A little later than promised, but I hope the chapter itself makes up for the small delay. :)
Henry leaned against the counter on the far side of the room by the cupboard with the dishes. He watched Emma move around the kitchen and waited until he was needed.
Emma pulled her hair into a loose ponytail as she crossed the room to a cupboard across from the oven. She crouched down and looked inside for a skillet. She scanned over the area and found three stacked together on the right side of the bottom shelf. She grabbed the one on top and shut the cupboard as she stood.
She set the skillet on the stove and turned to Henry.
"Cooking spray," she asked him.
"Cabinet next to the one you just opened."
"Right. Makes sense," Emma said as she spun around and went to the cupboard Henry mentioned.
She bent over as she opened it and took out the cooking spray.
"Most of the stuff in here is organized by logic," Henry informed her. "My mom grouped stuff by their uses. Like the pan and the cooking spray. You mostly use cooking spray on what's in the cabinet with the pans so they're next to the cooking spray. Not everything's as close as that, but they're all in the same area."
Emma gave a single nod.
"Got it. Thanks for the tip."
"No problem," Henry said before he looked quizzically at her. "Why did you agree to help with dinner?"
"Because," Emma started as she continued to work on dinner. "It was the only way to get your mom to agree."
"So...you really want to be here?"
Emma frowned and stopped what she was doing. She turned to face Henry completely and got down to his level as she gently gripped his biceps.
"Of course I do. Why do youthink I'm here?"
"Because of the deal."
"Well, yeah, I'm here because of the deal too, but, Henry...I made that deal with you for a reason. I changed that deal to better suit our situation for a reason."
"Why?"
"Because I'm trying. I'm trying to be here for you. I am here for you. I'm not leaving," she shook her head to reaffirm her words.
Henry smiled.
"She's gonna put you through hell," he informed her after a moment.
Emma smiled and laughed before she stood up straight.
"It's nothing I can't handle."
"But magic-"
Emma shook her head.
"You know, what? Even if she is the Evil Queen like you seem to think, even if she's got magic on her side, I won't go down without a fight. I can take her."
I've done a good job so far, Emma thought to herself.
Emma went back to preparing dinner and after an hour, she had the side dishes cooling on the island. She saved the main meal for Regina, not wanting to ruin their dinner, and waited for the brunette to return as she sat in the living room with Henry.
She knew it would be a while longer after the text Regina sent her just as she'd placed the dinner rolls on the cooling rack.
"Going to be late. -R"
Until then, she and Henry had to find something to do.
She sat cross-legged on the floor on one side of a board game as Henry sat similarly on the other.
"This is boring," Henry bluntly stated as he threw a game card onto the board.
"You're right, but what else could we do?"
Henry thought about it.
"I have Twister," he exclaimed when he came to his epiphany.
"Seriously? Your mom bought you Twister?"
"Yeah, a couple years ago. She threw a birthday party for me and invited some of the other kids over. We didn't really have a lot of games then so most of the games we do have are from that party."
"Wait, she invited people here?"
"Yeah," he chuckled as he saw Emma's shocked expression.
"Why? I mean, I know you said it was your birthday, but she hates everyone."
"I know. She'd never really thrown me a party before either, but I think she just wanted me to make friends."
"Did you?"
"Do I have any friends now," he asked as though the answer to her question went without saying.
Emma frowned and slumped over with slight disappointment.
"I had a good time, though," he said to try and cheer her up.
Emma looked up at him as he stood across from her. She flashed him a hopeful smile.
"That's good. We'll have to throw you another birthday party this year."
Henry scrunched up his face and shook his head.
"Why not?"
"Even if my mom would do that, I don't really talk to anyone at school. It'd be awkward to force them all to come to a party for me when they don't even know me! Not really."
Emma tilted her head to the side in a nod of comprehension.
"That's fair."
"Anyway, are you up for Twister?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"You know, you're older and less...capable of certain physical activities."
"Oh," Emma said as she stood, insulted. "I'm twenty-eight not eighty-two, okay? I'm still young enough to kick your ass at this game."
