A smile spread over Regina's features when warm water hugged her curves, and the only sound filling the room was Emma's gasping sound and rapid breathing.
She didn't look back at the blonde, still afraid that when she did, she would find her bubble of hope had exploded when she wasn't looking. Instead, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the warm feeling of her relaxing bath.
She did not hear the steps approaching. Whether it was because Emma was barefoot or extremely careful not to make a single sound, she was unsure.
She was barely conscious of Emma's closeness when the blonde, standing at the head of the bathtub, cupped her chin and cheek in warm hands and leaned over her to kiss her again, pulling her chin up to get a better angle. The kiss was chaste, a mere peck on her lips. However, it was enough to make her known hope was still unbroken and growing faster than it had ever done before.
"You are pretty Ma'am", Emma let out against her lips. Those were the exact words she had told Regina the day they met through her mirror, and this made the queen's heart warm as well as it made it ache.
Her eyes fluttered open to see Emma smiling widely at her from above. She took Emma's hands in hers and pulled from them until Emma walked to the side of the bathtub. The girl gulped when her eyes wandered to Regina's body unconsciously, and she forced herself to look at her eyes again.
Regina said nothing. She just dropped the girl's hands at her sides and started peeling the flannel pants she wore from her legs. Emma's cheeks blushed again, but she helped the brunette by stepping off the pants when they crumpled down at her feet, and she waited for the brunette to give her a hint of what was next.
Emma could feel the skin of her legs getting goosebumps as Regina's finger started tracing figures over the skin of her thigh.
"Get in the tub", Regina said, and it was more of an invitation than a demand, but she sat back in the tub to give Emma space to sit in front of her, and she guided the blonde to do so when the girl showed an indication that she wanted to get in.
Emma was still wearing her T-shirt and underwear when she sat in front of Regina and leaned back over the brunette's bare chest guided by her. Regina's arm wrapped around her waist, and the other moved to blonde strands of hair, placing as much of them as it was possible behind her ear.
"You are so precious to me little swan", she whispered into the girl's hair and then kissed the side of her head.
"As you are to me Gina", Emma replied.
They stayed like that until the water was so cold none of them could bear it any longer, and they were forced to break their embrace. Regina gave handed Emma a towel and pulled one of the hotel bathrobes over her naked body.
"Wait I'll bring you some clothes," the brunette offered, walking to the door when she saw the dripping mess that was her t-shirt under the towel she gave her. Emma decided to pull it off and discard it on the floor on top of Regina's wet towel.
When Regina walked back in the bathroom carrying some of the clothes Roxanne had helped her pick for Emma some days ago when she went shopping preparing for her arrival, she wasn't expecting to find Emma the way she did. The blonde's bare back was turned on her, she was wearing only her underwear, and the towel she had given her now was wrapped around her head in an attempt to dry her dripping blonde hair.
Emma looked at her through the mirror as she walked into the bathroom and turned around to face her. She leaned against the sink in a way that contrasted drastically with the flustered girl from minutes ago. There was hunger in those green eyes. Regina gulped audibly as the blonde made her way walking towards her. Chocolate eyes jumped distractedly from her exposed breasts to her smug smile.
"Why so serious your Majesty?" She asked, "Snow White got your tongue?", the mention of the little minx made Regina's blood boil in her veins.
"Oh, she wanted to but she never could and now I'll use it to show her daughter just how good I am at using it", Regina replied in a grave tone.
"I hear her daughter would be pleased to find out", Emma said, finally reaching the brunette's side, pulling her from her hips into a tight embrace.
"I hear the Evil Queen only cares about what pleases her", Regina lets out in a whisper, Emma's lips just inches apart for her to grab.
"And would it please her majesty to—, let's say teach this daughter of Snow White a lesson with her Evil tongue?", Emma asked, pulling apart some inches to take in Regina's face as she said those words.
"I think it definitely would", Regina replied, kissing Emma.
The kiss rapidly escalated, soon Regina was pushing Emma against the wooden door, her thigh pressed against the wet fabric of the girl's underwear and hands wandering over the toned muscles of her sides and abdomen.
Bubbles are fragile little things that blow up in a blink, so delicate that even a simple cry of a baby child can burst them into oblivion.
"I'm coming Henry", Regina called out, breaking the kiss in an attempt to calm the baby's desperate cries for attention, " To be continued—?", she let out in a whisper, looking at Emma in the eyes. She pulled the blonde away from the door enough for her to squeeze herself out of the bathroom to attend to Henry's morning needs.
"I'm starting to think that everything with you really is a fairy tale story", Emma exclaimed loud enough for the brunette to hear in the other room.
"I've told you it is", Regina replied, picking up Henry from his crib.
"Yes you have".
...
