Disclaimer: I don't own them.

A/N: Again, a day late, sorry. But the chapter is - again - twice the size of a normal chapter because there really was no place where I could cut it in half ... Oh, and the rating has been changed.

Chapter 6: Spirited Away

Regina silently opened the door to Emma's apartment with a flick of her wrist. Everything was quiet and dark except for the soft glow of a lamp that came from behind some bookcases that hid a corner of the room. Interesting. She wondered what the purpose was but ultimately decided that it wasn't her business how Emma decorated her home as long as it didn't endanger Henry.

Henry. She held her breath at the thought of being able to see her son. She used a muffling spell to silence her steps as she climbed up the stairs but she was so excited to see Henry that she forgot to cast the light sleeping spell she had used the night she dropped off her letter.

The door to Henry's room stood ajar. Regina gently pushed it open a little wider and stepped inside. Tonight he was alone, his other mother nowhere in sight. She must sleep downstairs in that nook, Regina realized, shaking her head. This was no apartment to raise a growing boy. She should have told Emma to take over the mansion in her letter. That was Henry's home, that was where he should live. Maybe she should leave Emma a note?

There was night light stuck in a socket by the door, another new addition that hadn't been there the last time she was here. She really hoped that he didn't have too many nightmares after Neverland but there was no way to know for sure unless she talked to him or Emma, which she wanted to avoid at all costs. She just couldn't. Speaking to them would mean she would have to stay because she doubted she would ever be able to disappear again. It already hurt too much this first time around.

Henry muttered incoherently in his sleep and moved around a little but didn't seem to have a nightmare. Regina breathed deeply in relief knowing that if Henry had even so much as groaned she'd be beside him on that bed clinging to him, and that was not what he needed. He needed stability, and the family he'd always wished for, and she was in the way, no matter how much it hurt.

Her vision started to get blurry and Regina realized that she was crying. She scolded herself for being so overly emotional that she couldn't stop herself from coming here. She should have known better. She would just leave silently, and this time she wouldn't return. She backed out of the room without a sound and gave Henry one last look before closing the door behind her. I love you, my little prince. Be happy.

Regina had no intention of looking in on Emma in her makeshift room after leaving Henry's bedroom. She expected to just leave as silently as she had come. What she didn't expect were the sounds coming from Emma's nook. It almost sounded as if someone was … but no, that couldn't be. Maybe Emma was in pain, yes, that had to be it.

She slowly followed the noise, focusing very hard so as not to stumble and fall. Considering she was still feeling some effects from the alcohol, and the room was lit only by that low light she had noticed before, it was quite difficult to navigate the room. Once she had found the opening between the bookcases, Regina carefully peeked around the corner. What she saw made her jaw drop.

Emma was lying on top of her covers, one hand inside her red panties, the other bunched up in her wife beater. Her hips were moving at a steady rhythm but Emma didn't look like she was consciously doing it. It was painfully clear what was going on and, judging from the frequency of the moans and the way those fingers and hips moved, had been going on for quite some time.

Regina decided to leave. Immediately. She didn't need to watch Emma bringing herself to an orgasm, probably to the thoughts of Henry's imbecilic father. She needed to leave.

Except she couldn't. She did move her feet but all they did was take her closer to the bed, closer to Emma. Unbidden, Regina's hands reached out as if they wanted to take over. And Regina did want that. More than anything she wanted to be the one that coaxed those sounds from Emma's throat, wanted to be the one who Emma pressed up against, trying to get closer and closer still. Regina felt her own body temperature rising as arousal shot through her. She tore her eyes away from Emma's hand, desperately trying to regain her composure but as soon as her eyes landed on Emma's face she realized what a huge mistake that was.

The look on Emma's face almost was her undoing and she barely managed to bite back a whimper at the sight. Rapture, arousal, focus, all played tag across Emma's beautiful features, and Regina found herself spellbound. She stopped breathing, stopped moving, stopped everything, and just focused on Emma's closed eyes, please please stay closed, and her mouth, half open. Regina almost lost it again when Emma's tongue came out to wet her lips, once, twice, then retreated to make room for the loudest moan yet.

Emma's whole body now moved, faster, and faster still, until her back arched and … "Oh God, Regina!"

Regina gasped softly, shocked and disbelieving. How could that be? Surely this was a trick of some kind. Had Emma known she was there the whole time? Was that her punishment for sneaking into the apartment? Whatever it was, it was definitely time to run. Now.

