"Where are my fish?" Emma complained, her body twisted as she looked around the backseat.
It had been a little over a month since they had moved to Boston and just a week before Emma would be starting school. She and Regina were currently on their way to Storybrooke to pick up Emma's graduation gift; the yellow Bug.
Emma had, over the last month with Regina's help, prepared for and acquired her driver's license.
Currently, though, the blonde was getting berated by her lover as she had now unbuckled her seat belt to dig around in a duffle bag on the seat.
"What fish?" Regina finally ended her rant, exasperated by her young lover's carelessness.
"My gummy ones." Emma whined, tossing a pair of Regina's panties out of the bag. "I bought them specifically for this trip."
"I'm sure that you can survive another two hours without them." The brunette muttered, momentarily breaking her gaze from the road to draw to the blonde's rear beside her.
Emma grumbled softly as her hand grabbed a bunched up shirt. But when she moved said shirt, she saw the familiar plastic bag of the gummy fish she had been looking for. Making a noise of satisfaction, Emma slipped back into her seat with a grin on her face.
"Did you find them, dear?" Regina gave her a sideways glance, chuckling softly.
"Yes," the blonde mumbled with a mouthful. "Want one?"
"Are you sure you won't rip my arm off like last time?"
"I…" The blonde chuckled softly and offered up the bag, watching warily as the brunette dug a few of the fish out. "You took more than you were supposed to, last time."
"You and your fish." Regina chuckled softly, turning an adoring smile on her girlfriend.
"I like them when I'm bleeding." Emma shrugged, popping another fish into her mouth. "Like you and your chocolate."
"Speaking of, where is my chocolate?" Regina quirked a brow at the blonde.
"Uh…" The blonde froze in her spot, giving her girlfriend a guilty look.
She ate it when she found it earlier that day.
Emma hadn't paid any mind to whose it had been or why it was randomly laying on a table, so she picked it up and ate it. She was craving chocolate at the moment and hadn't realized that Regina had joined in for that miserable time of month, as well.
"… you didn't eat my chocolate, did you?" Regina's voice was deathly low.
"Hah, no. What makes you think that?" Emma nervously laughed. "It's probably in the duffle bag."
"Uh huh. It better be." The glare that was shot her way had the blonde sinking in her seat.
She was screwed.
The next two hours flew by and before the blonde knew it, they were pulling up to her old apartment, right behind the yellow Bug. It was noon by the time that they had arrived, much to Emma's discontent. Regina had insisted that they get up early so they could have the entire day in Storybrooke.
Emma hesitated before reaching for the door handle. Also within that month, she hadn't spoken to Mary Margaret. David had told her to give the woman time to get used to the reality of hers and Regina's relationship, but Emma was still skeptical.
She didn't know how her mother had initially reacted to the revelation since she hadn't been there, and David hadn't said too much about it. He wanted to get out of the house as fast as he could before his wife started throwing things.
"Do you want me to stay out here?" Regina queried as she turned the car off, noticing her lover's hesitation.
"No, no." Emma shook her head, frowning. "I'm not going to let you do that. I'm not hiding you anymore."
"Honey…"
"And David said that we can stay here." The blonde shrugged slightly before popping her door open. She breathed deeply, letting the sweet air fill her lungs. Her palms started to sweat.
"Is Mary Margaret alright with that?" Regina was now exiting the old Benz, as well, and moved to open the backseat door. "I can still rent us a room at Granny's."
Emma shook her head at the suggestion. "No. I'll convince her."
Regina nodded, scoffing slightly at the mess that Emma had left on the backseat. She plucked the clothes up off the floor and stuffed them back into their duffle bag before bringing it out. "What did you do back here?"
"Uh…" Emma gave her a sheepish look, peeking over the car to be met with Regina's chestnut orbs, reflecting like golden fire in the afternoon sun. "Nothin'."
"Let's go, you messy little blonde." Regina purred softly, locked up the Mercedes, and rounded the vehicle to join Emma as the blonde made her way to the building.
Emma paused at the familiar green apartment door, her hand connected with Regina's as it only grew clammier. She felt Regina squeeze her hand, fueling her to knock and wait, only to have the sudden desire to turn and run.
"It's going to be fine." She heard a soft whisper behind her.
"I hope so," Emma muttered as the door opened, revealing David who wore a wide smile on his lips.
The blonde found herself surrounded by muscular arms and choking on a musky scent as he brought her into the apartment. She sighed softly, returning the embrace. A sense of serenity seemed to take her as she hid herself in him for a moment.
"Hey, guys. How was your drive?" He asked as Regina joined them inside, flashing her a wary smile.
"It was long." Regina murmured, dropping the bag at her feet.
"Gina ate my fish." Emma shot her girlfriend a glare and the dark haired woman returned it.
"Your fish?" David blinked slightly.
"Her gummy fish." Regina iterated, shaking her head as she now bent to ruffle through the clothes in the bag. "And… you ate my chocolate, Emma."
"No I didn't." The blonde was quick to fib, but the glower that had been offered to her had the teenager squeaking. "Okay, okay! I didn't know it was yours."
"Whose else would it be?"
Emma could feel the guilt rising to her face in the shade of pink. "Uh… the… chocolate fairy's?"
"You ate my period food. I ate yours." Regina huffed and picked the bag up once again, eyes falling on the objects in the apartment.
David cleared his throat, head jerking toward the stairs that led up to Emma's old bedroom. "You can put that upstairs."
"Of course." The brunette nodded before making her way up the stairs, leaving father and daughter alone.
"So, where's Mary Margaret?" Emma turned to her father after gaining the will to tear her eyes away from her lover's behind.