He laughed.
"Yeah, keep laughing. You're not too old to be thrown over my knee and spanked," she warningly pointed at him.
He laughed a little harder.
She smiled and chuckled.
"Did I lose mom points for swearing in front of you?"
He shook his head.
"Definitely not."
"Okay, just don't tell your mom."
"I won't. That is unless you wanna make this game of Twister interesting."
"A betting man, are you? Should I be worried about your gambling problem?"
"Not yet."
"Still, I think I've made one too many deals. This game is strictly for fun, okay? No agendas, no making things interesting, no promises. Agreed?"
"That's fine by me," he said before he turned around and ran into the study across from the parlor.
He returned moments later with the game in his hand. He opened the box before he knelt down in front of the board game.
Emma cleaned up the last game as Henry laid out the new one and within minutes, they were shoeless and ready to play.
"Who spins," Emma asked.
"You should do it."
Emma defensively raised her hands and widened her eyes.
"Sir, yes, sir," she said then finished with a salute.
He smiled.
"Okay," she said as bent over and spun the spinner. "Right hand red."
Henry did as instructed while Emma spun for herself.
"Left foot yellow," she announced as she moved her foot to the designated color.
The game went on for about as long as Emma had spent on her contribution to dinner before the two were giggling and tangled up like a giant pretzel.
Emma struggled to the reach the spinner and spun for Henry when her finger barely managed to touch it.
She made a few noises of discomfort before she told him the results of the spin.
"Left hand green."
"No! That's all the way over there," he whined.
Emma chuckled.
"Give up yet, kid?"
"Not even close," he said with determination as he reached past her to place his hand on a green circle.
He was horizontally stretched from one side of the game mat to the other while Emma was positioned in a back bend, vertically splayed across the mat. He slid beneath her to achieve his goal of left hand green and the two were more than intertwined at the legs at that point.
Emma felt his head graze past her shirt as it hung loosely from her in her position. A brief moment of panic set in. Until one of them moved again, she couldn't fall or she would crush him. She didn't know how much longer she could last against a ten year old, sore from being worked out in every possible way by the aggressive Regina Mills.
She quickly looked around for a better way to fall in case she couldn't support herself anymore, something that might hurt her more, but wouldn't hurt Henry at all.
"Are you gonna spin anytime soon, Emma," Henry said in a strained voice.
"Oh, right," she said as she tried to calm down.
She contorted her body the best she could to keep herself steady as she spun.
"Right foot green."
Her foot was trapped between Henry's left foot and right hand on blue. She moved carefully as she tried not to kick him or knock him over. Her deliberate pace put extra pressure on tired muscles and she gritted her teeth as she repositioned herself.
She weighted herself on her left leg and tapped her right foot onto a green circle, one free circle between her foot and Henry's hand. Her sock didn't keep her steady and she slipped a little.
With Henry underneath her, she quickly arched her back further to keep from touching him at all and used every muscle in her left thigh to keep her upright.
The door opened and heels clicked a few times against the floor before the door shut.
"Henry," Regina called.
"In the living room," he answered.
Emma opened her mouth and let out a silent yelp as she felt the cut on her left thigh break open. She squeezed her eyes tight, but took a deep breath after a couple seconds. She couldn't let Henry know she was hurt. She didn't want to ruin the evening.
She pushed through the pain and opened her eyes as Regina stepped into the living room.
"What on earth are you two doing," Regina asked as she rested a hand on the back of the couch.
"Playing Twister," Henry answered, though Regina couldn't see his face.
Regina looked at the two of them. She couldn't see Henry past his pants due to the tunnel Emma seemed to have made for him with her own body. Her gaze lingered as she appreciated Emma's lower stomach. Her shirt didn't cover the length of the blonde in her bent state.
She grinned as she allowed her eyes to roam, supple breasts pointed toward the ceiling, blonde tresses swept up in a lazy ponytail, and toned thighs displayed perfectly through tight denim. Her grin faded when she noticed Emma's left pant leg.