But then Emma opened her eyes and looked straight at her. And smiled? She looked a little confused but relaxed and sated. "That was wonderful," Emma whispered, closing her eyes again. "But why are you dressed?"

This time Regina's gasp was so loud that Emma opened her eyes again to stare straight at her, as if only now realizing that she was, in fact, really standing there. Regina went in full-on panic mode. She needed to get out of there, out and far, far away. She flicked her hand to transport herself to the safe haven of her cabin when Emma's hand suddenly closed around her wrist. "Please don't go."

Too late , Regina realized a moment later when she stared into the dying embers of the fire in her cabin, Emma hanging onto her, dizzy and disoriented. Well, that did not go as planned, Regina thought. What am I going to do now?

"What the hell?" Emma gasped, arousal dissipating a little in the wake of the nauseating experience of being transported by magic. "Where did you drag me off to? Why did you do that?"

"If memory serves correctly, Ms. Swan," Regina snarled, "it was you who latched onto me, not the other way round. Don't worry, I'll be sending you right back." Her voice was harder than she wanted as her nerves and confusion over what she had witnessed got the better of her.

"No!" Emma shouted. "Don't!"

"Do make up your mind, Ms. Swan." Regina called forth a nice fireball in her hand and saw Emma take a step back. She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please," she scoffed. "Really? Why on earth would I kill you?"

Emma had the grace to give her a sheepish grin. "Yeah, sorry," she mumbled. "I'm not really firing on all cylinders right now … not after …" She trailed off with a blush. "And I feel kinda naked, which doesn't help."

Regina tossed the fireball into the stone fireplace which immediately ignited the magically restacked firewood and provided some much-needed light. When Emma mentioned her lack of clothing she couldn't resist running her eyes slowly up and down Emma's body.

"Stop that," Emma murmured in a low voice but it didn't sound angry. In fact, it sounded more like an invitation to continue to Regina who raised an eyebrow at the thought, and ran her eyes up Emma's torso once more. She watched as her nipples hardened under her gaze until Emma crossed her arms in front of her chest. Only then did Regina look at Emma's face which was a nice shade of red.

"Tell me, Ms. Swan," Regina said, feeling a lot more in control, now that she had Emma at a disadvantage. "Why would you be blushing at standing here in front of me like that when not fifteen minutes ago you —-"

Emma held up a hand. "Stop right there," she demanded. "What the hell were you even doing watching me? You can't just creep into other people's houses to watch them … sleep. Or doing … stuff."

Emma saw with surprise that Regina looked actually uncomfortable at that. She also realized that the other woman tried to look anywhere but at Emma.

Regina sighed. "It wasn't my int-"

"Regina," Emma interrupted her, but not harshly. "Not that I'm not interested in your explanation but ... er ... could you get me a pair of pants or something first?"

"If you insist." Regina waved her hand and Emma found herself dressed in tight jeans, a white button-down shirt, and a black vest on top.

"Thanks." Emma visibly relaxed. "One day you have to teach me how to do that. Although half of this isn't exactly from my closet." She raised a questioning eyebrow at Regina but her face froze at the look on Regina's face. She couldn't remember ever seeing Regina look at somebody like that. Like she wanted to eat her alive.

Regina nodded at Emma, her throat suddenly dry. If she had thought Emma in her tank top and panties was sexy, she had no words for how her body reacted to the woman dressed like that. Or maybe it was just the lingering arousal from watching her earlier. Regina suddenly had trouble focusing. What had they been talking about? And why were her hands shaking all of a sudden?

"So?" Emma exuded much more confidence fully dressed and with the knowledge that she affected Regina in some way. "What the hell were you doing in my bedroom in the middle of the night?" Her voice wasn't angry any more and had taken on a darker timbre.

"I ... It wasn't ...," Regina stuttered. "I came to see ... Henry," she finally replied. "I had to see that he was all right, that he wasn't suffering any after-effects from Neverland."

Emma deflated a little. "Henry? That's it? You just decided to watch Henry sleep for a while?"

"You sound disappointed, dear," Regina remarked with a smirk.

Emma ignored her. "Why did you disappear?" She ran a hand through her hair. "I've been looking all over for you. Henry misses you." Come on, bite the bullet. "I missed you."