"She'll be home soon. She went to the store to pick up dinner." The sheriff answered, gesturing to the kitchen. "Want anything?"
"Did you guys make coffee?" Emma grinned cheekily and moved toward said kitchen, eyeing the empty coffee pot.
"No, but I can make some." David offered as he followed her. "So, how has it been down in Boston?"
The blonde found a spot at the counter, watching as her father started preparing the coffee pot. She shrugged slightly, leaning on her elbows. "I don't know. It's good. We finally got everything unpacked and organized. We bought a bed, too."
"You did?" He nodded at the information, leaning against the counter when he finished. "Did Regina get the job that she wanted?"
"Oh, uh." Emma shrugged slightly. "It got too late. They didn't have any openings for her, right now."
"Oh, that's too bad."
"What's too bad?" Regina asked as she finally joined the two, a smile on her face. She took the seat next to Emma and pressed a kiss to her cheek.
"Your job. Emma was telling me about it." David answered, pushing himself away from the counter.
"Ah, I see. Unfortunately, I was unable to get into the school that I wanted. For now, I'm going with something a little more open." The brunette shifted in her seat, eyes gazing up at the man who stood before her.
"What do you mean?" David furrowed his brows.
"Substitute teaching. I suppose that's what I get for retracting my application at the last minute, but, you know, that's how things are."
David nodded, folding his arms over his chest. "What will you be teaching?"
"English, for the most part." Regina straightened out, her hands on her lap. "Whatever I might be able to get into. I'm not too concerned about having many work days. We have enough funds for now."
"Ah." He glanced to his daughter for a moment who merely smiled at him. "Do you plan on going back into something more permanent?"
"If I am able to find an open position before the next school year." The brunette answered, eyes drifting toward the coffee pot as she caught scent of the strong aroma. "If I'm lucky, I might even have one within this school year. Though, I'm doubtful that will happen."
David nodded and turned when the coffee pot sounded. He hooked a thumb to the machine. "Coffee's done."
"I need that shit." Emma popped out of her seat, immediately going to the cupboard to pull out two mugs. "Gina didn't let me have any and she got me up early."
"You ate my chocolate." Regina was quick to defend, popping out of her seat to help the blonde.
"You're going to hold that over my head, aren't you?"
"Oh, for far longer than you know, my love." The smirk Regina had given her had the blonde smiling.
Gods, did she love her smile.
David merely shook his head, muttering, "you two."
Emma giggled softly and finished up doctoring the two cups before handing her girlfriend one. She took a sip from the other as the front door opened, revealing her mother who was toting several grocery bags.
"Oh, Emma!" The pixie-haired brunette gasped upon seeing the blonde. She headed toward the group, placing the groceries on the counter. The schoolteacher didn't hesitate as she brought her daughter into a tight hug. "It feels like it's been so long."
"I know," Emma giggled softly, returning the embrace. "It's only been a month, though."
"I haven't seen you since… I don't know." She pulled away with a large smile, but it was soon wiped from her face when she spotted Regina with a mug cupped between her hands.
"Hello, Mary Margaret. It's good to see you again," she murmured softly, offering Emma's mother a polite smile.
But Mary Margaret didn't return the smile, instead, her lips sunk into a frown. The first thing she did was take a step forward, and before anyone in the room had known it, the palm of her hand drew across the darker woman's face.
"Mary Margaret! What the hell was that?" David was quick to intervene, bringing his wife back against his chest as Emma did the same with Regina.
The former English teacher was in shock more than anything, but the way she had started to move forward told Emma that she wasn't hesitant in striking back.
"No," she whispered into her lover's ear, arms wrapped tightly around her waist.
"How could you?" Mary Margaret finally spoke, her eyes boring holes into Regina's skull. "I trusted you."
"Pardon me?" It was Regina's turn to speak, her eyes wide and incredulous as she stared down the pixie-haired woman. "How could I what, exactly?"
"You! Emma! This!" Emma's mother was waving her hands around in the air, eyes crazed as if something inside her brain broke and she had finally lost it. David stood back, now, tense in his spot if something were to go awry. Emma had done the same, releasing her girlfriend's midsection.
"And you, Emma." Those frantic eyes were soon on her daughter, narrowing in on the blonde's florid face. "You left me here, by myself, fretting over you and her. I nearly had a heart attack."
"Oh, come on, no you didn't." Emma crossed her arms tightly over her chest, warily eyeing her mother as she moved toward the blonde. "And I'm sorry, but David said to let you cool down."
"Oh, what an excuse!" Her hands were thrown in the air, leaving Emma to flinch.
The blonde felt arms wrap around her waist and immediately sunk into them, feeling her tense muscles loosen and absence of a smile ghosting her lips.
"I'm not going to get used to this," Mary Margaret muttered, half to herself, as she moved away from the kitchen.
"Mary Margaret." David followed his wife, leaving the two women alone.
"That went well." Regina's voice was soft as she whispered her words into the blonde's ear, a kiss following soon after.
"How's your cheek?" Emma turned around in her lover's arms, a soft frown on her face.
"I've had worse." A meek smile was offered, but hadn't held up.
Emma sighed, eyes closing as she leaned into the older woman. It was as she had feared upon coming here. She knew Mary Margaret had the tendency to overreact, which was why she intended to keep this from her for as long as possible. Unfortunately, as they had been over the course of their relationship, they were too careless. And they had been caught. Again.
"I'm sorry." The blonde pulled slightly away, her arms loosely wrapped around the brunette's shoulders. "Maybe we should just stay at the Bed and Breakfast."
"You don't need to do that." A masculine voice sounded behind them, causing the blonde to jump and turn from her lover's grip.