She opened her mouth to call off the game at the sight of blood staining through when Emma spoke up first.
"Henry, why don't...you spin this time," she spoke through gritted teeth.
Regina subconsciously held her breath as she watched the scene play out in front of her. She could've been the bad guy and told Henry to wash up before dinner, end the game, but something about the way Emma conducted him gave her a sense of hope. She backed off and, dare she say it, trusted the blonde not to hurt her son.
"Left foot yellow," he announced seconds before he moved his left foot to the appropriate place.
Emma grunted and fought back tears as she opened her wound more to reach the spinner. She looked under her to see where Henry was as she tried to plan an impromptu exit strategy.
She gently, carefully, wiggled around her left ankle to feel out where Henry's leg was. She spun the spinner to throw off his suspicions, the sound of her flicking the game piece a way to convince Henry her foot only moved to help her spin. The spinner stopped a few seconds before she moved her foot into place and looked at it.
Right hand green.
She released a sigh in defeat and made a decision.
"Left foot red," she slowly said until she forced out the last word through gritted teeth.
When she announced red, she used her left foot to push Henry toward the couch as she rolled herself to the right, toward the spinner. She didn't knock him over, but she threw off his balance.
He fell onto the mat, his head moved a few inches out from under where Emma was over top of him. He accidentally trapped Emma's left ankle between his back and his right calve as she tried to fall onto her right side.
With her foot trapped under Henry, she crashed onto her front on the floor with a wince as her left thigh twisted and only caused her to bleed more.
She clawed at the ground and slowly tried to get up after Henry sat up on his knees, releasing his unintentional hold on her.
"You cheated again," he said as he turned to her.
"My bad, Henry," she said in a raspy voice as she tried to contain the pain she felt. "I'll make it up to you."
Regina let go of the breath she then realized she'd been holding.
"Henry, go wash up. I need to talk with Miss Swan," Regina said as a way to help Emma cover up her injury.
"Okay," he sadly said to her then directed his next words at Emma. "You lose mom points when you cheat."
She started to curl into the fetal position as he headed toward the stairs. His words had stung more than her bleeding thigh, but she wouldn't cry. Not over the physical pain and not over the emotional. She saved him and if that meant he thought she cheated, she'd suffer in silence and work harder to prove herself to him next time.
She rolled onto her back with a hiss and reached out to touch her blood soaked jeans.
Regina moved from behind the couch and knelt down beside Emma. She reached over the blonde and lightly touched her left thigh. Their fingertips brushed but neither one of them mentioned it let alone focused on it.
"In my bathroom there's antiseptic and gauze. You know where the clean towels are, in case you need any. Take as long as you need."
"You're giving me permission to be in your bedroom?"
Regina grinned.
"Maybe next time you'll give me a better reason to have you in there."
She stood and extended a hand to Emma.
Emma smirked and took her hand. Regina pulled her to her feet and she grunted until she stood up straight.
"How much did you do for dinner?"
"Everything but dinner."
Regina rolled her eyes.
"Of course you left the thing that takes the longest to cook and involves the most amount of work."
Emma flashed a satisfied grin when Regina turned to the kitchen.
"At least I know I left an impression," Regina quipped and spun on her heels to face Emma when she reached the island.
Emma looked at her quizzically.
Regina looked from Emma's eyes to her left thigh.
Emma followed her gaze and noticed the blood had pooled in the shape of the "R" Regina had carved into her. It wasn't as smooth as Regina had cut it due to all the thrashing around she had done in the jeans, but the letter was still distinct.
She sighed as she looked back up at Regina.
The brunette smirked as she stood by the island. Her eyes scanned over Emma one more time before she turned back to the kitchen.
Emma limped toward the stairs when Regina spoke, barely looking over her shoulder when she did.
"What you did, sucking it up for Henry, that was nice," the brunette confessed. "And for the best."
Emma stopped and looked at Regina as she tried to form words in response. She couldn't come up with any.
