A/N: I know, I missed updating yesterday. Apologies! But, I bring you a double update tonight, AND the moment you've all been waiting for... ;) Happy reading, and I hope you all keep enjoying. More will be written tomorrow. That's a promise.
Dinner with Emma. That's what Regina brought herself to think about, trying her best to push that unexpected and erotic dream aside.
Why the hell would she even have that dream to begin with?
Especially when she had never had one before.
Regina scoffs at herself as she places the book down and rises from the chair in the library. She needed to get her thoughts into control before tonight's dinner or-
"Is the book that bad?" Emma's voice startles her as she's entering the library and walking her way toward Regina. She reaches for the book, helping herself to read the title followed by the brief summary that's found on the back of it.
Regina can do nothing but stand before the blonde in silence. If only Emma knew, she had an erotic dream that they were these characters in the book. God, she would die if Emma ever found out.
"Sounds interesting." Emma hands the book right back to Regina.
"It is," the brunette nods. "I've been highly enjoying it. You could read it once I'm finished, if you'd like. I'm sure Belle won't mind."
"I'd like that." Emma smiles, and Regina can't look away. "Listen, I was actually looking for you."
"For me?" Regina's brow rises as the blonde nods in confirmation.
Of course, for you. Who else would she be looking for? The brunette resists the urge to kick herself in the head then and there.
"I was wondering if you'd like to join me for some ice cream."
"Ice cream?" She sees another nod from Emma. "Now?" There's a smile stretching across her lips, because leave it to Emma to want to have some ice cream at eleven in the morning. Then again, they had bonded over chocolate pancakes until two am.
"Yes, now." Emma smiles, tucking her hands inside her jean pockets. "Only if you want to, I mean- you don't have to, I just thought it'd be nice-"
"I'd love to." Regina jumped in just as her heart had inside of her chest. And she could swear that at the sight of the blonde's widened smile- her heart did flips.
"Awesome."
Their attention was caught by a ringing cell phone- Emma's- and as she fished it out of her pocket, but not before muttering an apology toward Regina, she glanced down at the name flashing across the screen. Audrey.
"Sorry, I gotta," Emma muttered again, flashing the screen for Regina to see.
And the brunette quickly raised a hand, waving the blonde's words off before she could finish.
"I'll meet you outside." Said Emma before she walked over toward the front doors and made her way out. "Hi, Audrey. How's the trip?"
Upon hearing the door close, Regina let out a heavy exhaled breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.
Going out for ice cream wasn't a good idea.
Dinner wasn't a good idea.
But, she couldn't turn Emma down when out of the kindness of her heart, she wanted to show her a good time. There was nothing bad about that.
This was ridiculous. Regina chuckled to herself as she paced around the room, which seemed to be closing in on her with each step she took. This was absolutely ridiculous. If Emma was asking her out to dinner it wasn't because this was a date. Absolutely not. She wasn't betraying her daughter in any way or form. This wasn't a big deal. She just needed to remind herself that Emma didn't see her with the eyes of someone that was remotely interested in her.
Suddenly, Regina began to wonder to herself if she ever looked at Emma with an interest sparkling in her eyes. The very thought freaked her out even more, because what kind of woman would Emma think she was if she knew she was crushing on her? Her daughter's girlfriend, of all people!
No. Don't be ridiculous. Regina shook her head once again, shaking herself out of that thought. Had Emma noticed something, she would have already pointed it out, surely.
After all, Emma was smart. Very smart, and observant, and more beautiful than any other woman she had met, and… God, help her.
She was in way over her head.
Once drawing and exhaling a few slow and steady breaths, Regina willed herself to place the book Belle had allowed her to borrow against the tea table of the library before she headed out the door, where Emma stood just along the gravel walkway that began at the bottom of the steps.
"Alright, talk to you later. I love you, too." Green eyes turned to Regina as Emma ended the call, tucking her cell inside of her jean pockets.
And while Regina's heart felt a little constricted after hearing Emma say those three little words, Emma's lips split into that breathtaking smile that could bring her heart back to life.
"Ready?" Emma asked with a certain sparkle in her eye that Regina began to notice more and more of.
Regina nodded a little against her will, because as much as she didn't want more reasons to arise that would make her like Emma more- apparently- they were a little too impossible to run from.
Keys jingled as Emma held them out. "I'll drive." She said, while walking over to her rusty, trusty yellow bug, parting the passenger door open with a loud creak to it that made her cheeks grow pink upon Regina's raised brow. "Don't let it fool you. It runs perfectly and it's filled with gas, so it won't leave us stranded anywhere."
Regina would trust her luck if they took her car, but it wasn't every day someone offered to drive her anywhere, leaving her no choice but to hop right into the passenger seat, hearing another loud creak upon Emma shutting the door in place before watching her run over to the driver's side.