"Clearly Mary Margaret isn't happy about us." The blonde began, but she was cut off; this time by the woman herself.
"I do want you here, Emma. I'm just…" She shook her head as she joined her husband, not quite meeting her daughter's gaze. "This is… wrong."
"Wrong?" Emma bristled, but the grip still around her waist tightened in warning. "Mary Margaret, if you can't help that I'm a les-"
"No, no, that's not what I meant." The pixie-haired woman mended. "I mean… this. She was your teacher."
"I know, Mary Margaret. But does that really matter?" The teenager found herself grinning at the thought of being held at night and being kissed awake in the morning by scarred, pink lips.
"It's…" Mary Margaret trailed off, her head shaking as she attempted to form her next words. But they never came.
"I wouldn't have moved with her if I didn't love her, mom." Emma made a soft noise of discontent when Regina pulled away from her. "I'm just- It's like how you feel with David. Just, please, take that into consideration and don't shove dicks down my throat."
Regina made a face. "That's gross."
"Not literally, Gina," the blonde muttered to her girlfriend, attempting to suppress the giggle bubbling in her throat at the face the older woman had pulled.
"Well, I would sure hope not." Regina's brow quirk, her voice a mere whisper. "Because that mouth belongs to me."
Blood rose to Emma's head when she gathered what the older woman had said, her heart suddenly pounding to make up for the sudden blood supply to two particular areas.
"Uh…" Mary Margaret was the one to interrupt the two lovers, her eyes widening. "I can hear you."
"O-oh…" Even more heat rose up the blonde's neck, blooming a bright red across her entire face.
The short haired brunette sighed softly. "And I'm not trying to shove… anything at you, Emma. I'm just-"
"Just think of her as a big puppy." Emma found the words falling from her lips before her poor brain could even keep her from killing herself with them. The look Regina gave her could kill. "I mean…"
"No, I implore you. Please, do tell your parents how I am just like a big puppy." Regina stared at the young woman.
"I-I…" Emma's voice faltered under the intense stare of the three, heat rising to the surface of her cheeks once again, making her head pound. "I mean… she's, uh, cute and sweet like one and likes her belly rubbed?"
"I'm going to start lunch." David blinked at his daughter's words, quickly diverting eye contact as he turned to dig through the refrigerator; his wife merely blinked at their daughter.
Mary Margaret forced a smile before turning to the abandoned groceries. "It'll take a while," she murmured softly, pulling out a package of cheese. "I mean, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable here and I really don't want to make you pay for a room at the Bed and Breakfast."
"Thank you, Mary Margaret. I will leave you two to talk." Regina dipped her head, though their eyes never met. She quickly grabbed her mug of coffee, separating from the kitchen.
Emma bit her lip. Sometimes she never knew how to stop the diarrhea from pouring out of her mouth. "Sorry. I made things… weird."
"It's alright." Her mother offered her a smile, something warmer than the previous. "This is all weird for me, I will be honest. It's going to take a while for me to get used to. Especially since that's… Ms. Mills and- and she's quite older than you."
"I know…" Emma frowned slightly, taking a sip from her newly gathered coffee cup.
"And, honestly, Emma, it isn't morally right. Any of this." Her voice suddenly dropped to a whisper, dark eyes on the brunette who now lounged on the couch with her mugged cupped in her hands on her lap. "Your father doesn't have the heart to tell you, but I do."
Emma froze in her spot at her mother's words, the frown creasing her face only grew. The schoolteacher took her silence for something else as she spoke once again, the words falling from her mouth were cautious. "Did she force you to do this, Emma? David told me when it started. When you moved in with… her."
The blonde's heart felt as if it had jumped in her throat. She couldn't swallow around the lump that it formed. Now she was accusing Regina of being something far from what she was and forcing a base around the relationship as if Emma were the victim.
But, the problem was, none of that was true. Emma had wanted to be with Regina as much as the latter did the former. She was never victimized into the relationship; far from it, actually. She as the one to originally initiate it and press for the two to continue the relationship beyond what it once was.
But as she willed her mouth to open to speak those words to her mother, she found that she couldn't speak and, instead, her mother had taken her prolonged silence as an answer once again.
"She did, didn't she? Emma, we can help you…" The lines in Mary Margaret's face grew more prominent and frowned as her mouth had. "David's the sheriff."
"No, Mary Margaret." Emma finally spoke, eyebrows knitting together in frustration.
"No?" The brunette took a step forward, but Emma took one back.
"No." She nodded, moving toward the sitting area to join her girlfriend on the worn couch with a stressed sigh.
"Belly rubs, Emma, really?" Regina hastily whispered to the blonde as soon as she found her seat, eyes drilling into her lover's head.
Emma focused on the bubbles in her coffee, sheepishly muttering, "I sort of panicked."
"Panicked?" But she was laughing, her head shaking as she wrapped an arm around the younger woman.
Emma readily greeted it and leaned into Regina with a soft, content sigh. "But it's true. You like it when I rub your belly. Especially now."
"But you didn't need to tell your parents." Regina quickly glanced behind them at the two who moved about the kitchen preparing lunch. "Mary Margaret already doesn't like me and David, well…"
"I know, Gina. I'm sorry." The blonde slumped further against her lover, nose turning into her soft, raven locks as a hand absently stroked Regina's stomach. "I'll make it up to you."
The brunette purred, but didn't protest to the blonde words as she enjoyed her caresses. Emma felt the older woman's head slowly rest against her own as she continued her ministrations. Regina had always said that they helped her cramps, for some odd reason. That, and those electric heating pads.
"Is it helping?" Emma murmured softly, her fingers lightly gracing over the smooth fabric of her girlfriend's blouse.