She knew she shouldn't have, but she took what Regina said as a compliment. She felt better about her decision hearing someone else say it, having Regina say it. She respected the mother of her child's opinion more than she liked to admit, though it wasn't a bad thing. Regina had raised her son the last ten years, she knew more about mothering him than she did so her words spoke volumes. She almost felt accepted in some small way into the family.
"Thanks," Emma slowly said then continued up the stairs.
Emma took her time cleaning her wound, her hair then released from the ponytail. She sat on the edge of the bath tub in the master bathroom as she applied the necessary products. It stung and, though she was used to it, she needed a moment to process everything.
She started to wrap gauze over her thigh when the doorbell rang. She looked up and waited to hear who was at the door. She heard the click-clacking of heels against the floor and someone, presumably Regina, opened the door. A few words were exchanged then the door was closed. She couldn't tell who had been talking or what was said so she went back to wrapping the gauze.
Not long after she finished covering her thigh, Regina appeared in the bathroom doorway. She leaned against the door frame and stared at Emma's bandages before her gaze rose to meet Emma's.
"How does it look," Regina asked.
"Like a giant, bleeding capital 'R'." Emma tiredly answered.
"We were supposed to have lasagna for dinner tonight."
"I read the recipe."
"I ordered some pizza instead."
"Really?"
Regina nodded and moved from the door frame to the tub. She sat beside Emma on the edge and looked at her hands after she placed them in her lap.
"Two reasons. One, Henry likes pizza and I'm sure it'll make him feel better. And two, it's faster. I figured we could all use a quick solution. I'm tired, you're hurt, Henry's upset. Everyone wins this way, right?"
"Since when do you care about me?"
"You were hardly included in my decision making, Miss Swan."
"And earlier? You came to check on me after Henry went upstairs. You let me come up here and told me to take as long as I needed."
"It was only to make sure Henry didn't see anything. Don't mistake my actions for kindness. You mean nothing more to me than you did the day you arrived here in Storybrooke."
Emma looked down at her bandaged thigh. After a few seconds, Regina rested a hand on it.
Emma looked at Regina again and got lost in her eyes. Her lips parted, she tried to read the older woman, before her eyes wandered south to Regina's lips.
Regina leaned in and kissed Emma. She moved her hand from the top of Emma's thigh to her inner thigh as she deepened the kiss. She turned her body toward the blonde and placed a hand on Emma's neck, her thumb pressed against the blonde's jaw, to keep her lips close.
Emma brought her hand to Regina's, the one on her neck, and pulled it away as she broke the kiss.
"I thought you said not to expect this for dinner."
Regina shook her head.
"I said after dinner. I didn't say anything about before dinner," she grinned and leaned in again.
Emma turned her head at the last second and Regina ended up kissing her cheek.
Regina sighed and backed away as she removed her hand from Emma's thigh.
"What is it, Miss Swan," Regina bitterly stated as she stood.
"Henry's downstairs?"
"Yes, but Henry being in the other room hasn't been an issue with us before, has it."
"He's downstairs with dinner and I told him I'd be here for dinner. Please don't let me screw this up with him."
Regina's lips curled into a subtle smile she quickly hid.
"Fine. But you're to come here on my lunch break tomorrow for the massage you owe me. Remember that."
"Of course, Madame Mayor," Emma slightly grinned as she stood up.
Regina looked at Emma. She smirked at the sight of her gray panties on the younger woman and the fact that other than her V-neck tee, it was all Emma wore.
"You still want me," Emma teased as her grin spread.
Regina chuckled.
"You're my favorite play thing, dear. Of course I want you," she replied as she pushed Emma's hair behind her shoulder to expose the hickey.
She kissed it then pulled back at looked at Emma.
"I'm gonna need pants," Emma said.
"Bottom drawer of the dresser. I have a couple pairs of sweatpants."
Emma went to the dresser and pulled open the bottom drawer. Inside she found a few leisurely clothes she'd never seen the woman wear before let alone think the brunette would even own.
She pulled out a dark gray pair and slid them on without a problem. She looked up at Regina.
"Thanks."