"You ordered a car", Ryan said with a smile, handing Regina the keys to Emma's bug, "I left it in the parking lot. I can take you there, but I don't think you'll have a problem finding it.
"Took you long enough!" Regina rolled her eyes blank.
"I had to visit seven different deposits looking for where it was stored, you could look a little more pleased, it is not like you gave me much, a key with a storage number—? I'm a fucking miracle worker!" The taxi driver complained.
"Yes, yes thank you!" the brunette replied, flashing him a well-rehearsed smile. Ryan now knew her well enough to know her smile wasn't one hundred percent honest. "You know this means I no longer need your services Ryan, but I'm really thankful for everything you have done for me during these months", she added this time smiling truthfully, "if you ever go to Maine, know I'll be more than pleased to welcome you in Storybrooke".
"It has been my pleasure", he said, bowing a little, and Regina rolled her eyes again, "now I need a taxi to go pick up my taxi, thanks a lot Regina Mills", he said sarcastically.
"My pleasure Ryan", she retorted, "do you need me to pay you extra for the inconvenience?"
"This one is on me—, what I need is for you to keep me posted on what happens with the other momma of your baby, now you put my phone number on speed dial and if something happens there you better call, I need to know the end to that story".
"You are just in it for the gossip", Regina faked offense, but she knew he was really interested in knowing what was going on with them. After all, he was all for it from the start, and he never failed to let her know his thoughts on how cute it was that she visited her girlfriend in jail. She had never admitted anything to him, but she never really denied it either, not when there were alone anyways.
"You know I am", Ryan said, "so do tell how was the first night together?".
"Ryan!"
"Come on, you'll never see me again, not soon anyways, what do you care if I know some dirty details", he pressed.
"First night was messy", she replied.
"Kinky".
"Not like that, shut up", Regina crossed her arms over her chest, "But if you must know, she kissed me this morning".
"She kissed you—. What are you? Children playing house? She was just released from jail after being locked up for months. She wants you to fuck her hard against a wall—", Ryan stated like it was the more obvious thing in the world.
"Ryan!".
"I'm just telling you what I see, and what I see is your girl sitting back there holding your baby in her arms while eating you alive in that tight dress you are wearing. She wants you. Are you fucking blind woman?".
"Maybe I am", she replied but turned around to check with her own eyes what Ryan was telling her. Emma was sitting in one of the couches from the hotel lobby, and she moved her eyes away from her as soon as the brunette turned around, but Regina noticed a soft blush settling in her cheeks, "maybe you are right, but I don't think we are quite there yet".
"You have a child together, what are you waiting for? For him to go off to college?".
"It's complicated".
"Just buy a fucking dildo and put-it-in-her, it is not complicated, I can even go buy it for you right now".
"You know what? I take it back, you are not longer welcome in Storybrooke".
"Yes I am", Ryan said, opening his arms as if he was asking permission to hug her, "I'm gonna miss you Regina Mills".
"I'm not", Regina replied, but she accepted the hug from the guy in front of her.
"Just promise me one thing", he added, pulling apart from the brunette, her eyebrows arched, waiting for him to continue, "that you'll fuck the life out of that blonde before she finds somewhere else what she can't find at home".
"She wouldn't, would she?" Regina's voice came out an octave higher than usual.
"Let's just say she isn't half bad, look, there is even another woman there playing with your baby now", he said, and Regina instantly twirled around with a panicked expression.
"That's Roxanne, you know Roxanne, you idiot!".
"One day it won't be Roxanne, just saying", he laughed, seeing the concern in the brunette's face.
Ryan left after that, and Regina walked into the building with new concerns in her mind.
"One would never imagine that the Evil Queen could have such close friends", Emma said, approaching her while Roxanne rocked the baby in her arms.
"I was already a queen, it was your mother who added the Evil to my name, and it doesn't mean I am some heartless monster, Emma", She replied distractedly, something else clearly filling her thoughts.
"Hey, I know that Regina, I was only joking, are you alright? Did Ryan give you bad news or something?"
"Oh no, he found your car, it's parked somewhere in the parking lot, do you want to go see it, we probably should make sure everything is in order if we want to start our trip home today", she replied, now entirely concentrated in their conversation.
"I didn't know you wanted to leave today, but I guess we could go check if the car is in good shape", the blonde said, surprised.
"I have been away so long, I am the Mayor Emma, people there need me," this was a lie, of course. She was sure nothing was any different in town, even when she had been away for entire months. However, the idea of spending a night with the blonde in that hotel room suddenly seemed more intimidating and the pressure added by Ryan's words were not helping in the least to ease her mind around the subject.
"It is okay by me", Emma shrugged, "Roxanne can you watch henry for some minutes?" Emma asked, and the brunette nodded from her place on the couch, "let's go", she offered Regina her hand to grab, and after a moment of hesitation, she took it.