"Yes. It's nice," she purred her words, snuggling closer against the blonde and took another sip from her coffee.
Emma giggled softly, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "You're more like a kitty than a puppy."
"Am I?" The rich sound of Regina's laughter filled the blonde's senses. She smiled at this, her hand stopping for but a moment as she rested the palm of her hand flat on her partner's twitching stomach.
"Yes. And you can scratch like one, too." The blonde smirked, resuming her movements. "I still have scars all over me."
"Good." The brunette gave her a spicy grin, her eyes darkening. "It shows that you're mine."
Emma felt her body buzz pleasantly at the thought. She was Regina's. She gave herself over to the older woman; both body and soul.
"And your… love bites that mark my body, dear." Regina continued through Emma's thoughts, her head tilting slightly to reveal a discolored patch of skin on the crook of her neck. The blonde smirked in memory of when and where that had come from. She could still taste Regina's blood on her tongue.
"You're mine," she whispered softly, placing a gentle kiss on the bruise.
"Indeed, my love." Regina murmured, returning to her previous position, head resting against Emma's own.
Emma smiled at the warmth, curling up onto the couch further as she finished off her coffee. She enjoyed the small moments spent with her lover. She always loved lying in bed or cuddled up on the couch with her, coffee in hand.
She closed her eyes for a moment, embracing the darkness that it held. Sleep would be welcomed later. The darkness was already pulling her and making her head swim. Emma startled herself out of her momentary daze as she heard herself let out a snore. Regina was giggling beside her when she jumped, but only held her closer.
"You were dozing off there, Emma." The brunette continued to chuckle. "Perhaps you should have listened to me last night instead of playing your game."
"You only wanted to snuggle me." Emma chirped, pressing her nose into the crook of her lover's neck.
Regina chuckled again, sending vibrations throughout Emma's body.
"Lunch is ready, if you're hungry." David's voice bellowed behind them, his hands planting firmly on the back of the couch.
"Mm, what are we having?" Emma yawned, pulling away from the brunette much to her discontent.
"Food." He smirked, pushing himself away.
"Food, he says."
"Food is the best kind of lunch." Regina murmured teasingly and set her cup down on the table before she got up, a hand extended to help the younger woman. "Come, dear, we shall feast."
"I can find something better to feast on." A mischievous grin was flashed the brunette's way, earning rosy cheeks in return.
"Go on, you chocolate-stealing blonde." The older woman tittered uncomfortably, a hand coming down upon the blonde's behind. Emma squeaked softly, her body jerking forward as she took a step.
"Hey." Mary Margaret eyed the two as they found themselves at the table, her eyes landing on the older woman. "I have some iced tea if you want some." Though, the intense stare that she wore told she wanted to offer more than just tea.
"Yeah, thanks." Emma smiled softly, grabbing her mother's attention before she could go off, and turned to her girlfriend. "Gina?"
"Yes, please." The brunette nodded, taking her seat next to Emma as the blonde poured her share of tea. "Thank you, Mary Margaret. I appreciate the lunch."
"Oh, uh, don't thank me. David made it." The short-haired brunette offered an awkward smile to the English teacher. "He makes really good sandwiches."
"They look delicious." Regina murmured to the sheriff as he set down a plate in front of each woman before taking his own seat.
"Thank you, Regina." He smiled, readily taking a big bite into his sandwich.
"So, what do you two plan on doing today?" Mary Margaret queried, taking a dainty nibble from her own meal.
"We're probably gonna go visit Ruby and Belle. There's not really much to do besides that." Emma shrugged, leaning against her chair. "We should be back here by dinnertime and we'll leave tomorrow morning."
"Oh, you're not going to stay longer?" Mary Margaret frowned, setting her sandwich down. "Or did you need to be back for school?"
"Well, I guess that's next week." Emma shrugged slightly. She hadn't thought about staying longer than one night in Storybrooke, mainly because her mind was on picking the Bug up and bringing it back down to Boston.
But it was Regina that had looked to her for a moment before speaking, eyes landing on the pixie-haired woman across from her. "We can stay longer, if Emma wishes. I do not mind. But I wish not to impede." A frown soon took its place on her lips. "I can sense your discomfort with my being here."
"I didn't mean to make you feel-" A frown of her own grew on Mary Margaret's face. She leaned back against her chair.
"Perhaps we just need to talk." Regina folded her hands together on the table. "Emma can visit with friends while I stay behind with you two."
"Gina-" Emma began to protest the suggestion, but she was cut off by her mother.
"I believe that's a good idea." Mary Margaret nodded, her lips set in a grim line. "I have concerns. Too many."
"But, Gina…" The blonde spoke up again, this time to be reassured by her lover.
"It's quite alright, my swan." Regina's finger gently skittered across the blonde's cheeks, instantly subduing her.
"I just don't want to come home to find either one of you in a pulp." She sulked, looking between the two women. Both were full of raw emotion if driven enough and would no doubt tear each other apart. But, if David would be here, perhaps he would be wise enough to stop the two of them before things escalated.
"Don't worry. I won't let that happen." David chuckled softly, pushing his now empty plate away.
"And if we're done before you get back, perhaps Regina could join you." Mary Margaret smiled, though Emma noticed that it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Alright." The blonde nodded slightly, pushing around the crust of her bread.
"When will you be leaving?" Her mother tilted her head slightly, eyes moving to the watch on her wrist. "It's about one right now."
"I'll probably be leaving soon." Emma shrugged slightly, pushing her chair out to stand up. She quickly gathered her dirty dishes, along with Regina's, and brought them to the kitchen. "Maybe now so I'll have more time to spend with them. When I get back, we'll spend the rest of the day together."