Regina scoffed. "Tell me, Ms. Swan," she said loftily, "when did you start your no doubt extensive search for me?"

Emma bit her lip. "This morning," she admitted.

"And yet I left almost a week ago," Regina reminded her casually, although Emma could swear she heard more than a hint of hurt in her tone. "Seems like neither my son nor you could have missed me as much as you claim."

"I didn't even realize you were gone, dammit!" Emma yelled, frustrated at having her admission thrown in her face.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Regina asked. "That my son and the woman I ... that my son didn't even notice that his mother had been missing for a week?" Regina bit the inside of her cheek, hoping that Emma would ignore what she had almost revealed. "I left him a letter ..." she added, sounding a little lost.

"I know," Emma gentled her tone. "He found it pretty soon, I think, but he only told me about it this morning." She looked up to see tears gathering in Regina's eyes. "Hey, Henry didn't ignore it because he doesn't care. He told me he had a bad feeling about it and was scared of what it might say. He was just trying to avoid pain. And then there was so much going on with Snow and David moving out and Neal being around all the time, and—"

"Ah yes." Regina rolled her eyes. "Rumple's moronic son."

"Hey," Emma said. "That is Henry's father you're talking about." Not that she actually disagreed considering how much he gad gotten on her nerve since his return from the dead.

"I'm hardly going to forget that horrible fact," Regina growled. "Not to mention that I'm probably not supposed to speak ill of the Savior's true love." She closed her eyes with a sigh and turned towards the fire. "I'm just glad Henry comes after you more than he comes after his father."

"And after you, Regina," Emma reminded her softly. "You might not have given him your DNA but he's your son in all the ways it counts." Then Emma finally realized what else Regina had said. "Wait a second! Who says Neal is my true love?"

"Well, it's what everyone thinks, isn't it?" Regina spoke into the fire, holding on to the mantle as a wave of misery ran through her body at the thought. "I know that Snow considers it a fact, and Rumple told me the same thing on the way to Neverland."

"Gold told you ... why would he ...? Okay, stop." Emma took a calming breath. "That makes no sense whatsoever," she muttered.

"Doesn't it?" Regina asked as calmly as she could. "You are Henry's parents and he's such a good boy that the conclusion isn't that far-fetched. And Henry wants so much for it to be true, so he can finally have the family he's always dreamed of."

And there it was, the confirmation of what Emma had suspected since Regina had disappeared. "So you ran because you couldn't stand to see Neal around Henry?" Please say that wasn't the only reason.

"I didn't run," Regina insisted. "I simply removed myself from the equation, so Henry can have his happy ending. He deserves one."

"What about me though?" Emma asked, slowly walking closer to Regina. "Don't I deserve a happy ending? I am the Savior, after all."

Emma's tone held just a hint of teasing but Regina was in no mood for that. Not when the woman she loved spoke of her happy ending with Henry's father and her son. She turned away from the fire and was surprised to see how close Emma had gotten to her. "Of course you deserve a happy ending," she ground out as she walked around Emma to get away from her. She needed room, breathing space, just ... room to get her heart and mind back on the same page. "It's what Henry wants; for you all to be happy together."

Emma watched Regina's reaction to her closely, registered the nuances on her face, listened to the tone of her voice. And the longer she watched and listened and thought about Neverland, and the boat trip back, the looks, that night, the more she was positive that this was not just about Henry.

"So we're back to Henry," Emma commented, rolling her eyes as she followed Regina around the room. This was a dance, and she needed to bridge this space between them.

"What do you mean? Everything is about Henry." Regina was running out of space to turn and walk around. Wherever she turned, Emma was there a moment later. She's trying to drive me crazy! Regina looked around her cabin. The bedroom maybe but Emma would probably just follow, she thought. Would that be so bad?, another voice in her head asked reasonably. You could just admit that you love her and end this charade. Thatwas not going to happen but she was beginning to feel cornered.

"I don't know what you want from me, Ms. Swan!" Regina erupted, knowing she sounded defensive but unable to do anything about it. She had long ago lost the ability to control her reactions where Emma Swan was concerned.

Emma inched closer to Regina, observing her like she would a trapped and hurt animal. She wished she knew what was going on in her mind. "What I mean is that I think this isn't just about Henry," she said softly. "What I want is for you to come home, Regina."

Regina laughed darkly. "So I can watch my son be happy with another family?" she scoffed. "So I can watch …" She stopped herself. There was no way she would tell Emma about her feelings. "So I can watch Rumple's son play happy families with Henry and the Charmings?"