"Your welcome. Now go distract Henry while I start that load of laundry we talked about earlier or I will be keeping your underwear."
Emma stuck her tongue out at Regina and headed downstairs. She saw Henry picking at the open box of pizza on the dining room table and smiled.
"Looking for the biggest piece," she asked as she approached.
"How'd you know?"
"I do the same thing."
He frowned.
"I'm still mad at you."
"I know. I'm sorry, Henry. When we were racing, I shouldn't have cheated, but it was fun tickling you. Plus, I did make it fair and made a new deal, right?"
"But Twister?"
"That was not acceptable. I did that for selfish reasons and I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I don't consider myself the winner."
"Maybe a little better," he softly said after a moment.
Emma smiled again.
"Why are you wearing different pants," he asked as he took in her new appearance.
"Oh, after you went upstairs I came into the kitchen to try to help your mom with the rest of dinner and accidentally spilled sauce on my jeans."
"Is that why she got pizza instead," he asked.
As if on cue, Regina walked into the kitchen with Emma's pants and underwear, the underwear discretely hidden between the jeans folded over twice on her forearm.
Neither one of them noticed as she crossed to the laundry room when Emma answered Henry.
"She thought you'd like pizza better."
"Better than her lasagna? She makes great lasagna."
Emma beamed.
"Does she?"
"Yeah. It would've been okay if we'd had lasagna tonight."
"You were upset and the lasagna takes a while to make so she decided you'd appreciate the pizza more. Is that okay?"
Regina perked up her ears to hear the conversation between Emma and Henry as she put together a load of laundry.
"Yeah. ...I'm glad she let you stay for dinner tonight."
"Me too," Emma said as she looked off toward the kitchen.
After a few seconds, she noticed Regina start the washing machine and bit her bottom lip. It was a non-sexual act as she stared at the brunette. Something was changing, either between them or within her, but she felt something she couldn't quite explain when she was with Regina.
The older woman walked out of the laundry room and into the kitchen.
Emma averted her eyes and focused on Henry as he bit into his pizza. She stroked her fingers through his hair as she stood beside him.
Regina sidled up to Emma and stopped at her side as she stared down at the pizza.
"I put your jeans in the wash. The sooner they're cleaned the easier it'll be to remove the stain," Regina explained.
"Thank you," Emma replied as Regina tangled her fingers in the tips of curly blonde hair.
Emma turned to Regina with parted lips. Her chest noticeably rose and fell as she stared into darkening brown eyes.
Regina's gaze fell from green eyes to pink lips. After a fleeting second, she dropped her hand from Emma's hair and took a step back then looked down at Henry with a warm smile.
"How's the pizza?"
"Good," he said with his mouth full.
Regina lightly chuckled.
"I'm glad, but we should sit down and eat and you shouldn't talk while you're chewing."
"Right. Sorry," he said after he swallowed and grabbed a few napkins.
He took his seat in front of the pizza box and Regina took her usual seat while Emma sat at the other end of the table, the spot she tried to sit in the previous night.
Regina glanced across the table at Emma and did nothing though she secretly wanted Emma at her side. She didn't want Henry to suspect the two were getting along because, technically they weren't, but she couldn't deny things were changing between them. She just didn't know into what.
"Henry, will you pass me a slice," Regina kindly asked as she held out her plate.
Henry grabbed a slice and carefully dropped it onto her plate.
"Want one Emma," he asked as he reached into the box then hesitated before he pulled one away from the other slices.
"Small one," she said.
"Still full from your late lunch," he said as he separated a small slice from the rest of them.
"That's one reason."
"What's the other?"
"I think I'm gonna cut back on greasy foods. Racing you today showed me how out of shape I am I so I'm gonna better my diet and start running. What do you say? Wanna do it with me?"
"I already have a pretty strict diet," he answered as he shot Regina a look then put the slice on Emma's plate.
"You could come running with me. Don't worry, I'll go slow. Nothing more than a jog. It won't kill you."
He chuckled.
"On Sundays?"
"Sure. We can even jog to Granny's on lunch break."