"Alright, dear." Mary Margaret now stood from the table, her own plate in hand. "Just stay safe, okay?"
"I know. I will." The blonde smiled, receiving a hug from her mother on her way back to the table. David stood, as well, and joined in before the two pulled away. "When will dinner be?"
"I will say around six. We had a rather late lunch." David replied, tucking his chair in. "If anything, we will message you."
"Perfect." She nodded before moving towards the door, only to pause when she noticed Regina to be standing awkwardly behind the three. She chuckled and moved toward the older woman and wrapped her arms tight around her. "I love you. Don't get into any fights without recording it."
"Emma." The brunette teacher gave her an amused grin, pulling away to press a light kiss to her lips. "I love you, too. And I shall join you if given enough time."
"Perfect," Emma murmured softly. "I'll be waiting."
"With chocolate." Regina added with a quirk of her brow.
There was no playing. Emma owed her chocolate. So she nodded, gave her a sheepish smile and another kiss on the lips, then headed out of the apartment with a blinking Mary Margaret in her wake.
It didn't take too long until she had arrived at Granny's. She had messaged her friends earlier that day before she and Regina had left that the two were heading up to Storybrooke. They had eagerly awaited her arrival, or so they had said, and stated that they had something special planned.
Emma shook her head at the message because she had no clue what the hell that would be. Or why. But she waited with bated breath the entire time, wondering what the hell they had up their sleeves.
And when she arrived at the diner, she still didn't get her answer.
Nor was she greeted by her friends.
The blonde huffed softly and sat up at the counter, leaning on her elbows as she pulled out her phone.
Where the hell are you? I'm at the diner.
"Emma! It's good to see you again." That was Ruby's grandmother. She came out from the kitchen, a smile on her face as she greeted the young woman. "How's Boston treating you?"
"Hi, Mrs. Lucas. It's pretty cool." She shrugged, setting her phone aside. "It's huge compared to Storybrooke, but it's really nice."
"That's good, dear." Granny grinned softly, turning around to prepare an order. "Ruby told me about your apartment, too. She says it's really nice."
"Oh, yeah! It is. There are big windows all over the place." Emma peeked at her phone. No new messages.
"Here you go, Emma." The snow-haired woman turned with a mug of cinnamon cocoa, placing it in front of the blonde.
"Oh, uh, I don't have any-"
"Nonsense. It's on me." She gave her a kind smile, something that reached her eyes and brought peace to the blonde. "Ruby will be here soon. She was preparing something with Belle."
Emma quirked a brow and leaned forward. "What was she doing?"
"She said it was some surprise for you." There was a hidden twinkle in Granny's eye, but she elaborated no further. "She and Belle have been spending a lot of time together since you've left."
The blonde blinked at the sudden subject change, but she greeted it regardless. "It doesn't surprise me," she opted to say, leaving her statement open for interpretation. She still didn't know if Ruby told her grandmother about her relationship with Belle.
"I suppose not." Granny shrugged, a rag in her hand as she wiped off an invisible spot from the counter. "Sometimes I wonder what's going on between those two."
"What do you mean?" Emma blinked slightly, setting her mug back down. Her question was answered.
"I wonder if… Never mind." She offered the blonde another grin, though this one didn't quite reach her eyes, before she pulled away from the conversation. "I ought to get back. It was nice talking with you, Emma."
"You too, Mrs. Lucas." Emma watched as the older woman disappeared into the kitchen, then dropped her eyes back to the abandoned phone by her cooling cocoa.
There was a message.
We're coming. Hold onto your tits, girl.
Emma rolled her eyes and shoved the device back into her pocket before going back to her cocoa. Her friends had arrived at the diner by the time she had finished her beverage, relieving the blonde of her anxiety over the surprise.
"Hey, girl!" Ruby greeted, heading over to the blonde still at the counter with Belle trailing beside her. "Sorry it took so long. I didn't think it would."
"It's alright. Your granny gave me some cocoa." Emma popped up from her seat and was immediately bombarded by her friends' arms. Squeezing away from their death grips, she gasped dramatically. "It's only been a month!"
"I know, but we missed you! It's been too long, Em." The lanky waitress chuckled. "Now, come on. We've got an awesome surprise for you!"
"What is it?" The blonde eyed Belle, but the shorter brunette quickly looked away.
"Don't look at me! I'm not telling." She murmured, a blush coating her cheeks.
"Ugh. Well, we gotta stop at the store at some point, too. I owe Gina chocolate." Emma muttered, following the two out of the diner. It was Ruby who had stopped, though, halfway down the path with a look.
"What did you fuck up?"
"I ate her chocolate." Emma frowned slightly.
"Huh." The waitress proceeded forward at a slower pace. "Where is she, anyways? I thought she was coming with you?"
"She did, but Mary Margaret wanted to talk to her." The frown that she wore only deepened the further the three of them walked down the path.
"Ooh, is she in deep shit? How did that go?" Ruby queried, brown eyes wide.
"Mary Margaret slapped her."
"What?"
Emma nodded, walking up the path behind her friends and entered through the door that was being held open. "Yeah, it surprised me, too."
"Please tell me that Regina put the beat down on her ass."
"No," she chuckled softly. "It was weird and I made things weirder. They're going to talk and hopefully work things out."
"I hope so, girl." Ruby murmured, stopping at the bottom of the stairs. "Now, let's get to your surprise."
"What the hell are we doing here?" Emma blinked, finally noticing that they were in the Bed and Breakfast. "Don't tell me…"
"Oh, we did." Ruby smirked, bringing the blonde up the stairs, Belle hot on their trail.
"It's not what you think, Em." Belle reassured quietly, falling behind to talk with the blonde.
