She was satisfied.
Her sensible pair of slacks and the neat blouse had been traded for a sleeveless, tightly fitting white midi dress and matching blazer. The dress had slits up both legs. Regina felt very attractive. Pretty yet not overly dressed up, and it was the perfect combination.
She had gone all out with the eye makeup, though. And she had applied her favorite Bordeaux lipstick to her lipstick. She had straightened and brushed her hair until it was silky soft and smooth, and she had put little diamond studs in her ears. The sensible pair of ballerina shoes she had been donning all day, had been traded for a pair of very high heels. Emma jokingly called it her 'killer-heels'.
And she isn't entirely wrong about that, Regina thought to herself as she did a little mock spin in front of the mirror. The heels on these particular pair of shoes were very tall and thin. And the noses narrow. Her feet would practically be dead by the end of the night. But it would be worth it. Because they were hosting a dinner tonight, and Regina wanted to look her goddamn best. Because she wanted to. It had nothing to do with wanting to impress other's. She wanted to look nice for herself first.
But of course it would be the cherry on top if Emma liked what she saw. Regina suspected that Emma would. Emma always liked what she saw. Be that if she was wearing a tight dress or a pair of yoga pants and a tanktop. Emma's reaction would always be the same.
Feeling thoroughly satisfied with her appearance, Regina turned around and left the bedroom.
When she came down the stairs and into the living room, she found Emma 'lurking' in the hallway. The look on Emma's face amused Regina. Her sweet girlfriend looked a bit slack-jawed.
"Holy fu-"
"Swear jar," Henry scolded and didn't bother to look up from the book in his lap.
"Fudge. Holy fudge, you look great!"
"Nice save," Henry chuckled.
Ignoring his antics, Regina smiled at Emma and signed: 'thank you, my love. You look so beautiful tonight.' Emma always looked beautiful, but she was particularly radiant in that beautiful pastel blue dress. Regina loved that color on her.
"What, this old thing? It's nothing special."
Not true. Regina scowled. 'It is very special. You are wearing it.'
"Gross, mom!" Henry complained.
'Not so cheeky, young man,' Regina signed without being very stern.
"I'm not cheeky, you're gross!"
'I most certainly am not!'
"Yes, you are! You are giving Ma googly eyes!"
'Nonsense,' Regina denied. Even though she most definitely was giving Emma 'googly eyes'. But she couldn't be blamed for that. Emma was the one who looked so god damn beautiful tonight.
"Ha. You know I'm right!" Henry snickered.
Regina didn't bother signing a denial. Henry was right. She absolutely had been giving Emma 'googly eyes'. She suspected that there was no reason to try and deny that.
"When are we having dinner? I'm really hungry." Henry sniffed into the air like he was a little dog.
Emma did the same. Her nostrils flared once, and Regina saw how she licked her lips. Probably without even noticing.
Regina was delighted at her loved ones reactions. She loved that both Emma and Henry were so excited about her cooking. They were having lasagna made from scratch for dinner, and apple turnovers with crème fraiche for dessert. She had been very excited while cooking. Emma had expressed concern a few times because Regina had been in the kitchen 'all day', she claimed (an exaggeration, for sure!) but Regina had loved every moment of it. She had enjoyed chopping and slicing the vegetables and browning the meat. She had loved making the dough for the apple turnovers. Even when her fingers got sticky from kneading, she had been satisfied. The radio had been switched on the entire time, and she'd had a merry old time swaying her hips while cooking. It had been amazing. And even more amazing when her cooking was interrupted by Emma who had wandered into the kitchen to hug her from behind and press a kiss to the nape of her neck while praising her cooking skills, or giving her a glass of water and sweetly reminding her to stay hydrated.
It was because of those small acts of kindness that Regina woke up every morning feeling almost beside herself with joy.
Regina hadn't been allowed to have friends over when she was with Killian. Not her old colleagues from the university. Killian had claimed that they never talked to him about anything.
A lie. It was Killian who hadn't wanted to talk to them.
She hadn't been allowed to have Malena over either. Especially not Malena! Killian had been madly jealous at her, and Regina hadn't dared going against his commands. Especially not after he had laid out his disgusting conditions.
Either she 'convinced' Malena to have a threesome with them, or there would be no Malena at all.
Of course Regina had chosen the last option. She had been disgusted and terrified. Had feared that Killian would harm Malena. It had been better to cut off all contact with her.
But no more. Never again.
"Gah," said Neal from his thick baby blanket that had been laid out on the floor. He was gumming on the chew toy Emma had given him. He too was dressed up for tonight. In his little dragon outfit. That was in Malena's honor, of course. Regina was certain that the big dragon would adore the small one.
His sweet little sound had Regina snapping out of her thoughts and remembering the food. It was time to check on it again, and she quickly headed into the kitchen.
There was something satisfying about the way her 'killer heels' clicked against the floor.
"Do you need any help?"
This has to be the millionth time I'm hearing that tonight. Regina chuckled and answered in words. "No, thank you...I've got...it."
"You didn't have to answer me. I just forgot it was Sign Language night."
"I am...cheating a...bit," Regina chuckled. So what if she was breaking her own rule about 'saving' her voice for when their guests arrived? If she felt like talking, she surely would be talking. No matter what.
"I like when you cheat," Emma chuckled.
"Me, too. It feels very... satisfying… to be able to...talk when I...want to."
"And you talk with less pauses when you've rested your voice." Henry piped up.
"I do, don't I?" That observation was enough to make Regina grin goofily into the oven as she opened it.
"But of course you know that no one will pay attention to it if you stutter, right? And if your voice gets tired and you need to switch to Sign Language just do it. I'll translate for you as much as you want."
"Me, too!" Henry added.
"You two...are so...good to me," Regina said fondly. And a tad sentimentally. She couldn't help it. Not when they were saying such sweet things to her.
"Damn right we are!"
"Swear jar."
"Oops."
"I think there's enough money in the swear jar for you to take us to the movies," Henry chuckled.
"Yeah, you are probably right about that," Emma acknowledged with a little sigh.
Regina chuckled into the oven again. Emma was a bit bad at remembering the no-cussing rule. But Regina wasn't very mad about it. Not when it was just a 'damn' here and a 'hell' there. Emma certainly didn't go around and said 'fuck' every two seconds.
But she definitely was the one who 'contributed' the most to the swear jar. Regina hadn't had many slip-ups. Of course she mostly had been cussing in Sign Language. And when Henry wasn't around.
A few days ago, she had accidentally knocked a cup of coffee onto the kitchen floor, and she had muttered 'shit!' under her breath. Emma had been present. And she had looked delightfully shocked. Then she had laughed. And then she had informed Regina that it was very, very sexy when she cussed.
She heard laughing from the kitchen. Henry's chuckles mingled with Neal's little giggles, and Regina wondered what was going on in there.
She pushed the baking sheet covered tray with the lasagna back inside the oven. The lasagna wasn't quite done yet. Another few minutes and it would be. She moved away from the oven and straightened her posture.
Long and familiar arms enveloped her in a hug from behind, and Regina chuckled as she leaned into the embrace. "Hi."
"Hi baby." Her hair was pushed to the side and the side of her neck kissed softly.
"Can I...help you with...anything?" Screw the 'saving' my voice thing.
"Nah. Just pestering you while you're in the kitchen."
"You could never...pester me," Regina laughed.
"No? Not even now?" The teasing was followed by another kiss to her neck.
"No." Regina sighed happily. "Distracting... me perhaps. But not...pester."
"You think I'm distracting you?" Emma asked as she started playing with her hair in a way that was very distracting but not pestering at all.
"Mmm," Regina rumbled. "And you...really shouldn't."
"No?" Another kiss to her neck.
Regina shivered as she turned around so they could look each other in the eyes.
"Hi," Emma repeated with a small chuckle. She squeezed her hips. Then leaned in and kissed her.