There was a little smile, barely visible, but Emma caught it just in time, on Regina's lips that she trained her eyes on before turning on her engine and backing out of the driveway before heading toward their destination.
Regina had absolutely no idea where they were heading. But she didn't care.
Their destination had led them to the park for that late morning, strolling about side by side while feasting on a fresh strawberry ice cream cone. Well, Emma went for chocolate, while Regina chose strawberry. Of course, it was Emma's treat, no matter how much Regina wanted to pay for them, she had lost that battle.
"I thought Audrey would have shown you the park already?" Regina's head tilted. Not that she minded being back here. She loved the park.
"We came, but we didn't see much of it that day." Emma licked along her ice cream.
"I don't understand," Regina's head tilted, seeing a coat of light pink coat Emma's cheeks. Suddenly, it hit her, and the realization alone made her eyes grow wide, along with her own cheeks to turn crimson red. "Oh!"
This time it was Emma's turn to turn crimson red. The heat moved down to her neck. She bit down on the edge of her cone for good measure. To see if some of the coolness would help with her blush and the sudden awkward feeling that lingered around them.
This wasn't how Regina imagined this late morning playing out.
"I never realized Audrey to be the type to- in a park!" Regina huffed, feeling her cheeks grow impossibly hotter, especially after hearing a low chuckle escape Emma's throat. "I'm sorry-" she shook her head. "I don't mean to pry, it's just…"
"It's alright. It's my fault." Emma shook her head, scolding herself. "I don't know why that came out in conversation, I mean we're supposed to be having a nice time. Not talking about…" She couldn't find the right words.
"I am having a nice time." Regina assured her, feeling free to flash her a little smile for reassurance purposes.
It seemed to have worked, given Emma's little smile of her own. The pink color in her cheeks was still visible but it had gone down from crimson to light pink again.
They walked along an open space, hearing laughter and quick exchanging conversations from others around them, until they were the only ones taking a seat right in front of a giant water fountain made entirely of stone. The cascade of the water being heard right behind them.
The only two other people near them that remained were a man and a woman who set up two pairs of microphones right before them, and had some guitar cases right by their side against the floor.
"How's your ice cream?" Emma finally asked, breaking the awkward silence that had settled between them.
After the brunette's lips devoured more of the pink, strawberry flavored ice cream, Regina looked up at Emma with almost a kid-like smile that she found absolutely endearing.
"It's very good. I haven't had ice cream in a long time. Thank you."
"Yeah, I can see that," Emma chuckled, her eyes focused on a pink smear right at the corner of Regina's lips. "You have, uh, little…" She pointed at the corner of her own lip for indication.
"Oh," Regina quickly scooped up her napkin and wiped the wrong corner of her mouth, licking it after she dared to look at Emma again. "Gone?"
"No, it's," Emma chuckled again, "It's still very much there." Her green eyes were trained on Regina's mouth, on the way her tongue poked out again to try and swipe off the pink smear that made her feel embarrassed about herself.
While Emma had to admit, watching Regina constantly trying to lick off that pink smear off of the corner of her lip and failing, was the sexiest thing she had ever seen. She would be lying if she told you it didn't make her forget how to breathe for a minute or two.
"Is it gone?" Asks Regina, unconsciously leaning a little toward Emma.
"Here, let me," this was Emma's cue to take her own napkin, lean in, and gently wipe the corner of the woman's mouth, her eyes falling right on her scar. Unable to help herself or her eyes.
Regina's eyes remained on Emma's, on the green color radiating off of them, and how the color only grew brighter upon the late morning sun reflecting right off of them as her eyes were trained on her- "What are you looking at?" She asked, waking herself up from the unexpected trance and seeing that Emma's hand had dropped down a second ago.
"Nothing," Emma withdrew her distance, her eyes rapidly blinking, adjusting back to the world around them. "It's gone now."
"Thank you." Regina gave the girl a warm smile, and her eyes took in the blue leather jacket she was wearing on top of a white shirt. This was a different look for Emma, but she liked it all the same as when she wore her red jacket.
The blonde innocently turned her attention toward the two street musicians who suddenly began to play the familiar tune of Dido's Thank you, before the female began to sing at a low but suitable range.
"I didn't think you owned another jacket but the red one." Regina's voice brought Emma's attention back to her.
"My mom thought I needed a change," Emma looked down at her jacket with a smile before looking back at Regina. "I don't wear it much."
"You should. You look very nice in it." The brunette's confession seemed to have taken Emma by surprise, as much as it took her by surprise as well.
"I'll keep that in mind." Emma smiled, turning her attention to the musical couple singing in unison.
