm not sure if you've been aware of this during your little courtship, Hades, but the world is on the brink of great change. Your sister will eventually learn that Emma is alive, I cannot keep her from the scent forever, and then you must know that everything will change."
"So you're trying to protect her from our world, is that it?" Regina asked, ignoring the lurching in her stomach at the though of Zelena once again laying her homocidal gaze upon her wife.
"She is living in a palace under the protection of its princess, there is no reason for her to know what she is really capable of while she is safe."
"Mal," Regina sighed, "the fact that she is desperately looking for you is every reason."
"Feel free to tell her the truth, Regina, but as far as she is concerned, I am the uncaring goddess that they all think we are."
"Mal…" Regina tried again, "growing attached to a mortal is not the worst thing…"
Mal shook her head and turned around.
She replied over her shoulder, "you won't say that when your princess is gone" and disappeared on the final word leaving no room for debate.
Regina stared at the empty space for a second or two as she clenched and unclenched her fists a few times to release the tension.
Finally, she just turned on her heels and decided to go and fulfil the sudden urge to go and see her wife.
Reluctantly, she transformed back into Dawn as she went.
Unbeknownst to Regina, though, the moment that Mal arrived back at Olympus, she came face-to-face with Zeus.
"Hello Hecate," Zelena said, "mind if we have a quick chat?"
A.N. So have finally caught up with where the originally story was and the next chapter will officially be new content, honestly a little nervous haha