Regina gave a little hum as she returned the kiss. Her fingers automatically found their way into Emma's hair. She combed through it. Forgot everything else. Emma tasted of that strawberry lip gloss she so favored. The lip gloss she once sheepishly had admitted was a bit childish. Regina couldn't disagree more. There was absolutely nothing childish about strawberry flavored lip gloss. On the contrary, Regina found it to be incredibly sexy and appealing, and Emma also smelled so good. Of flowers. Of the way flowers smell in the summer. That way that makes you stop and inhale and think about how wonderful everything was.
Emma was sunshine personified. She was summer days and strawberries wrapped in the most beautiful packing.
"I can hear you guys lip locking!"
They broke apart, and Emma's eyes went wide at Henry's very casual remark. "'Lip locking'?" "Where the hell did you learn that word?"
"Swear jar."
"Huh?"
"You said... hell," Regina informed her partner and scowled the tiniest bit at her partner.
"Oh, shucks!" Emma said. "I'm sorry."
Henry laughed from the living room.
"But seriously, where did you learn that whole 'lip locking' thing?" Emma asked him.
"From aunt Z," Henry said cheerfully, laughing again. "She says that's what you guys are doing all the time."
Regina was not at all satisfied with that. "Well, then...your aunt and I...are going to...have words...tonight." 'lip-locking' was a terrible word, and she didn't like hearing Henry using it.
"Uh-oh. Are you gonna tell her off in front of auntie Mal and Ursula? And uncle Chad?"
Emma laughed.
"Perhaps not." She wasn't about to make a scene. "Maybe I'll...wait."
Emma sniggered and squeezed her waist.
"She has a...bad influence...on him," Regina quipped.
"Yeah, like me," Emma said with a grin.
Regina shook her head and brushed a warm hand over Emma's cheek.
Emma made a soft little sound in the back of her throat. Regina wanted to ask about that sound. Wanted to tease. But before she could, she was interrupted by Neal who made a sound of his own. Not a good sound. A sharp, ear piercing wail.
"Keep….An eye…..On the….Lasagna," Regina said as she quickly doubled back into the living room.
Neal was laying on the blanket, but the gumming toy was long forgotten. Instead he was flailing his arms, and his little face was rapidly going red as he wailed.
Regina picked him up and quickly discovered why he was so angry. His diaper was heavy. Again. Oh.
"What happened?" Emma called from the kitchen.
"Bit of...a diaper...emergency," Regina replied and headed into the hallway with the unhappy baby.
"Oh. Want me to take care of it?"
"No, it is...fine," Regina answered. "Just keep an eye...on the...lasagna for a...moment."
"Oh. Okay. I can do that."
"Of course... you can," Regina chuckled reassuringly. The doubt in Emma's voice was quite unnecessary. "I'll be...right back."
"Righto."
Regina left the lasagna in Emma's more than capable hands. Yes, Emma had burned the bacon a few days ago, but nothing major had happened. Emma would be just fine. And so would the lasagna.
Upstairs in their bedroom, she unsnapped Neal's dragon sleeper and ridded him of the dirty diaper. She was pleasantly surprised when she discovered that Neal had made it sound a whole lot worse than it actually was.
"We don't…. Even have…. To change your…. Clothes, little one," Regina cooed as she washed him. "You'll….Still be a….Little dragon."
"Guuuh," Neal said and lifted a pudgy arm. It was clear that he was trying to grab her hair, so Regina quickly moved her head out of the way. "No… yanking, my….darling," she said softly and grabbed a washcloth so she could pat him dry. Neal gurgled like he always did when she was doing this. He drooled when she powdered him. He loved getting powdered.
Lastly, she reached for a clean diaper and kept a hand on his little belly as she put it on. Neal didn't wiggle much. Only drooled up at her as he grimaced.
"Was that…A smile….My little one?" Regina asked him. "Was…it?"
"Gah-gah-gah!"
Regina took that as a yes.
She snapped his dragon sleeper back on, washed her hands in top speed and then carried him back downstairs.
She found Emma in the kitchen. Staring so intensely at the oven door, it looked like she was trying to burn a hole in it.
Regina suffocated her amusement. Clearly, Emma hadn't forgotten about the burning bacon.
She made her presence known by clearing her throat softly.
Emma looked her way. "No bath required?"
"No," Regina confirmed and smiled at her. "Are you...coming into...the living room with...us?"
"Of course."
They went back to the living room again. Regina laid Neal down on his thick, fussy blanket. He grabbed his chew toy and began gumming at it anew. Emma chuckled. Most likely because of the adorable sounds Neal made when gumming on his toy. "Couldn't he technically start teething in a couple of months?" Emma asked.
"He could," Regina confirmed, sitting down next to Henry on the couch and picking up her knitting work. She had made quite good progress on the lime green baby blanket she was making for her new little niece or nephew. In fact she was more than halfway through. She frowned in sheer concentration as she counted the stiches.
"Zelena's baby is gonna be one spoiled little one," Emma commented. "That blanket looks really nice."
"I could knit...one for you...too," Regina said and smiled a little. She too was pretty fond of the soft material.
"You could," Emma agreed. "But make it a big one. There has to be room for you under it as well."
Regina chuckled at the very Emma-type remark.
"Hey kid, "Emma said. "Read us a story."
Henry cleared his throat. "'Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally
large nose out of other people's business. Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony, and would like to add that Professor Snape is an ugly git. Mr. Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like that ever became a professor. Mr. Wormtail bids Professor Snape good day, and advises him to wash his hair, the slimeball.'"
Regina looked at her son and scowled a bit at him. "That's not...very nice."
"I'm not cursing," Henry defended. "Ma asked me to read something from the book, and that happens to be the part I'm at right now. Honestly."
Ignoring Emma's cackles, Regina raised an eyebrow. "Maybe try...finding a passage...without the word...slimeball...next time."
"Pinky promise."
Emma laughed again.
Regina couldn't be bothered scolding her partner too. Not right now. She was busy knitting a blanket. Everything was ready for tonight. The lasagna was in the oven. The apple turnovers was in the fridge. They only needed to be re-heated later. The table had been set, and all of them had changed into 'dinner-clothes'. The only thing missing was their guests, but they wouldn't be here until later.
Regina was very satisfied. They had been very effective earlier. Had all helped each other getting everything ready for tonight. Maybe she had been in charge of the cooking, but Emma and Henry had set the table and 'prepared' Neal. It was because of them that she could sit here and knit and relax rather than rushing around to get ready.
The knitting needles were quietly clicking together as she knitted. Now and then she glanced at the 'instructions' she had printed out to make sure she was doing it right. According to these instructions, it was time for her to count the stiches again.
So she did. "One, two, three...four, five, six...seven, eight, nine...ten-" she wasn't quite sure exactly what it was that prompted her to look up, but when she did, she discovered that Emma and Henry were looking at her. And she realized that she had been counting out loud. "Oh," she said a bit sheepishly. "Sorry about...that."
"It's okay," Emma and Henry said in unison, and Emma followed it up with a: "don't apologize for talking. Ever."
Regina flashed a little smile.
"Keep counting," Emma encouraged. "It doesn't bother me. At all."
"It doesn't bother me either," Henry piped up.
Okay then. "Eleven, twelve...thirteen, fourteen, fifteen...sixteen..."
She would have thought that the sound of her counting was obnoxious, but apparently not. She kept counting out loud.
Next to her, Emma had found her laptop. She was tapping away on the keyboard. The sound was very comforting. And it also filled Regina with unbridled pride. Because here Emma was, creating once again. What was she writing right now, Regina wondered. What were Willa and Helena up to right now? Were they doing something as casual as this, or were they perhaps on a date or something?
Regina hoped so. She loved when Willa and Helena went on a date.
"Oooooh," Neal cooed from the floor.
Regina interrupted her counting/knitting and looked up. "Did you...say something, little one?"
"Gaaah," Neal gurgled at her.
"Fascinating," Regina agreed as Emma and Henry laughed heartedly. "Whatever...does it...mean?"
"Hooo!"
"Maybe we ought to buy him an owl outfit?" Emma suggested.