"It better not be."
"You better not be tellin' her anything, Belle."
"I'm not!" The smaller brunette's eyes widened.
"Right through here." Ruby was standing by a door, her hand extended with a key that Emma hadn't seen.
She warily took the brass key, turning it over in her hand a couple of times. "Huh, there's a swan on it."
"Yeah." Ruby smirked. "Now open the damned door."
"Yeah, yeah…" Emma pushed the lanky brunette out of her way before pushing the key into the lock.
When she opened it, she was greeted by a masculine, "hello!"
"Killian?" The blonde walked into the floral room, her two friends behind her as she eyed the third standing in the middle of the room.
"Emma." He smirked, waggling his brows. "Good to see you again."
"What…?" It was then that the blonde had taken the time to look around the small bedroom.
She noticed it to be decorated with candles upon every surface, unlit in the daylight. A single vase of roses lay on the small table on the opposite side of the bed. Though, she noticed there to be red petals littering the ground surrounding it, leading a path to the bed where they were scattered haphazardly.
"… you aren't trying to hook me up with him again, are you? Because I am one-hundred percent-"
"No!" Ruby laughed now, closing the door behind her. "It's for you and Regina."
"What?" Emma blinked at her friend, a brow quirked this time. "Why?"
"Because you guys can use something cute and romantic and we wanted to do this for you." The waitress continued, flicking a petal from the table. "I mean; I know how much you like to fuck her."
"Shut up…" The blonde could feel the heat rising to her face at the memory. "But, why? It can't be for that."
"I don't know." Ruby shrugged, perching on one of the chairs by the table. "I wanted to do something for you and make up an excuse to use one of the rooms here."
"You two could get a romantic getaway, especially if you're staying at your parents. Call it a vacation, if you must. Or an early anniversary present." Belle smiled brightly, taking the empty chair next to her girlfriend. It sounded almost robotic, the way she spoke, as if the two of them had practiced this speech already.
"We get that at home." Emma shrugged, walking towards the bed to take a closer look at the rose petals. She smiled at the thought. Regina would like it, but she would rather make the effort herself if she were to do something like this.
"Oh, come on. Can't you take anything that's given to you?" That was Killian this time, bumping his hip into hers. "We spent an hour doing this."
"Regina's on her period." Emma muttered, crossing her arms.
"Oh." Ruby didn't hold back the laugh that tickled her features. "You can still fuck. I mean, we'll clean this shit."
"Ew, no. If I would do that, it would be in a tub, at least. I don't want to sleep in that." Emma wrinkled her nose. "Besides, I am, too. We'd rather just cuddle in my old bed at the apartment."
"Then why the hell did we do this?" Ruby threw her hands in the air. Emma flinched at the look she gave her, but remained in her spot.
"Why don't you and Belle use it?" Emma smirked, walking over towards the two of them. They both looked up at her rose-cheeked. "Have you two ever done anything like this?"
"Duh," Ruby muttered, eyes on the nails that suddenly looked interesting.
Belle's entire face was aflame when Emma looked at her next. The blonde couldn't help but to giggle.
"No," the smaller brunette murmured.
"No?" Emma quirked a brow, the grin only growing.
"Oh, tell me more!" Killian grinned mischievously. "Did you or did you not? You know, I do need something to fantasize about."
"Shut the hell up!" Emma backhanded the boy's arm. "We aren't here to fuel your spank bank."
"Ow." The brunet gave her a wounded look before stepping away from her. "You're dangerous."
"So are you." She sneered at him before looking back to her two best friends. "So what do you mean?"
"No, we haven't, okay?" Ruby still hadn't met her eyes. "Belle doesn't want to."
"Oh." The blonde frowned slightly, looking to the girl in subject before gazing back to Ruby whose face was as florid as her name. She would have chuckled if not for the way she looked. "Hey, that's okay. Not everyone has to, you know?"
"Everyone does it, though, you know what I mean?" Ruby continued to speak, finally bringing her gaze up to meet Emma's. "I didn't even think you did, to be honest. But then I heard you that night and deflated my ego."
"You don't have to be ashamed." Emma shrugged. "I mean, it's like super totally awesome, though."
"'Super totally awesome?'" Belle chuckled softly.
"Yes." The blonde simply nodded with a chuckle of her own. "But, hey, if you ever wanted to try it, you could in this romantic-y room. Or just nap in here, I don't know."
"We could…" That was Belle, her voice was now quieter as she spoke to the lanky girl next to her.
"You want to?" Ruby poked her head up, eyes wide. "I thought you wanted to wait? I respect that, girl."
"I know, but…" She shrugged, trailing off. "I'm just… scared."
"There's nothing really to be scared of." Emma murmured, leaning against the table. "And it's really, really nice."
"So I heard." Ruby gave her friend a wry look.
"Wait, so you're saying she screwed Ms. Mills with all of you there?" Killian finally asked, a fuzzy brow quirked. "I thought you were joking."
Ruby shook her head, laughing as her mortified state dissipated. "Nope. They were in their room, but they were loud as hell."
"Poor David," Belle murmured, "he was in the room next to them."
Emma shrunk against the table as Killian's eyes bore into the blonde. She regretted ever breaking her own rules for being quiet. She knew she should have just stuffed a pillow over her face. After that night, she had only received weird looks and eyes that could never meet her own. Especially from her father, which was the most mortifying of all.
"Gina's still traumatized," Emma muttered.
"She didn't seem so traumatized that night." Ruby smirked. "She was loud. You must be good."
"She tripped over my leg." The blonde grinned cheekily at her friend.
"And fell into your pussy?"