As much as Regina's ears were enjoying the music, cascading over the sound of the water dropping right behind them as they shared this moment sitting by the water fountain, her brown eyes couldn't help but take in Emma's appearance, and how young and carefree she looked upon stretching out her long legs in a more relaxing manner while holding herself up with her free hands after having finished her ice cream. Her erotic dream no longer seeming to bother her, but it still lingered in the back of her mind as she looked over at her.
She couldn't help but wonder how Emma would react if she knew about said dream. She had already vowed to herself that this was the kind of dream she would take to her grave.
But, as her eyes explored further, like the way her shirt rested along the way of her stomach, fitting and falling perfectly along the way. The memory of the small glimpse she had of her abs playing in her mind. Her vision trailed up past the curves of her breasts, how her chest rose and fell with each calming breath she took. They trailed up to the perfectly drawn line of her jaw, and ended in drinking in the golden color of her hair as it cascaded freely against her shoulders. Her hair was long. She hadn't realized before how long it actually was. Brown eyes drank in the small curves of her thin lips.
Suddenly, Regina's attention fell to her now melted ice cream. A trail of pink, sticky melted good coating part of her fingers. Her eyes grew wide in panic as she quickly tossed the ice cream away, oblivious as to where it might have landed, before she quickly began rinsing her hand along the water of the fountain. The splashing of the water captured Emma's attention. A crease formed along her brow.
"Is everything okay?" She asked Regina, watching her hand shake itself out as it glistened with water drops.
"Ice cream melted on my hand." Regina smiled with a shade of pink coating her cheeks. She shook her hand a bit longer before drying it off with her napkin. "This is a nice song." Regina nodded toward the two musicians. "I'd never heard it before."
She hoped this change of conversation would help her surpass her little embarrassing moment and having to explain the reason behind why the ice cream had melted in the first place.
And upon seeing Emma's dimple-y smile, she was confirmed of just that.
"It's one of my mom's favorite songs. No matter how bad her mood is, this song can always find a way to calm her."
"I can see why," Regina smiles, her ears drinking in the words of the song more as it was sung beautifully by the pair. "David must love dancing with her."
A smile erupted from Emma's lips. "Yeah. Limp and all, he is still a hell of a dancer."
"Limp?" Regina's brow furrowed.
"He served in the military," Emma brushed back a strand of her hair. "Long ago, he suffered an injury. He was discharged."
New information from Emma Swan's life that Regina had no idea of. She then wondered if her daughter knew about this. But she wasn't about to ask.
"Do you want to dance?" Emma nodded to where the musicians were sitting, as if indicating that they already had the music, why not add the dance, too.
Regina's cheeks quickly turned pink. "Dance? To this?" She shook her head. "Oh, no- here?"
"Yeah, it's real easy," The blonde stood to her feet, holding out her hand. "Come on."
"Out of the question." Regina refused, as much as she wanted to hold Emma's hand. "No, I'm not dancing here."
"Why not?" Emma shrugged.
Because it was a public place and Regina had never danced in a public place before. She had never even danced to anything this beautiful, and the last thing she needed was to make a fool of herself.
But she wasn't about to reveal that to Emma.
"I just can't." She glared to the best of her abilities, but it didn't seem to trail Emma off of the dancing idea.
Especially not with that smile stretched across her lips as she neared the brunette and took her by the hand without her consent, all while forcing her to stand.
"Emma- no-" Now, Regina had been forced by her husband to do many things. He had grabbed her countless times and lifted her up but never quite like this. This was different. With the way Emma grabbed her and pulled her up, there was something gentle about it. Persistent, but careful.
"It's okay, look down," Emma's voice was a whisper now, that it drew Regina in. She found that every time the blonde's voice would become this gentle sounding, it would draw her in whether she wanted it to or not.
With a defeated huff, Regina looked down, seeing only her feet, followed by Emma's.
"Place your feet on top of mine."
Regina's eyes looked up into Emma's gentle look in a shocking manner. She really wanted her to stand on her feet? How?
"It's okay," Emma chuckled as she nodded. Her eyes looked down seeing Regina hesitantly stepping on her right foot, followed by her left. "That's it, now-"
"I can't," Regina quickly backed away. "I'll hurt you."
"No, no, come on. I'll be fine." Without giving her another chance, Emma placed her hand quickly along the waistline and drew her in. This action, not only left Regina gasping for breath, but Emma as well as she breathed out her next choice of words. "See? I'm fine."
Regina didn't even realize when she stood up on her feet again, but it seemed like the only option she was dealt with given the blonde girl's stubbornness. All she could do was lock eyes with Emma, trying her best not to lose her balance, or what very little oxygen she had given that their faces were only inches apart.
And Emma was holding her! Actually holding her, and taking her by her free hand, but not before she placed Regina's own hand just over her shoulder for balance.
Before the brunette knew what was happening around them, she could suddenly feel herself being controlled by Emma with the utmost delicacy in a shared slow dance.