"That could be so cute!"
"Don't you...think he has...enough clothes...already?" Regina lifted an eyebrow.
"No!" both Henry and Emma said in unison.
Regina clicked her tongue. "You two...are spoiling...him."
"Says the woman who came home with two new sleepers for him yesterday," Emma drawled.
"They looked...so cute." Regina immediately defended herself and her choices. "They had...Disney motive. I couldn't...help it."
Emma chuckled and squeezed her ankle.
Regina tried not to react to it in any way. Emma was just squeezing her ankle. That was all. An innocent gesture. That definitely not could be associated with any kind of foot massage. Definitely not.
Regina pulled herself together and willed herself to concentrate on what Emma was saying instead.
"I agree. Our little bambi definitely looked cute last night."
"Hoo," Neal agreed.
Emma chuckled softly, and reassured that Neal was just making happy little sounds, Regina once again concentrated on her knit-work.
Emma started writing again.
Neal snuffled and went 'nom-nom-nom' on the floor.
It was very domestic and blissful…
Sometime later, Regina wasn't exactly sure when, they were interrupted by sounds. Creaking. Thudding.
"Yoo-hoo! I heard a rumor about dinner!"
Her sister had arrived. Regina put down her knitting. "They're...early." Or was it in fact her, Emma and Henry who had been doing their own thing for too long?
"Yoo-hoo! Where's my favorite nephew?"
Henry put his book down and left the living room as fast as his legs could carry him. It didn't take long before Regina heard him go: "Aunt Z, Aunt Z!"
"There's my favorite nephew!" Zelena singsong'ed.
Regina and Emma got a move on too. Both of them stood from the couch. Emma picked up Neal, and they headed into the hallway where Zelena was hugging Henry and kissing his cheek.
"That's gross, aunt Z!"
"Oh pish-posh," Zelena immediately dismissed him. "It's been too long since I've last seen you, master Mills."
"That is...not true." Of course Regina had to argue with that.
"It is," Zelena said as she released Henry and smiled at her. "You don't come round often enough, sis."
"That is...not true either," Regina protested. Was it? No, surely it hadn't been that long since she saw Zelena, right?
"Oh it is." Zelena shrugged off her green fur coat and hugged her tightly. "Hello. Thank you for the invite. Mal and Ursula already here?"
"No, not...yet," Regina replied and returned the hug. "Is Chad...not coming?" She inquired. There was no sign of her brother-in-law yet.
As on cue, the door opened again and the man in question walked in.
"Uncle Chad!" Henry immediately went to hug his uncle.
"Hey, buddy!" Chad smiled as he hugged Henry. Then he smiled at them. "Hey, Regina, Emma. Thank you for the invite."
Regina smiled at her brother-in-law. "It is...nice to...see you again."
"It's been too long," Zelena halfway complained, and before Regina could protest again, Zelena changed the subject by looking at Neal in Emma's arms and cooing: "Why hello there, little man!"
"Hoooh!"
All of them laughed at that, and Zelena queried: "Can I hold him? Good training and all that."
"Sure." Emma gently placed the baby in Zelena's arms.
Regina took the opportunity to admire her sister's growing baby bump. Oh, she looked stunning. Zelena had always been beautiful with her red hair, green eyes and fair complexion, but there was something about her these days. The signs of Regina's niece or nephew growing, only added to Zelena's beauty. Regina smiled fondly. "Someone is...staring to...show."
"Doesn't she look cute?" Chad laughed as he slipped an arm around Zelena.
"Shut up!" Zelena half-laughed.
"She does," Regina laughed softly. "She looks...very cute."
Zelena kept her gaze fixed on Neal. "YOU look so cute! Yes you do, yes you do!"
"Ooooh," said Neal and lifted a pudgy little hand. Now he was trying to grab Zelena's hair too.
"And he knows it," Emma said with a chuckle. "He has us all wrapped around his little finger."
"And none of you mind," Zelena deadpanned.
Regina laughed in agreement. "That is...true, isn't it, Emma?"
"It sure is," Emma confirmed.
After a bit of pleasantries and Chad ridding himself of his coat, Regina ushered her guests into the living room. She advised them to sit down and relax while she checked on dinner.
"Is there anything I can do?" Emma asked.
"No, you…. Entertain our… guests," Regina answered and headed into the kitchen where the lasagna was waiting.
She was checking the lasagna's temperature when the doorbell rang. "Emma, could you...get that?" she called.
"On it."
Regina heard the door being opened. Heard Emma go 'hi' and 'great to see you, come in!'
She heard Ursula say thank you. Then there was talk about flowers. Emma was teasingly inquiring if some flowers was for her. Malena's voice correcting her and saying that the flowers were for both of them. Regina was sure that it was Snapdragon flowers. It always was.
"This, however, is for you," she heard Malena say, and her curiosity was roused when Emma asked, 'for me?'. Then: 'this is…'
"If this continues, I simply cannot keep you in my company, miss Swan," Malena said. "You are getting far too popular. You should be a fulltime writer. Not waste your time with working for me."
"It's not a waste of time," she heard Emma answer. "I love working for you."
"And your readers loves your book. Writing is really what you should be focusing on."
Regina tried to keep her attention on the lasagna, but she was much more interested in the conversation happening in the hallway. Malena had brought something for Henry. Something she wasn't sure whether he was still collecting, but Emma was quick to assure her that he did.
Then: "Henry! Mal and Ursula are here!"
It didn't take long before she heard Henrys going: "auntie Mal!"
"Hello, young man." A chuckle. "Do you feel in the mood for giving your old godmother a hug?"
Oh. That was sweet. Malena was always so great with Henry.
"Goodness me." Another chuckle. "I swear you were pintsized the last time I saw you."
"No way, it hasn't been that long." A little squeal. Regina immediately wondered what Malena had done that could earn her a squeal.
"Hi, Ursula!"
"Hello Henry. What smells so delicious?"
"Lasagna!"
"Ah. I guess I loose then."
"Loose what?"
"We had a little bet going on. Whether Regina would make her famous lasagna tonight or not."
"Oh," Emma was laughing. "Yeah, she's totally making lasagna."
"Which means you owe me five dollars, love."
Regina smiled as she made the final preparations to the lasagna. Love. Malena was calling Ursula 'love'. How sweet was that?
"Yes, dear." Overbearing. Just give Henry your gift, okay?"
"Gift?" Henry was clearly excited. "What gift?"
The next second Henry went: "Mom! Mom, come and see what auntie Mal got me!"
Regina left the lasagna in the oven a moment longer and headed into the hallway. She smiled at Ursula and said hello.
Ursula returned the smile. "Thank you for inviting us, Regina. Dinner smells fantastic."
"And I...hope it...is," Regina said and turned to Mal. "Hello, Malena." It struck her that they looked very good together. Ursula in a white suit and Malena in a black sleeveless dress that showed her dragon tattoo. They looked very glamorous.
"Dear," Malena greeted and smiled at her. "It is tremendous to see you again!". She handed Regina the bouquet of what indeed was snapdragons. Then she thrusted a hand inside her purse and found a bottle of wine which she also handed to her.
"You shouldn't... have." Of course Regina felt compelled to chide. But she smiled while doing so.
"No, but as you can see, we did so anyway." Malena gently brushed her off. "Is Zelena and Chad already here?"
"Yeah, they're in the living room," Emma answered. "Come on in."
They went inside the living room. Emma and Henry were talking at the same time. Regina only heard snippets. Words such as 'Wolverine' and 'event'. When they finally stopped talking, Regina laughed her head off and told them that she hadn't understood a word. Both Emma and Henry sheepishly apologized, and things were clarified. Malena had gifted Henry with an old edition of 'Wolverine'. And Emma was going to a major book signing event in one of Canada's biggest bookstores. Regina couldn't have been more pleased for either of them.
Zelena and Chad greeted Ursula and Malena, and they sat down on the couch. The conversation was flowing.