"We should do laps around the station too," he excitedly said as the idea came to him.
Regina slowly smiled as she watched her son get animated over exercise. Maybe having Emma around wasn't such a bad influence on him after all.
"Sounds good," Emma nodded in agreement as she set her plate down in front of her.
She looked over at Regina, almost longingly or searching for approval, as the brunette chewed. Their eyes met and Emma, for once, didn't tense. She sat staring across the table at Regina for what seemed like a couple minutes when Henry excused himself and walked into the kitchen.
The sound of his voice broke their eye contact as they watched him leave the table.
He cleaned his plate in the sink then headed back into the dining room.
"Can Emma stay and watch a movie with me before bed," he asked Regina.
Regina wiped off her hands on one of the napkins that came with the pizza and hesitated. She looked from Henry to Emma who had froze in her seat before she could stand and clear her plate.
"I suppose that would be okay. That is," she turned to the blonde. "If Emma doesn't mind staying."
"Really," Henry asked, hopeful and excited as he looked from Regina to Emma.
"I'd love to watch a movie with you, kid," Emma smiled at him as she relaxed her muscles and stood.
She took her plate with her as she wiped her mouth with a napkin and made her way to the kitchen.
"Yes," he hissed with victory and broke out into a short, subtle dance.
"Hey," Emma started after she left her plate in the sink and turned back to the dining room. "If I'm gonna stay, you've got to settle down. It's a school night and it's almost nine. One movie and it's bedtime."
"Yes, mom," he said as he stopped dancing and rolled his eyes.
Emma immediately looked to Regina and cringed as fear rose in her that the woman wouldn't take too kindly to Henry calling her mom, even if his tone wasn't endearing.
Sadness was hidden behind brown eyes, though Emma could see it. She mouthed, "Sorry" to the older woman when Henry went up to her and grabbed her hand.
"Come on, Emma," Henry said as he started to pull her toward the living room. "Help me pick out a movie."
Emma's gaze faltered to glance down at Henry then looked back at Regina within a split second.
Regina saw Emma's struggle and actually appreciated the blonde's concern. She mouthed, "It's okay" and nodded.
Emma nervously smiled at Regina then looked forward as Henry continued to drag her to their movie collection.
Regina closed the pizza box and took care of her plate. She took the other dishes in the sink and loaded them, along with hers, into the dish washer. She uncovered the dinner rolls on the island and tried one. It wasn't bad. If she hadn't already known Emma was good at following directions, the rolls certainly let her in on that little secret.
She knew Emma didn't like, and rarely respected, authority, but she knew how to be obedient. She took direction well by the taste of the dinner rolls and Regina hoped she'd get to explore that talent with the blonde in other ways sooner rather than later.
"You guys don't have a lot of movies, do you," Emma asked as she looked over the scarce shelf of DVDs in the entertainment system.
"Not really. My mom likes it when I read more than 'kill brain cells watching that garbage.'"
Emma smiled.
"I think I have a couple movies in the trunk of my car. Want me to bring them in?"
"Yeah!"
Regina walked into the living room as Emma made her way to the door.
Henry started to follow her like stray puppy.
Emma noticed and turned around. She saw Regina and answered the brunette's silent question.
"I'm going to get some movies out of my car. Henry, is staying here."
"What? I want to go with you!"
"I told you I'd stay if you settled down. That means park your butt on that couch and get comfortable."
"But what if you don't come back? What if you go out for your movies and leave?"
"What did I tell you earlier today? I said I was gonna stay, didn't I?"
"Yeah, in Storybrooke. That doesn't mean you won't take off after dinner," he frowned.
Emma sighed and crouched down in front of him. She had to look up at him from her new position and gently gripped his biceps.
"I am not leaving, Henry. I know it's probably a lot to ask, but I need you to trust me, okay? Trust me when I say I'm not leaving before we watch a movie together tonight. I'm not leaving Storybrooke. I'm not leaving you ever. You got it?"