A smile tugged on Regina's lips as well as Emma's, and the brunette allowed the blonde with complete control. Suddenly she found herself wishing that this song would never end, that this moment would never end. She knew it would, but for now- she would enjoy it.
But having Emma this close only made her feelings bubble their way up more toward her heart.
And she found that to be a very dangerous thing.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Emma's soft voice asked, drawing Regina in from her very thoughts.
She smiled, seeing it was the only thing she could do. If this were a romantic moment in one of her books, or a film, this was the part where they would have already shared a mutual kiss. A moment where time would stop and the only time they would share would be their own.
But this wasn't one of her books. This wasn't a moment in a film. Or even a romantic moment at that. Regina couldn't allow herself to get lost in thoughts- dreams- that would never happen between her and Emma.
"I'm just… Hoping… I don't crush your toes." Her words come out so slowly because she can't find herself to look away from the blonde's beautiful gaze.
Emma chuckles, keeping up with their dance for the both of them. "I wouldn't worry about that. I had a wicked frostbite when I was kid after falling in through a frozen lake. I practically can't feel you standing on my toes."
Brown eyes grew wide, "Really?" She could feel all the muscles in her face relax upon seeing a playful smirk, followed by hearing a rich laugh escape Emma's lungs. "Oh, my- you're joking!"
"Yeah, I am- I'm sorry." Emma said through a vibrating voice of laughter. "I never had frostbite. I just wanted to ease your mind." Upon smiling one more time, her voice turns a little more serious. "You always seem to have a lot on your mind, I think it's fair for you to have a moment's peace."
"My mind hasn't been clearer since you arrived at my doorstep." Regina found herself whispering as she locked eyes with Emma. She couldn't control her words. She blamed this moment. This damn moment that she dreamed of sharing with someone, someday.
This was also the part where she wouldn't blame Emma if she ran, or tore herself apart from their shared dance.
She wouldn't blame her at all. Because what mother would be crushing hard on her own daughter's girlfriend? What mother dreamed of wanting to kiss the pair of thin lips that were right before her?
But to her surprise- Emma didn't run. Emma didn't part. Emma wouldn't dream of doing such a thing when Regina needed some goodness in her life. And the blonde couldn't figure out what was stirring up inside of her right now. She couldn't help but look down at Regina's lips before she embraced her in a hug, which she could tell from the small gasp that escaped Regina, it surprised her. It surprised Emma, too. But, ever since she met Regina and learned about her situation, some protective instincts had kicked in over her. Emma could understand that. She had done the unthinkable as to leaving her own father in a coma to protect her mother. Emma knew that if it came down to it, she would do the same thing for Regina- in a heartbeat- if necessary.
As Emma held her close, for the first time ever, she realized that if she could remain like this forever with Regina- it wouldn't be such a bad thing.
Upon night's arrival, Regina was a mess. She couldn't figure out what to wear for dinner. She didn't want to go elegant, but not casual either.
Look at her. Acting as if this were a date when it was far from. How foolish she must seem to Sidney.
"What do you think of this one?" She made her way out of her walk-in closet, and stood before Sidney wearing a black pencil skirt and a red short sleeve blouse with a v-neck.
"I like it very much, ma'am." Sidney was always honest. With Regina.
Regina felt insecure and shy about having to ask for Sidney's opinion, but who else would she go to if not him? She couldn't go to Emma, no matter how good friends they were.
"You said that about every outfit, Sidney." Regina scoffed, her shoulders slumping down on her. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's been going on with me lately." She plopped down at the end of her bed. "I guess I'm just nervous."
"I can understand that, ma'am. But, you must know, I would never tell Mr. White anything." Sidney assured her.
She knew. Of course, she knew. She could see the loyalty in the man's eyes. It was the same as looking into Daniel's eyes.
"I know." Regina smiled, giving him a nod. "And I appreciate that."
"Besides, I really like Ms. Emma. I think she brings out what Mr. White keeps locked in, in you." He smiles. "If anyone deserves a good time. It's you."
Regina smiled as she placed a free hand on Sidney's shoulder. "Thank you, Sidney."
He smiled. "Have fun tonight, madam." There was a pause, "You know, I do believe Ms. Emma is right."
"About what?" Regina asked, tilting her head.
"You have a smile that could light up a room."
Regina's brow slightly lifted at that new found information about herself to which, according to Sidney, came from Emma herself.
"She said that?" Her voice was soft upon asking her question. Just as soft as the pink glow that coated her cheeks.
Sidney smiled, giving the brunette a single nod. Emma had in fact mentioned that to Sidney, and he found no harm in letting the brunette know about it. Especially when her and Emma had become such good friends.
But upon knowing this, Regina's heart couldn't possibly accelerate more inside of her chest like it was doing so now as she looked at herself in the mirror for the hundredth time tonight.