"What a lovely place, dear," Malena said, and Regina wasn't quite sure whether she was talking to her or Emma.
Emma clearly wasn't either. Both of them ended up thanking Malena for the compliment.
Malena then turned her attention to Henry, and Regina was delighted to discover that they picked up right where they left off. Meaning that they spoke to one another exactly like they always did. Like no time at all had passed. It was wonderful to witness, and she could see how Malena's eyes shone. She had missed being Henry's godmother, and now she was finally taking up her old spot in Henry's life.
This, Regina hoped, would be the start of Henry and Malena hanging out much more. She could see with her own eyes how much they had missed each other, and she felt a twang of sadness. It wasn't right that Henry had been separated from his godmother for so long.
Neal got his fair share of attention too, of course. Naturally, he won over everyone with his sweet sounds.
"We should have brought something for him too," Malena acknowledged, looking every bit delighted when Zelena placed the baby in her arms.
"He's spoiled...enough as it...is," Regina said and ignored that Emma and Henry were laughing.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Emma teased. "Neal's not spoiled. Is he, Henry?"
"Nah," Henry said and giggled. "Not at all."
Regina scoffed and rolled her eyes. Neal was probably the most spoiled baby in all of Canada.
"I want one," Malena said matter of factly, gaze first locked on the happy baby in her arms. But then she turned her head and glanced at Ursula. "What do you say, love? Shouldn't we get our own little dragon?"
"Certainly," Ursula chuckled lightly, not at all swayed by Malena's bluntness. "As long as you're the one to be pregnant and not I."
"Deal."
"And of course there's the labors too."
"Ah." Malena wrinkled her nose and pursed her lips slightly.
"Exactly," Ursula chuckled. "Those tends to hurt quite a bit."
Malena huffed. "I'm well aware. Don't forget I was there when Henry was born."
"You were?" Emma tilted her head.
"Oh yes," Malena confirmed with a slight chuckle. "For all eighteen hours. Isn't that right, Regina dear?"
"Yes." Regina bowed her head in acknowledgement and smiled. "You were...very good at...serving me...ice chips when...I needed them."
"And letting you squeeze my hand. I can still feel it when the weather is cold."
Regina laughed. "Very funny."
Zelena wrinkled her nose. "Could we perhaps stop talking about labors? I find it terribly unnerving."
"Me, too," Henry squeaked and looked utterly disgusted at the very idea of childbirth.
Regina chuckled and ruffled his hair.
"Mooo-ooom! Stop messing up my hair!"
"No." Regina blankly rejected his protest with a smirk. "I am...entitled to...mess up...your hair for...at least...two more...years."
"One!" Henry firmly corrected. "I'll turn eleven soon."
Regina chuckled again. And tried not to think too much about that. The fact that her little boy was growing up far too quickly.
"Play with Ma's hair instead," Henry huffed. "She doesn't think it irritating. She just falls asleep instead."
"Does she now?" Zelena smirked teasing at her. Clearly delighted at this little nugget of information.
"I think...dinner is ready, so if...you could...all...take a seat in...the dining room," Regina said and chose to ignore her sister.
"I'll help you serve." Emma followed her into the kitchen.
Regina chose to not protest this time. The lasagna needed her attention. She took it out of the oven and was highly satisfied with what she saw. It looked near-perfect. Emma sniffed into the air. "That smells really, really good!"
"You... hungry?" The teasing question easily rolled off her tongue, and she chuckled because she already knew the answer.
"Yup. Always has been, always will be." Emma replied dead-seriously.
"That is... good," Regina smiled at her girlfriend. "Could you...be a dear...and open...the wine?"
"Sure thing, beautiful." Emma opened one of the cupboards and grabbed a corkscrew. How is the voice doing? Do you need to switch to Sign Language?"
"No, I'm...fine," Regina assured and made a big deal of covering her ears when Emma opened the bottle of wine with a loud 'pop! The sound had Henry whooping and Neal whimpering slightly.
"Sorry kid!" Emma called into the living room. "But we had to open the wine."
Regina chuckled and drew Emma closer by looping an arm around her waist. She couldn't help it. Emma looked so goddamn tempting in that dress.
"Oh?" Emma's green eyes gleamed in delight, and she seductively lowered her voice. "Are we sneaking around when we're actually supposed to serve dinner?"
"Mmm." Regina unapologetically started playing with Emma's golden hair. Just because she could.
"Are you trying to make me fall asleep?" Emma joked.
Regina snickered and leaned in and kissed her. Right there in the kitchen. When they were supposed to serve the food. And all because Emma looked so utterly beautiful in that dress. And smelled so goddamn nice.
Emma made a little 'mmm' sound. Her arms winded around Regina's waist, and she made an adorable little giggly sound against Regina's lips This had Regina sway slightly in her arms. Emma giggling was definitely one of her biggest weaknesses these days.
They really should not be doing this right now.
It was rather scandalous when the house was full of people.
But Emma's lips were so soft against her own. She smelled so good. And the way she was squeezing her hips had Regina thinking all kinds of things. Things she definitely should not be thinking about right now, but she could not help it.
The food was long forgotten.
And so was the guests.
Which guests? Did they have guests?
Weren't it just them here? On their own.
Just Regina and Emma kissing in the kitchen, and-
"So much for serving the dinner, I see."
Their kiss was immediately cut short. They broke apart and Regina was once again reminded that there was in fact people here. They were not alone. Oops.
Malena laughed. "I was just looking for some sparkling water for Zelena and Ursula. But perhaps I should tell the others that dinner will be a bit late?"
Regina took the well-deserved teasing in strides. "No, you...should not. We are...in the middle...of serving...dinner."
"Indeed?" Malena drawled. "Could have fooled me, dear. For a moment it looked like you were in the middle of something else."
"Absolutely not," Emma said with very little conviction. "We're having guests. We would never dream of it, would we, Regina?"
"Of course...not," Regina said sweetly and snickered to herself as she finally turned her attention back to lasagna. That was what it was all about tonight. Dinner. Not kissing.
Malena laughed with her. But her laugher was different. laughed too, but her laughter was softer. Gentler. "It's good to see you so happy, my dear. It suits you."
Regina turned her head and smiled at her oldest friend. "Thank...you."
"Now... are we having lasagna tonight or tomorrow?"
"Patience is...a virtue, Mal." The emotional talk was clearly over.
"That I don't possess," Malena joked. "You know that better than anyone, dear."
"Go back...to the...dining room." Now Regina was the one to drawl. "Dinner...will be served...in a...moment. And so...will the...sparkling water."
"Very well then." Malena went back to the dining room, and Regina found the strength to concentrate on getting the lasagna ready rather than kissing her more-than-tempting girlfriend. They exchanged glances as they helped each other. Emma winked at her, and Regina tried not to let that get to her.
Everyone was delighted when the lasagna was brought into the dining room.
"I'm really hungry," Henry nearly groaned.
"Me, too," Zelena agreed with her nephew. "I'm pregnant. I need plenty of sustenance!"
"Especially at three in the morning," Chad muttered under his breath.
"Are you complaining over my cravings already?" Zelena barked.
"No-no, of course not," Chad said quickly, pretending to be terrified of his girlfriend.
"Please, dig… in," Regina encouraged her guests with a smile.
Her guests did as instructed, and Regina happily watched as chunks of the lasagna was lifted onto waiting plates. She had to shoot Henry a look when he attempted to secure himself the first piece. Regina wasn't having it. 'Guests first', she mouthed.
Henry didn't get angry. He just looked a bit sheepish and mouthed 'sorry'.
Regina winked and was not mad at him. She took it as a compliment that he was eager.
Emma was in charge of pouring the wine, and while she did that, Regina soaked up the way the conversation was just flowing as everyone dug into their lasagna and side salads.
Zelena was eating with such vigor, Regina just had to tease her about it.
"Not so cheeky, little sis," Zelena warned and pointed at Regina with her fork. "I remember someone who had a whole arsenal of chocolate chip cookies when she was pregnant…"
Regina nodded fondly. She remembered that. She had loved chocolate chip cookies when she was pregnant. She was pretty sure that there had been an occasion where she had cried because she was out of cookies.