Emma merely rolled her eyes and pushed herself away from the table. "So, Killian, what are your plans?"
"Huh?" He blinked slightly at the sudden subject change. "Uh, what do you mean?"
The blonde laughed, moving to perch on the edge of the bed. "I thought you were moving?"
"Oh, yeah. I will be. I heard you were coming back so I stayed."
"Of course."
"Of course!" Killian grinned widely, giving the blonde teenager a wink. "But, after that, I'll be gone. I don't know when I'll be back."
"Yeah, neither do I." Emma shrugged with a frown, eyeing her two female friends. "What about you, Belle? You never said much about going to college, or anything."
"I'm not sure what I want to do." The smaller brunette fiddled with the hem of her lavender blouse. "I might stay here and take some classes online for now."
Emma nodded as she continued to explain her plan and staying with Ruby until the waitress had wanted to go to school, as well. They furthered their conversation about the future until late in the afternoon when Emma had finally received a message from Regina explaining that she was finished with her talk and asked where the blonde was. She happily told of her location and waited for the arrival of her girlfriend.
When Regina did arrive, she stood in the doorway with her mouth agape as she drank up the surroundings.
"This is… interesting." She finally gained the ability to speak, furthering herself into the room to take a place next to Emma.
"No, we're not having an orgy if that's what you think." Ruby smirked over to the brunette. "Don't worry."
"Oh, I bet Victor and Jefferson would want to get in on that." Emma mumbled, eyes on the oldest brunette.
"No thank you." Said brunette sunk against the mattress at the memory. "I would really rather not."
"What's she talkin' about?" Ruby poked her nose in, a wolfish grin splayed across her face. "What about those bozos?"
"They were basically talking about sexually abusing Gina. That's why I got angry that day and punched Jefferson." Emma wrapped an arm around Regina's waist, pulling the brunette against her.
"Really?" Killian's eyes widened. "I didn't know that. I never asked 'em."
"They're assholes."
Emma shrugged slightly, head resting against her girlfriend's shoulder. She sighed softly, inhaling the spicy scent that was Regina, allowing it to circulate throughout her being. When she gazed up, she caught sight of the warm, radiant smile that her lover wore at the action. The older woman's arm wrapped around her, as well, pulling the blonde closer.
"You two are so cute." Ruby squealed from her spot, breaking the blonde from her momentary stupor.
"Shush." The blonde blushed at her friend's words, attempting to hide her face in raven locks. She could feel the older woman rumble with laughter.
"Well, she is." Regina said, playing with a strand of golden hair. "No one ever explained any of this to me, aside from it not being an orgy."
Belle gave the two lovers a mousy grin. "It was supposed to be for you two."
"Oh! That's very nice. But, Emma, I thought we were staying-"
Emma drew away from her hiding place to interrupt. "We are. I told them we are. And, uh, y'know."
"You-" Chestnut eyes narrowed on the blonde, though blood filled her cheeks and colored them red. "I see."
"So Belle and Ruby are gonna make the most of it." Emma smirked, earning a surprised look from the teacher along with several profane protests from Ruby and a red-faced Belle. Killian just laughed in his corner.
Then Regina paused, glancing toward the other two brunettes. "Are you two…?"
"Didn't you say you wanted to go to the store?" Ruby quickly popped up from her chair, gesturing towards the door. "Come on, Emma."
"Why are you so embarrassed about it?" Emma blinked slightly as she too stood with Regina attached at her hip. "I mean; I'm sure people could read you a mile away. Belle wasn't too subtle about it in her papers."
"What?" The lanky waitress' attention was directed toward said girl, who was slumped in her chair as if it would make her smaller.
"I… didn't blatantly say anything. And…" She now turned on the blonde who stood by the door, eyes narrowing slightly. "How do you know?"
Emma provided a sheepish smile and took a step behind Regina, but the older woman gave her away much to her discontent.
"She always picked them out of the pile no matter how much I told her not to." Regina quirked a brow at her young lover before taking a step aside to reveal the guilty blonde.
"We need to go to the store." Emma found herself panicking, opening the door that she soon escaped through with her friends and Regina shouting after her.
After the group had headed to the store and Emma picked up Regina's chocolate, they found themselves back at the Bed and Breakfast. They talked and caught up for a few hours until six o'clock had reared up on them. Emma and Regina said their goodbyes, as did Killian, as the three of them left Ruby and Belle to their own device.
Killian parted ways from the two as soon as they left the building, sharing a hug with the blonde before telling her that he would call later. He had wanted to get home to prepare the rest of his things for his move and wouldn't be in town tomorrow, or for a short time if he were to be. Emma nodded, smiled, and gave him a solemn goodbye.
Even though that boy got on her nerves, he had turned out to be a rather good friend. She would miss him, definitely, but they would cross paths again, she was sure.
On a somber note, the two of them headed back to the Nolans' with Emma to start the conversation as Regina nibbled on her chocolate.
"So, what did you and my parents talk about?" The question had been burning on her tongue for quite some time.
Regina shrugged slightly, tucking the chocolate bar into her purse. "They wanted to know why."
"What?" Emma squinted at the answer that her girlfriend had provided.
"I told them. About everything." The brunette sighed softly, eyes on the cracked cement before her. "Your father told Mary Margaret that our relationship started after New Year's, when you moved in with me."
"He did? I told him when it originally started." The blonde frowned slightly. She only assumed David did that as to sugar-coat it for his wife's sake. "Did you tell her the truth?"
Regina shook her head. "I didn't want to contradict anything. I forgot what you told your father, to be honest." She gave her a sheepish grin, but looked back to the pavement soon after. "After that, she asked me more questions regarding our relationship and…"
Emma stopped her movements when the brunette trailed off, her brows furrowing. "And?"