Emma had had enough. "You know, for a smart woman you're really dense sometimes."

"I don't understand …"

"You watched me as I touched myself not even half an hour ago," Emma said, sounding both a little exasperated and amused. "And I don't think it was Neal's name on my lips when I came."

Regina just stared, unable to come up with a response. Finally she swallowed. "What are you—?"

Again, Emma didn't let her finish. "Oh, for fuck's sake," she growled as she grabbed Regina and kissed her, hard, pressing her body up against the door of the cabin. Regina didn't respond for a long moment, long enough that Emma started to doubt her ability to read the situation, but then she growled low in her throat and kissed back.

Their lips parted and met again and again, hard, gently, tenderly, with ever-growing abandon. Emma's tongue traced the scar on Regina's upper lip, something she had wanted to do forever, and was welcomed between parting lips, then sucked into the warmth of Regina's mouth. The kiss deepened, tongues exploring, dancing, playing with each other. A groan escaped Emma's throat at the need that pooled in her lower belly at the intensity of that kiss, the still lingering arousal in her body coming back full force.

Emma's hands wandered up and down Regina's body, tracing lines from her shoulders to her hips and back, pushing off the blazer she wore along the way. She marveled at the change in Regina's breathing at the tender touches, how it hitched, then continued, faster and even more uneven than before.

Their lips parted and Emma moved her mouth to Regina's neck, nibbling, licking, whispering over skin that erupted in goose bumps wherever she went. The surge of power that went through Emma was unbelievable, the knowledge that she was finally able to be this close to Regina making her lightheaded. Regina gasped loudly when Emma's hands cupped her breasts through her shirt and bra, and thumbs played over rapidly hardening nipples. The moan that came from her mouth was low and sensual, and Emma moaned in sympathy at the sound.

Emma's hands explored, teased, touched until neither woman could stand the clothes between Emma's hands and Regina's skin any longer. Emma grabbed the bottom of Regina's shirt and ripped it open, ignoring the buttons that were flying everywhere. She opened the front clasp of the black lace bra to remove the final barrier between her and those wonderful breasts, and moaned when her finger touched Regina's skin for the first time. "Gods, Regina," she rumbled low in her throat, her breath teasing Regina's ear. "I want you so much." She bit her earlobe for good measure and was rewarded by a gasp and the incredible feeling of having Regina's core rocking against her thigh.

"Emma," Regina groaned when she discovered that her earlobe had a direct connection to her core. It was the first thing she had said since they had started kissing but the timbre of her voice with just the one word told Emma all she needed to know. Regina wanted her just as much as she wanted Regina.

All Regina knew was that she wanted to feel Emma inside her, hard and fast. She wanted to be surrounded by Emma, fell her on every surface of her body, inside and out, wanted to let herself believe that this could be her happy ending, if only for a moment. Even knowing that this couldn't possibly be real, couldn't possibly be what Emma really wanted.

Emma looked into Regina's eyes and saw the need in them that matched her own. She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything Regina interrupted her. "Please don't say anything, Ms. Swan," she begged breathlessly, and pushed her core harder against Emma's leg to show her how much she wanted this.

"My name is Emma," the blonde growled as she moved down to nip on Regina's hardened nipples, first one, then the other. She could feel Regina's hands moving into her hair, grabbing on roughly and directing her mouth where she wanted to feel it. Emma didn't mind; she wanted this to be good for Regina. She moved one hand down to pop open the button on Regina's jeans, saddened for a moment that she hadn't taken the time to really appreciate the fact that Regina was wearing casual clothes and how much she rocked that look. Her fingers sneaked inside the pants and encountered damp lace. "You want me," she moaned. "You actually want me," she repeated in wonder.

Regina bit her lip hard to stop herself from screaming that yes, she wanted Emma, or that she wanted her to just take her, take her, and make her come. If this was a fluke, then she wouldn't be able to live with having given Emma the satisfaction of knowing how much she craved her touch. She needed to hold back, needed to hold onto something she could rebuild herself from once this came to its inevitable end. So she let her body do the talking for her as she pushed her aching core against Emma's hand, praying the blonde would get the hint.

She did.