"How are…. You feeling?" She asked her sister.
"Hungry," Zelena said between mouthfuls of lasagna. "This is really good!"
Regina rolled her eyes a bit. "Thank… you, but I meant….how are you feeling… in general?"
"Oh." Zelena chuckled. "I feel good. Very happy. The nausea is lifting. I can't wait for my next scan. Maybe you'd like to come with me?"
"I'd love… to!" Regina said excitedly. "And maybe we could… go out for… lunch afterwards?"
"Absolutely," Zelena smiled. "Your speech is getting really good, sis. It seems to come really easy to you."
"Thank you… It… really does."
"Oh, I'm so happy for you," Zelena beamed.
So was Regina. She was actually just happy. And especially tonight where everyone was talking and laughing around her. Henry was talking to Mal about his school work and life in general. Emma was wrapped up in conversation with Ursula. The mood was light, and laughter came easily to everyone.
Regina was basking in it all. This was exactly what she had envisioned. And it was worlds away from the last dinner she had hosted. That had been a dinner for Killian's colleagues. She had made such an effort all day. Had run around to make everything perfect. She had tried to be in three places at the same time. Killian had of course not helped her with anything. He had only scolded her for looking 'flushed' by the time the guests arrived. She had been tense all through dinner and dessert. Mostly because Killian had had a heavy hand on her thigh during it all. A silent reminder for her to not to look too long at one of his colleagues. Male or female. Afterwards he had told her off because her dress was 'slutty', as he so crudely had called it.
Regina had not protested. She had just apologized. That had been easier. But once Killian had left her to clean up on her own, she had looked at her own reflection in the kitchen window and seen a tired, worn out, frightened woman. And she had thought about how unhappy she was. She had thought about whether this really was her life now.
Two days after that dinner, Killian had threatened Henry, and Regina had attempted to leave.
Regina did not want to think more about that. Why should she? Her life was completely different today. And to remind herself of that, she took advantage of there being a little pause in Emma's conversation with Ursula, and put a hand on Emma's knee.
Emma was quick to turn her head and give her a soft: "Hi." Followed by an equally soft chuckle.
"Hello," Regina said and returned the smile. "Are you...having a...good time, my...love?"
"I am," Emma confirmed with a grin. "Are you?"
"I am," Regina smiled. "I am...having a...very good...time."
"I'm very happy to hear that, baby."
"Hoo!" Neal squealed from his bouncer in the corner. The conversation stilled for a moment. Then everyone laughed.
"I think he wants in on the conversation," Chad observed. "Where did you find that bouncer?"
"Chad, sweetpea, stop trying to get baby stuff already!" Zelena huffed. "It's too soon."
"It is...not," Regina said, agreeing with Chad and winking at her sister. "The bouncer is… from a thrift… store. Lost And Found, it is…. Called."
"I'll have to remember that name," Chad said eagerly. "What about his clothes? Is that thrifted too?"
"Some of it…. Yes, but…. We buy a lot of…. His clothes in…. Hunny Bubba Baby."
"Perfect," Chad said and was so engaged in the conversation he forgot to eat. "Is the clothes expensive there?"
"No, it is…. Fairly cheap," Regina told him and felt very satisfied with herself. She was conversing. With very few pauses and no stuttering. She was doing great.
"We have to visit that store, right, Lena?"
Zelena made a noise that didn't quite sound like she was agreeing.
"We obviously want a lot of things for Posy," Chad continued and flashed Zelena a teasing smile.
"Do not call our child Posy!" Zelena immediately protested. "We're not naming her Posy! We don't even know whether it's a girl!"
"What's wrong with Posy?" Chad challenged.
"Several things, my darling. Several things," Zelena said darkly, and Regina chuckled heartedly. It was clearly not the first time they were having this discussion.
"What about Rosy then?" Henry joined in the conversation and blinked innocently at his aunt.
"Yeah, or maybe you could combine them," Emma suggested.
"Should it...be Rosy Posy...or Posy...Rosy then?" Regina couldn't resist the temptation. Teasing an already irate Zelena was so much fun.
"Good grief," Zelena groaned. "I'm gonna have some more lasagna!" she scooped another large portion of lasagna onto her plate. Whilst muttering something that sounded like 'Posy Rosy!' under her breath. She clearly thought that they were all idiots.
Regina couldn't see anything wrong with Posy. She actually found it to be pretty sweet. Little Posy. Posy Abrahams. Or Mills. All depending on what Zelena preferred.
"I wonder if they ever will agree," Malena mused.
"Probably not," Regina said. "Arguing is… what they… do best."
"Nothing's changed then. Good to know."
"Same old… Same….old." Regina smiled at her oldest friend. She didn't just Zelena and Chad's relationship.
Malena smiled at her. Then her attention was claimed by Henry who wanted to know if her collection of dragons had expanded since the last time.
Regina took the opportunity to grab the bottle of wine. "More...wine, my...love?" she offered as she held the bottle close to Emma's glass.
"Yes, please. But not too much," Emma chuckled. "I'll just end up getting drunk. We can't have that."
Regina smirked and poured more wine for Emma. Now she was thinking about how cute Emma was when drunk.
Emma took a sip and hummed softly. "This is a very good wine."
"Good," Ursula chuckled and rolled her eyes. "It only took us an hour to agree on it."
"It did not!" Malena protested.
"It did," Ursula disagreed with her partner. "You kept disagreeing with every wine suggestion I made."
"I did not," Malena argued. "I was merely making sure we made the right choice. That's all."
"You are...always so...argumentative," Regina shamelessly teased her.
"Thank you!" Ursula said earnestly and lifted her glass of wine in Regina's direction. "Yes! Yes, she is!"
Mal huffed, feigning offense. "I didn't come here tonight to be teased."
Indeed? Well, she certainly could have fooled Regina, that was for sure. If Mal truly hadn't come to be teased, then why was her eyes sparkling when Regina teased her? Regina made eye contact with her and smiled innocently at her oldest friend. You are not fooling anyone, Malena.
"Chad, could you pass me the lasagna?" Zelena's voice effectively cut through Chad and Henry's talk about Wolverine. She didn't look remotely apologetic about it.
Chad was very quick to accommodate her pregnant girlfriend's need and once he had helped herself to more lasagna, Zelena once again was able to converse. "So, Regina how is it going with living together?"
"It couldn't...go better," Regina happily answered and glanced at Emma. "Couldn't it...Emma?"
"No, we're pretty good at living together," Emma smiled. "I mean, obviously, I'm a little jealous of how much time you get to spend with the baby, but..."
"Is there any news about that?" Zelena asked, voice soft as it always when she approached this particular subject. "About how long baby Neal is gonna stay with you, I mean?"
"No," Emma replied. "I mean, nurse Kathryn said several months, but how many months that actually mean, we have no idea of. I still haven't talked to David."
Regina instinctively took Emma's hand.
"Is he feeling any better?" Malena asked.
"I think so," Emma nodded."At least a little. But of course this is gonna take time. And with everything he's been through, he deserves a good, long break from everything."
"He...does," Regina agreed. She could more than relate to how David was feeling.
"So little Neal is staying with us for as long as David needs," Emma concluded. "And it's not like he's unwelcome. We love having him here."
"He's so cute!" Henry interjected.
Everyone muttered in agreement, and Neal took the opportunity to whine in his bouncer. Regina was about to get up, but was prevented by Emma and her warm hand on her arm and the gentle, reassuring: "I got it."
Emma got up from her seat and walked over to the bouncer. She unstrapped little Neal and picked him up. After a moment, she grimaced slightly and went: "oh. Right."
Knowing exactly what the problem was, Regina laughed softly as she too stood from her chair. She walked over to Emma and slipped an arm around her waist. "Let… me," she offered. "You can… make the coffee instead."
It wasn't an enormous sacrifice. Not at all. She would be quick.