Regina balled up a fist and pressed it to her chest. Part of her wanted Emma to stick around while a darker side of her hated the blonde for every truthful word she spoke about staying.
"You promise?"
"I promise. Favorite number eight, remember?"
He nodded.
"Okay," she said as she stood up. "You can watch me from the side windows by the door, but you stay inside, okay?"
"Okay."
Emma briefly looked at Regina before she turned and walked to the door with Henry close behind.
She closed the door behind her when she walked out and Henry stood in front of the windows beside the front door.
Regina watched her son stare out at the yard. She didn't know why he looked so tiny and lost whenever Emma left, but it broke her heart to see Henry fearful and sad. She came up behind him and rested her hands on his shoulders as she watched Emma with him out of support.
He put a hand over one of hers and stepped back to lean into her.
"She's coming right back," Regina reassured him.
"Do you trust her too?"
Regina's lips parted as she thought about it, her eyes focused on the younger woman as she dug into her trunk in search for movies.
"I..." she trailed off with a weak voice before she cleared her throat and spoke from a place of strength. "If she doesn't come back inside, I'll make sure she doesn't leave like that again."
"You won't her, right?"
"No, but I won't promise not to yell at her. You wouldn't mind if I lecture her loudly, would you?"
He shook his head after a moment.
Emma shut her trunk, a few movies stacked in her right hand, and came up the walkway.
"She's coming back," Henry beamed.
"I told you she would."
He turned in Regina's arms and hugged her.
"Thank you," he said as he closed his eyes and squeezed her in a hug.
"You're welcome," she said as she dipped down and rested a cheek on his head.
She kissed him then let go when he slowly turned to the door as they heard it open.
Emma smiled at the two of them when she saw them at the window. She shut the door and took a step further into the house. She looked from Henry to the movies in her hand and started reading off the titles.
"I've got the Lion King, Hocus Pocus, The Emperor's New Groove, and 101 Dalmatians."
"Those are all Disney movies," Henry said as he invaded Emma's personal space and took the movies from the her.
"Yeah. They're the only movies I thought you'd want to watch. Plus, these are the only ones I had in my trunk not rated PG-13 or R."
"I'm not complaining, but what are the other ones?"
"Uh," Emma tried to think of the names off the top of her head. "A couple of low budget films you wouldn't know and Fight Club."
"Why do you even have kids movies," Regina suddenly blurted her question.
"I happen to like them."
Henry smiled up at her.
"I think I want to see The Emperor's New Groove."
"You got it, kid."
Emma and Henry both headed toward the living room and Emma took the movies back from him.
Regina waited a few seconds before she followed them. She watched as Henry sat on the couch and got comfortable as Emma searched for the DVD player and put in the movie.
Henry grabbed the remote and changed the channel until there was a screen with the brand of the DVD player on it with a caption bar at the top that read, "Loading Disk."
After a few seconds, the screen went black then started to show the previews.
Henry pressed the Menu button and skipped them as Emma walked over to the couch. He pressed play as she sat down next to him.
He set the remote on the couch to his right, Emma on his left, then reached behind him and grabbed the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch. He threw it over them.
Emma helped him adjust it to fit their bodies as she scooted closer to him.
He laid his head on her shoulder as the movie started.
Regina turned off the lights in the living room and went upstairs.
About two hours later, Regina put her book down on the nightstand and left the comfort of her bedroom. She descended the stairs and went into the living room while the credits from the movie finished scrolling up the screen.
She looked at Emma and Henry on the couch. Both were bundled up in the blanket and Henry was curled into Emma's side as he slept. Emma had an arm around Henry, comforting and slightly protective. She rested her head on the back of the couch, her feet crossed at the ankles on the coffee table.
Regina walked over to the table and grabbed the remote. She stopped the movie and turned off the TV then set the remote back on the table. She patted Emma's ankles a couple times then lifted them and removed them from the table altogether. She let Emma's feet fall to the ground with a thud and caused her to stir.
Emma crankily scrunched up her face before she opened her eyes. When she did, she looked around, confused, and took a minute to accept her surroundings. She stared up at Regina and started to lean forward when she felt Henry nuzzle further into her side.