Emma couldn't believe her luck. She vowed then and there that she would do whatever Regina needed from her, now and forever, protecting her, loving her, and, right now, giving her release. She let go of the wonderful breasts she was feasting upon and returned to those beautiful lips for another kiss. This kiss was different from the others, soft and almost sweet, a counterpoint to the jerky movements of their hips against each other.

Regina's whole body was burning, fire pulsing through her veins and little sticks of dynamite exploding wherever Emma touched her. She arched her body into Emma's touch, pressing as much of herself as possible into the woman she loved, needed, wanted. Her hands were wrapped in wild blonde hair, clenching and unclenching. When Emma let loose with a groan that sounded more like pain than pleasure, Regina loosened her grip and dug her hands into Emma's shoulders instead, needing something to ground her.

Emma slipped inside the lace panties and trailed her fingertips through Regina's damp curls. She wanted more room to touch, to linger, to try different things but she didn't want to stop to move them somewhere else. "God, you're so wet," she breathed in excitement. Regina's body lifted almost off the ground when Emma's fingers grazed her swollen clit.

Emma delighted in Regina's reactions and for a second regretted that it would be over soon. But she wanted to give Regina what she needed, so she traced her fingers along her lover's outer lips with gentle determination.

Regina's body writhed against the door, passion and need turning her body inside out. She became afraid that her legs wouldn't be able to bear her weight much longer but just as she felt her knees actually buckle when Emma entered her for the first time, she felt an arm around her waist and a lean body pressing her more securely against the door. Regina groaned; she couldn't think, only feel, and she realized somewhere in between sensations that she had never felt that good.

Emma set a slow, steady rhythm, pushing two fingers in as deeply as she could given the constrictions she had to work with. She curled her fingers inside in a come hither motion and fluttered the fingertips against a spot that brought forth an almost tortured groan from Regina. Emma smiled and did it again, just to be sure. She could feel Regina pressing into her harder and harder, her movements uncontrolled and demanding, and Emma followed her commands. She sped up her rhythm, pushing harder, faster, and soon could feel Regina's muscles tighten around her fingers. She pulled out and pushed back in, adding another finger, ignoring the pained sensation in her hand and wrist.

Regina saw colors exploding behind her closed eyelids and her heart skipped a beat as she felt Emma pull out and enter her again, filling her even more. Everything seemed to crash inside her and all around her, the world tilting for one glorious moment. She came silently, almost biting a hole in her bottom lip to stop herself from screaming Emma's name, choosing instead to dig her fingers into Emma's shoulders hard enough to leave marks as her body gave in to pleasure.

Emma was close to coming herself when she felt Regina's muscles clench around her fingers, holding them inside, trying to pull them deeper, tightening as wave after wave of pleasure pulsed through Regina's body. When Regina dug her fingers painfully into her shoulder, she pushed her fingers in deeply once more and pressed her thumb against Regina's clit. In reaction, Regina raised one leg off the ground, inadvertently pressing against Emma's core, pushing her into a small orgasm as well.

Emma had no idea how long they were standing there, pressed against the door, her fingers still buried deep inside Regina, when she felt the other woman's body sag. Emma slowly, gently pulled her fingers out and wiped them against her shirt. She felt Regina sink to the floor, her body made of jello, and guided her down, wrapped against her body.

"Holy shit, Regina," Emma breathed once they were lying next to each other on the cold floor. She gave Regina her most brilliant smile but that soon froze and fell when she saw how Regina's eyes became distant once more. And then it hit Emma. Oh my God, I just basically took her against a door. Congratulations on fucking up your first time with the woman you love, Swan. You moron! "I'm … I'm sorry, Regina," she started to apologize, breath still a little uneven. "I didn't mean to—"

Regina sat up and held out a hand to stop Emma. There it was, the moment she had dreaded, the moment when Emma realized what a monumental mistake she had just made. But knowing what was coming, and actually being able to hear the words coming out of Emma's mouth were two very different things, and Regina wasn't sure she could take it. "Don't bother, Ms. Swan," Regina rasped, voice low and rough. "I understand completely."

Emma stared at her from her position on the floor. "That makes one of us," she whispered confusion written all over her face. "What's going on, Regina? Talk to me."

But Regina didn't want to talk, didn't want the illusion to shatter. Not right now, at least. She moved her hand and a second later Emma found herself back in her bedroom, confused, uncertain, and more than a little angry.

"What the fuck, Regina?"

And she still had no idea where Regina was hiding.