"Deal." Emma gave her the baby. "But I'm taking him tonight. No discussion."
"Deal." Regina happily went along with that plan. Holding Neal close, she turned to their guests. "We'll...be right back."
She went upstairs with the baby in her arms. Regina cooed at him as they made it into the bathroom. She put him down on the changing table and unsnapped his dragon sleeper. His diaper was definitely full. Again.
"We will…. Fix that, won't we my…..littlest….love?" She hummed.
Neal went 'guh-guh-gah-gah' in response.
"Very intelligent," Regina praised. "But what does…. It mean, little dragon?"
Obviously, Neal had no further comment to add. He instead tried to grab his foot so he could suck his big toe. He sometimes did that, and Regina laughed softly as she pried his little foot out of his mouth. "None of…. That…. now, my darling," she gently chided. "I cannot change…. Your diaper when you….are doing that."
Neal looked up at her with his big blue eyes. A little wrinkle appeared between them. Regina bowed her head and kissed it. He looked so cute when he did that.
She took off his diaper and did the whole baby-talk with him. Neal gave drippily smiles and sweet grimaces in response.
She had just pried her hair out of his eager little hands when disaster struck. Neal could not be blamed for the incident in any way. He was just a baby, after all. And babies are not in control of their bladders. Neal cemented that when he suddenly 'blessed her' with a warm spray to the front of her dress.
Regina completely froze with Neal's fresh diaper in one hand. She blinked and took a second to accept what had just happened. Looked at the incredibly happy baby. "S-seriously?" she asked him and tried to pretend that she hadn't just stuttered.
Neal had just peed on her. Alright then.
"That was….. Not very nice, my little love," she said softly, but she couldn't help laughing. "But at least…. It wasn't in my face…. Thank you…. For that."
Neal squealed happily. Almost as though he was proud of himself.
Regina rolled her eyes as she cleaned Neal a second time, dabbed him dry and powdered him down. Then she quickly put on his new diaper before disaster could strike twice.
She brought him into the guest room where his cot was standing now. She gently laid him down, and luckily, he settled down quickly. Good thing. She was not interested in wearing the soiled dress for longer than what was strictly necessary.
Once sure that he truly was asleep, she went back to the bathroom and stripped out of her blazer and dress. Neal had gone all in and soaked right through both blazer and dress. She tossed both items in the hamper basket and shrugged a bathrobe on as she headed back to the bedroom she shared with Emma.
It was also here Emma found her. When she had shrugged off the bathrobe and was standing only in her bra, panties, thigh highs and the garter belt that just so happened to match her black lace underwear.
"Uhh..." Emma sounded a little dazed. "What's, uhh... what's going on here?"
"I put...Neal down for...the night," Regina told her. And knew that it wasn't much of an explanation.
"Yeah, I saw that." Emma was rubbing the back of her neck now. "But what's with the, uhh... wardrobe change?"
"I thought...y-you might...l-like it," Regina joked. It could be fun to continue the flirting, but there was people in the house. It was better to own up to the truth. "He peed...on me," she admitted.
"He did not!" Emma was quick to cup a hand over her mouth. There was amusement in her eyes, but she was too polite to act on it.
"He...did." Regina opened the closet door to find some clean clothes. "Go ahead...and laugh, Emma...I did...too."
"Oh my god!" Emma spluttered. "I am... I'm sorry about that, babe."
"Mmm," Regina hummed as she found a black pencil skirt and a bottle green silk blouse. She was not very devastated about it. There was always a bright side. "But it...could have...been w-worse. It could...have...gotten in...my eye. Or m-my...m-mouth."
"Oh, that's disgusting!" Emma laughed. "God, I can't believe the little trickster peed on you!"
Regina chuckled warmly as she stepped into the pencil skirt and tugged it up over her backside. "Happens...with babies."
"Mmm."
The short reply had Regina wondering. She zipped the skirt and smoothened it over her hips. Turned around and looked at her girlfriend.
Said girlfriend was busy looking at her.
No.
Perhaps ogling was a better word to use.
Because that was exactly what Emma was doing right now. She was quite literally undressing Regina with her eyes.
And as lovely as that was, Regina still felt compelled to gently chide: "Emma."
"Huh?" Emma blinked.
"I know...what that...look means," Regina chuckled and tried not to wink at her sweet, sweet girlfriend. "And I...d-don't think...n-now is...the t-time a-and...p-place."
"Maybe not."
Good. They were on the same page then. Regina slipped her arms through the sleeves of the blouse. Comfortable silence settled between them, and Regina was completely fine with that. Her voice was starting to get tired. Her vocal cords were… Well, just the littlest bit sore. But that was alright. She had been talking a lot today. Hadn't rested her voice much even though she was supposed to.
"Have I mentioned lately how sexy you are?"
All thoughts about her voice was forgotten. Regina laughed. "I...think so. B-but I don't...m-mind hearing it...o-one more...time."
"You are so sexy!" Emma said. "The sexiest woman ever. Do you have any idea how hard it is for me not to come over there and touch you right now?"
Ohhh. Regina tossed her a sly grin. "M-maybe...later, my...d-darling."
"Oooh," Emma cooed.
Regina snickered and tried to ignore the way her belly tingled in anticipation. She finished buttoning the blouse. "Should...we h-h-head...downstairs and...j-join our guests?"
"Good plan," Emma agreed. "I think Henry is eager to have some dessert."
Regina chuckled.
They left the bedroom. Were at the top of the stairs when Regina put a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder. It would be stupid of her to not react to the exhaustion she was starting to hear in her voice. "Would y-you mind...t-t-translating a bit...for m-me? My v-voice...is...g-getting tired n-now."
"Of course I don't mind translating for you," Emma said quickly. "Give that beautiful voice of yours a rest."
"I better...do b-before...the s-stuttering gets...a-a-any w-worse."
"It's not that bad."
Regina narrowed her eyes at her partner whom she suspected had just told her a little white lie. "Emma, I c-c-can...literally h-h-hear...that it...is...getting worse."
"It's not that bad," Emma repeated, now slipping an arm around her shoulder. "I understand why it's frustrating, babe."
"So...frustrating." Regina huffed. She was not at all satisfied, but she told herself to be patient. Her silence wasn't permanent. She was just resting her voice. That was all.
Emma gave her a little, comforting squeeze as they continued down the stairs.
In the living room, Henry was waiting for them. And he only had one thing on his mind. "Can we have cake now?"
Regina raised an eyebrow and silently urged him to find a different way of asking.
Henry was quick to catch on. "May we have cake now?" He corrected.
"Yeah, we're having cake now," Emma confirmed. "Isn't that right, Regina?"
Regina nodded. It was definitely cake-time.
"Did you change your clothes?" Henry asked and tilted his head at her.
Regina nodded again. Yes, she most certainly changed her clothes.
"Why?" Henry asked somewhat confused.
"Because little Squirtle upstairs used water gun and it was super effective," Emma cackled and thereby revealed the tragedy that had taken place upstairs.
Zelena started laughing while Malena clearly tried not to. "Oh my, he didn't!" she said while a smile tugged at her lips.
"He sure did," Emma said, tossing a wink at Zelena and Chad. "You guys have so much to look forward to!"
"Indeed," Chad said and grimaced a bit.
Henry laughed like Regina's misfortune was the funniest thing ever. Regina was just about to tell him a truth or two, but Malena beat her to it. "I'll have you know that you peed on me once, dear godson," she drawled.
"Oh," Henry said and cringed.
"The first time I held you in my arms," Malena fondly remembered. "Your dear mother had a laugh."
Regina chuckled at the memory. How she had laughed. With tears streaming down her cheeks. Malena had looked so confused and shellshocked. It had been impossible not to laugh.
After a moment of laughing at the memories, Regina pulled herself together and signed that dessert would be served in a moment. Emma translated for her. Then accompanied her into the kitchen to help her with the dessert. And earned herself a look from Regina when she tried to sneak a bite of one of the apple turnovers.