She stopped all movements and tensed as she looked down at him.
"What time is it," Emma groggily asked as she slowly, gently moved Henry away from her.
He turned over and leaned into the couch, his back to Emma.
She eased herself off the couch and stood as she looked at Regina again.
"Almost eleven," the brunette quietly answered as she looked Emma over in her sweatpants.
"I guess I should be going then. Uh, is the laundry done?"
"In about twenty minutes it will be."
Emma groaned.
"I guess you can just keep my pants. And my underwear. I'll get them later."
"Or you could stay."
"What?"
"Just until the laundry is done. It's only twenty minutes, Miss Swan."
She shook her head.
"No, I'm...I'm tired. If I wait around any longer I wouldn't make the drive back to Mary Margaret's."
"You look like you wouldn't make it even if you left now."
"Do you want me to stay?"
"If you stayed, I wouldn't have to carry Henry up to his room."
Emma rolled her eyes and scoffed. She turned to the couch and hooked an arm around Henry. She pulled him to the edge of the couch and hooked her other arm under his legs. She lifted him into her arms and grunted as she stood with him.
He slowly started to wake up.
"Emma," he hazily asked as he barely opened his eyes.
"Go back to sleep, kid," she soothingly said as she started to walk toward the stairs.
"It's okay," he started. "I can...I can take myself upstairs," he sleepily said before he yawned.
Emma smiled at him.
"Don't worry about it. I've got you."
"Are you wearing a jacket today?"
She softly chuckled.
"Not at the moment."
"Okay," he said before he started to fall asleep again.
"Why would he ask about your jacket," Regina asked as she followed Emma upstairs.
"I'll explain later."
She carefully laid Henry in bed and did what she had done the night before. She took off his shoes and tucked him in.
"I hope you don't make it a habit of having him fall asleep before he gets into his pajamas, Miss Swan. That's two nights in a row now he's slept in his clothes," Regina started after Emma shut Henry's door. "Now what was he saying about your jacket?"
"I told him I got this," she said as she flashed her hickey. "From carrying him to bed last night. I said that my jacket scraped me and pressed into my skin a lot trying not to hit his head on the way up here."
"So you've been lying to my son."
"Did you want me to tell him the truth, Madame Mayor," Emma cockily asked with a grin as she stepped closer to Regina before she headed toward the stairs.
Regina grinned when Emma wasn't looking and followed Emma down the hall. She grabbed Emma's forearm and stopped her at the top of the stairs.
"Wait," she said as she tugged on Emma's arm.
Emma turned and faced her.
"I want to play," Regina huskily said with a wicked glint in her eyes.
She ran her hand down Emma's arm and hooked her index finger in the waistband of the sweats.
"I'm tired, Regina."
"You're never too tired to please me," Regina said as she closed the space. "This time I thought maybe we could go to my bedroom."
Regina pulled at the sweats to force Emma to close the remaining distance between them.
"Not tonight. I'm ready to crash."
"And there's nothing that could wake you up," Regina asked before she kissed Emma.
Emma hummed into the kiss and placed a hand on Regina's hip after a moment.
Regina grinned into the next kiss and pushed Emma up against the wall, close to the staircase. She deepened the kiss and slid her hands inside the sweats. She teasingly grabbed at the underwear before releasing it and ran her fingers up and down the soft material.
Emma's breathing quickened as she pressed into Regina's touch. She wrapped her arms around Regina's neck and raised her right leg to Regina's hip.
Regina took Emma's cue and grabbed Emma's ass before she pushed her flush against the wall again.
Simultaneously, Emma wrapped her other leg around Regina's waist as their teeth gnashed in a messy but passionate kiss.
"Stay," Regina panted as she asked then kissed Emma again.
Emma softly moaned before she broke their kiss.
"Okay."
What do you think? Is domestic life with Swan Queen what the doctor ordered? More sexy scenes to come in the next chapter. Leave a review and let me know if you liked Chapter 12! :)