Regina didn't tolerate that. Not before the dessert was served properly…
Dessert was a major success.
Everyone had loved her apple turnovers. Everyone had praised them, and Regina had felt very proud.
"Is there anymore left?" Zelena asked. "I could eat one more."
Henry snickered.
"What, I'm pregnant," Zelena huffed. Clearly her only defense. "I'm supposed to eat plenty of food."
Henry snickered again.
Regina glanced at her watch. It was getting late. She tapped her son's shoulder and wiggled her fingers: 'it is bedtime, Henry.'
Henry wrinkled his nose. "five more minutes?"
Regina lifted an eyebrow in response. Henry didn't usually argue with her. But he was clearly afraid of missing out on the fun because they had guests.
"It's not a school night," Henry continued and thereby confirmed Regina's theory. Definitely afraid of missing out.
"It is...after ten," Regina said. This was the first time she had used her voice since before dessert, and she was happy to hear that the stuttering was gone. No one had commented on her Sign Language either. Of course not. "It is...way past...your bedtime."
"Just five more minutes? Please?" Henry was shamelessly begging her now.
"Henry." For the first time in a very long time, Regina actually had to 'scold' him. And give him the 'mom-face'. The one that didn't invite for further argument.
"Ooookay," Henry groaned as he stood from the couch.
"I'll come...up and say... goodnight...in a moment."
"You don't have to."
Regina tilted her head at him and mouthed 'are you sure?'. A gesture only he could see. She doubted anyone else had noticed it.
"Okay," Henry said then, and Regina smiled. Rapidly growing up and nearly eleven, yes, but still young enough to want her to come up and say goodnight. And she loved that. She absolutely loved it.
"Goodnight, Ma," Henry said as he hugged Emma tightly.
"Goodnight, kid," Emma said and ruffled his hair. "Sleep well."
"Thanks." Henry looked at the guests. "Goodnight, aunt Z, Uncle Chad. Goodnight, Mal. Goodnight, Ursula!"
Everyone said goodnight to him. He went up the stairs, and after having drained her cup of coffee, Regina stood from the couch too. "I'll be…. Right back," she told her guests. Then she walked upstairs to tuck in her son.
Henry was already in his pajamas when she came upstairs. In pajamas and in bed. So he clearly was tired after all.
She perched herself on his bedside and ran her fingers through his mop of brown hair.
"I think we should do this all the time," Henry said and smiled up at her. "Having people over, I mean."
Regina nodded in agreement. They definitely should do this all the time.
"I've missed it," her sweet, clever son continued. "I missed Mal."
'Me, too," Regina signed.
"But we'll see her a lot now, right?"
'Yes, we will. She is your godmother, after all. She's not gonna disappear again, I promise.'
"I know," Henry nodded and suddenly looked a bit somber. "But it wasn't your fault that she disappeared. Remember that."
Regina ruffled his hair again. What a sweet, clever son she had. He was of course right. It wasn't her fault that Malena had disappeared out of their lives. Only one person could be blamed for that, but neither Henry nor herself said his name aloud. He didn't belong in this room, in this house. He was not worthy of their thoughts.
"Maybe I could go on a weekend at her place?" Henry suggested. "Like I used to. It was so much fun!"
Yes, Regina knew how much her son loved hanging out with his godmother. She couldn't count the times she had received a picture from Malena of Henry posing with an enormous bowl of popcorn or with his face full of chocolate ice cream.
'We will have to ask her. And Ursula, but I can't imagine that she will say no.'
"She seems really nice," Henry said softly. "I like Ursula."
'Me, too.'
"I'm glad Mal has someone," Henry said thoughtfully. "When I was little I thought that you and her, were going to be together, but now I know that's wrong because you're supposed to be with Ma. And maybe Auntie Mal is supposed to be with Ursula. I hope so. They seem happy together, don't you think?"
'I really do,' Regina signed and marveled at how she had managed to get such a clever, clever son. 'And now it's bedtime, honey.'
Henry accepted that without complaining. He just curled up under the covers and closed his eyes.
Regina remained sitting on his bedside for a moment. Until she heard his breathing evening out. So much for begging for five more minutes. Henry was exhausted.
She stood from the edge of the bed and dropped a kiss on his hair and a hushed 'I love you'. He mumbled 'love you', and Regina took this as her cue to leave his room. He needed his sleep.
When she came into the living room, she found Emma laughing heartedly at something. Regina wanted to be a part of the fun too, so she curiously signed: 'What are you laughing about?'
"Malena told me a funny story," Emma told her. Still snickering.
She was just about to sign 'what story', but a quick examination of her memories did the trick. Regina already knew which story. She narrowed her eyes at her oldest friend. "Not the...pool story."
"Guilty as charged," Malena shamelessly smirked at her. Not at all sheepish.
Regina let out a suffering groan as she sat down next to Emma in the couch. "I am...never gonna...live that one...down am I?"
"Not as long as I live and breathe, no," Malena gleefully informed her.
"That's hilarious!" Emma laughed as she gave her knee a soft squeeze. "I had no idea you were such a wild child."
Regina huffed. She had definitely not been a 'wild child'. Not at all. It was just one time I let my hair down. One. "It wasn't...fun the...next day."
"Because of the hangovers?" Emma guessed. She was still snickering.
"And...because of my...mother who wouldn't...back down until... I told her...why my clothes...was all...wet." Cora had been quite relentless. And extremely shocked when a still intoxicated Regina had bursted out laughing whilst telling her mother exactly why her clothes was wet.
"Oh right," Malena fondly recalled. "You were grounded."
"For...two weeks." Officially, at least. Of course Cora had had no idea that Regina had escaped her 'cage' by opening her bedroom window and climbing out on the roof and elegantly wiggling down the drainpipe. Off she had gone into the night so she could be with Mal. She had shamelessly disobeyed her mother's rules.
Maybe she had been a wild child after all.
"And you...got a...cold."
"I sure did," Malena laughed. "And as far as I can remember, I gave you the cold shoulder."
"For three...hours." it was Regina's turn to smirk now.
"Yes well, I wasn't really capable of staying mad at you," Mal waved her off.
Ursula chuckled and gave Malena's hand a squeeze. "Are you sure that you weren't the one to suggest the swimming pool thing? It sounds like something you would suggest, darling."
"She's...right," Regina said innocently and blinked at her friend.
Malena jokingly sneered at both of them whilst muttering something about how they ganged up on her.
They weren't. At least not much…
The night was coming to an end. Regina was very happy with everything. The food had been great. The company even better. She was as satisfied as could be, but also a bit tired when she closed the door after having said goodbye to Zelena and Chad who had been the last ones to leave.
As nice as it had been to have people over, it was also nice to be on their own again. Regina wiggled her feet out of her high heels and winced. God, her feet were killing her. Maybe she should have ditched the high heels earlier. Oh well. She headed back to the living room so she could start the clean up process.
"Honey?"
"Yes, my...love?" Regina replied, her attention on the plates she was in the middle of collecting from the coffee table.
"You're limping."
"I don't think...that I...am." She wasn't. Was she? Maybe a little bit. But it was no big deal.
"Babe, I can literally see you limp as you walk!"
"I'm...fine," Regina said casually, carrying the stack of used plates into the kitchen so she could put them in the dishwasher. Each step hurt. Maybe her limp was a 'deal' after all.
"You are not," Emma said, grabbing the coffee pot and little spoons. "You need to sit down." She was hot on Regina's heels as Regina headed back to the kitchen and started wiping down the kitchen island.
"You are... exaggerating, darling," Regina said lightly. She was fine. No reason to fuss.
Emma didn't answer, so for a second, Regina thought that she had 'won'. Rookie mistake. It didn't take many seconds before Emma snatched the washcloth right out of her hand.
"Emma!" She protested. "I was...using that."
"And now you're not anymore," Emma said simply and chuckled. "Go into the living room and sit down. Rest your feet. Then I'll put the rest of the stuff away and wipe the kitchen island, okay?"
Regina shook her head. Emma shouldn't be doing all of this. It wasn't right.
"Come on," Emma coaxed with a grin. "You can't walk around like that."
"It's...my own...fault. I could...have chosen...something else...to wear. I'm...sorry," she said quickly and tugged a lock of hair behind her ear. It had been very silly of her to wear high heels when she knew in what condition her feet would be in afterwards. Really, she should have changed to flats earlier. Or not worn the high heels at all. It was her own fault. Emma didn't need to-
"Come here," Emma interrupted her inner monologue and opened her arms.
Oh. Regina felt sheepish as she stepped closer and immediately was enveloped in one of Emma's tight, tight hugs. "I...did it...again," she murmured into Emma's neck. The 'thing' they called it. The 'thing' where she apologized for things she didn't need to apologize for. They both knew why she did it. Why she sometimes wanted to apologize for things she didn't need to apologize for. But they did not address it. Not tonight. The person responsible for her behavior wasn't invited into their house.
"Yup," Emma said simply.
"I'm so-" Stop it. She cut herself off midsentence and sputtered out a meek little laugh.
"Don't you dare," Emma teased and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "Go into the living room and sit down, babe. You've been on your feet all night. Go on."
"Don't…. clean everything…. By yourself," Regina said seriously.
"Oh, don't worry, babe. I'm planning on leaving the majority for tomorrow," Emma teased."
Regina laughed as she went inside the living room and sat down on the couch. God, it felt good to sit down. Maybe she had been on her feet all night. She wiggled her feet a bit. They hurt. Maybe she needed to soak them in warm water, or something.
Regina made herself comfortable. Leaned back and undid the two top buttons in her blouse. It had started to feel a bit tight. She wiggled her feet again in an attempt to get comfortable.
After a moment, Emma joined her. "This was an awesome night," she said as she sat next to her on the couch.
"Mmm," Regina hummed. Such a good night. Her first attempt at inviting people into her new life had been a roaring success.
"Did you see Malena's grin? "I think she has missed you more than she lets on."
"I am...glad she and I...are talking...again," Regina said softly. "I almost can't...remember a...time where she...hasn't been...in my...life."
"I'm glad she is," Emma said and smiled. "She's a lovely person."
"She...is." Regina wiggled her feet absentmindedly. "And she and...Ursula are so...wonderful...together. I couldn't...think of...a...better person...for Malena. I've always...worried a bit...about her...because she's had...trouble...with finding...someone...she really c-connects...with. but now...I'm...not...anymore." No, in Ursula Malena had found her safe harbor. Seeing them together tonight had confirmed that. Malena had found her person.
"I'M worried," Emma gravely announced.
"About...what?" Regina lifted an eyebrow at the very random statement.
"Your feet, obviously," Emma chuckled and motioned for Regina to place her feet in her lap. "Gimme."
"What?" She wasn't cute sure she understood.
"Your feet. Gimme."
"Why?" She lifted an eyebrow again.
"Because I'm gonna bestow some of my magic upon them, obviously." With that, Emma unceremoniously grabbed her ankles and planted her feet in her lap. Regina opened her mouth to say something, but was distracted when Emma started to rub her feet.
"Is...that a good...idea?" She asked hesitantly, finding her voice again and licking her lips slightly.
"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" Emma said and seemed to admire the nail polish on her toenails for a second. "Good color."
Regina didn't want to squirm, but she had a feeling that she ended up doing so anyway. "Emma, you know...what happens when...you rub...my feet," she tried to warn.
"Yeah, I know what happened that time in the cabin," Emma said warmly. "You think it could happen again?"
"Yes," she said and already felt a bit strained. "Abso...lutely,"
"Interesting." Emma pressed down on the sole of her right foot. "All the more reason to give you a good foot rub then."
Regina blushed and felt how her foot twitched slightly in Emma's grasp.
"You need to relax, and honestly, I couldn't think of a better way to make that happen." Emma winked at her.
"How did...I get...this...l-lucky?" Regina murmured.
She could probably have mulled over that for the rest of the night, but honestly, she was too busy just being present and appreciating what Emma was doing. Which was rubbing her foot. Moving her fingers in circular motions and then pressing down on each of her toes. Tugging and turning them. Rubbing her ankles. She drew that out for a minutes. Then moved on to her heels.
Regina was already putty in her hands. Emma had found a good spot. Her feet twitched.
"Is this alright? I'm not being too hard on you, am I?"
"N-no," she stuttered, but this time it had absolutely nothing to do with her voice being tired. "It is…. P-perfect!"
Emma chuckled softly and kept up the attention on her heels for a little while longer. Then moved onto the soles of her feet.
Regina moaned. Squirmed as she sat on the couch. Her skin felt flushed, and she was tingling between her legs. Had the strongest urge to press her thighs together. Hard. God, this was good! So, so good! Something tugged at her lips, and she was sure that she was smiling ridiculously. She did not mind.
"I should do this more often," Emma commented, pressing down on the sole of her right foot. "How about I give you a foot rub every day?"
"God!" Regina was only halfway aware that Emma had made some sort of delightful suggestion. She was in heaven. Absolute heaven.
"I am so glad I took that massage course!" Clever fingers pressed against the top of her foot. Then gently circling the area. God, Emma was so good at this! Switching between gentle and firm. Almost like when they were in bed together. Regina couldn't stop wiggling her feet. She was throbbing. Right here. On the couch. Whilst they had been in the middle of cleaning. It was so scandalous. So unheard of. Suddenly, she felt like a bit of a 'wild child' again.
"S-s-shit!"she cussed through gritted teeth.
"Swear jar." Fingers pressed down gently on her ankle bones now. "Never stop wearing high heels, beautiful. Don't ever stop."
Was Emma talking? And if so, what was she saying? Regina honestly couldn't tell for sure. She was far too engaged with trying to squeeze her legs together.
She wanted to rip off her clothes.
No, scratch that.
She wanted to rip off Emma's clothes.
Or maybe just both.
Yes.
Both was good.
"God, you're hot."
The simple statement was followed by fingers pressing down hard right at the middle of her foot, and it sent jolts of pleasure straight to Regina's core.
"Right...there," she squeaked and squeezed her eyes tightly shit. "Don't...stop!"
"Don't worry, I won't," Emma soothed. "Just do what you gotta do, beautiful."
Regina was done for. When Emma pressed down hard on both on her feet, she felt herself arching forward on the couch and moaning throatily. Cuss words. Emma's name.
Then raw, unfiltered pleasure zapped through her in a small, but highly satisfying orgasm. Her toes curled and her legs trembled. God, that was. So. Good.
"Ahhh!" she rasped, now leaning back on the couch. This hadn't been a part of her cleaning up routine, but she was extremely satisfied with Emma's way of… helping her clean up.
"There you go, beautiful," Emma said with a soft chuckle. "All nice and relaxed."
Regina opened her eyes and smiled at her girlfriend. Then she stood from the couch on legs that was rather shaky. Her panties felt sticky now. She needed them off. Along with the rest of her clothes. And Emma's too.
So she stretched a hand out towards Emma. "Come, my...love."
"Where are we going?"
"Upstairs?" She cocked her head in a gesture she hoped was seductive. "We could...continue what...you started."
Emma immediately grabbed her hand.
Regina was no schoolgirl.
She was not seventeen.
But she was definitely smitten, and so yes, it was entirely possible that she ran up the stairs, laughing at the way Emma was 'chasing' her. Yes, she might have giggled when Emma caught up with her in the bedroom and grabbed her and nearly threw her on the bed.
Clothes was shed and thrown on the floor. A blue dress and a pair of white cotton panties and a matching white bra on top of a bottle green silk blouse and a black pencil skirt. A black lace bra quickly followed by a matching garter belt and a pair of panties that ended up at some unknown place in the bedroom. It was not important where they landed. Eager hands had been much too busy ripping them off Regina's body. As busy as Regina had been with unclipping Emma's bra and throwing it on the floor.
Because both was indeed good….
To Be Continued...