An arm wrapped around her own when Regina noticed a halt in their movements and continued on, dragging her love with. "And about myself. You know the things."
"She didn't tell you that all you needed to do was find a man, did she?" Emma felt herself falter in step, but Regina kept walking, forcing her along as well.
"No, no. Nothing like that." Regina gave her a reassuring smile, moving her arm to wrap around the blonde's waist instead, bringing the younger woman closer. "Do not worry about it. Everything is fine."
"I hope so." She sighed softly, leaning against the brunette the rest of the way to the apartment.
Mary Margaret was the first to greet them with a wide smile. "Hey! How was your visit?"
Regina pulled away from her young lover, a warm smile on her face.
"It was good." Emma answered, following her mother further into the house. "I'm gonna miss them."
"You can visit any time that you want to, Emma, don't forget that." The short haired brunette smiled, guiding the two of them toward the dining table. "And you'll be able to see them tomorrow, if you want."
"I know, but…" The blonde shrugged, slumping into her seat. "After I start school and Gina starts working, we won't be able to visit as often as I'd want. And I'm sure it'll get away from me and before you know it, It'll be a year before we come back down."
"Oh, Emma, now don't you say that." Mary Margaret frowned, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
"I'm sure we can work something out, my love. And there are always holidays, as well." Regina provided, her fingers curling between Emma's own.
"See?" Emma's mother wore a smile. "Don't worry, okay?"
"I know. But I worry way too much."
"Dinner's ready!" David called from the kitchen, a pan between his hands as he held it up.
"Get that over here before you drop it." Mary Margaret quickly made her way over to the kitchen to help her husband with the dish.
"It smells delicious, Mary Margaret." Regina commented upon setting eyes on the dish, though Emma could see the slight wrinkle of her nose at the sight.
The blonde knew exactly what it was. "Ooh, burrito things."
Mary Margaret chuckled softly, dishing up the meal onto everyone's plate. Regina just stared at hers as Emma readily dug a fork into the gooey mess.
"These are burritos?" Emma heard Regina whisper urgently into her ear. The blonde looked up from her meal to see a fork tentatively poking at her own.
"Well, kind of. Maybe they're enchiladas, but they're so good. Don't let all that cheese and sauce fool you." Emma beamed, popping a bite into her mouth. "Mary Margaret makes the best."
"Okay…" Regina skeptically eyed her girlfriend before digging in to try it for herself.
"Just be careful because it might move your bowels, if you know what I mean." The younger woman murmured, watching the myriad of expressions fluttering across her lover's visage, first that of disgust from her comment then that of delight once she realized that the sloppy mess was actually good. "It's good, huh?" Regina merely nodded at the question before taking another bite, leaving a softly chuckling Emma as she finished off her meal.
After all was said and done, the group disbanded from the dinner table and formed back together in the living room. They spent the rest of the night catching up and watching movies until the blonde yawned, several hours later.
Emma was leaning against Regina at that point, curled up beside the dark haired woman as she slowly began to fall asleep. They were in the middle of their third movie, but the day was finally catching up with her and Regina's rhythmic breathing and subduing heartbeat didn't help, either.
It was Mary Margaret that had noticed her daughter's state and checked the time. "It's getting late."
"Hm?" Emma poked her head up, hand reflexively squeezing Regina's. "What time is it?"
"It's about eleven." Her mother answered with a soft smile, eyes on the couple beside her. "Perhaps you would like to turn in for the night? We still have tomorrow to spend together."
"Yeah, sleep sounds good." Emma murmured softly, returning the smile.
Mary Margaret hadn't been as tense when she laid eyes on the two. Her talk with Regina earlier that day and the several hours after dinner seemed to let the schoolteacher grow on their relationship. It was a nice thought that Emma had. Regina seemed far more comfortable without the looks that she had received before and Emma felt like a weight had been lifted.
Sighing softly in thought, she pushed herself up from the couch and offered a hand to the former English teacher, who had gratefully accepted. After saying their goodnights, the group had, once again, disbanded. Regina and Emma headed back upstairs to the blonde's old bedroom.
Emma stood in the doorway for a moment, drinking up the area that was soon flooded with light as Regina found the lamp. It felt like it had been far longer than a month since the last time she stepped foot into this room. Everything still remained as it had, though, far emptier since she had taken most of her belongings out.
The bed on the far side of the wall was still dressed with the blonde's bedding that she had left behind. She smiled at that as she headed toward the object, perching on the edge of it with a yawn.
"It's small," she murmured up at the brunette who was kicking off her pants.
"What is, dear?" Regina paused, gazing up with the slacks in hand.
"My bed." Emma smirked, though, eyeing her lover's bare legs. "But, I suppose you already know that."
The older woman chuckled softly as she proceeded to pull her shirt off before slipping into a short nightdress. "How could I ever forget?"
Emma pulled her jeans off with a wink before crawling underneath the blankets. "It's lonely in here."
"Yes, yes." The brunette flashed the blonde a look before flicking the lamp back off to join her. "Needy little swan."
And when she did, Emma snuggled up to her almost instantaneously, making a happy noise as she did. "You're warm."
"I know."
"I like it," Emma murmured softly. The darkness of the room was already urging her to succumb to her somnolent desires. She could feel her drowsiness tug at her every time she closed her eyes, but she didn't want to fall. She wanted to wrap herself around Regina and lay there for a while. She always enjoyed her lover's warmth, through silence or the snores the latter provided.
"I like you." Regina murmured softly, turning into the blonde as she wrapped her arms tightly around the younger woman.
"Good, because I like you, too." Emma giggled softly before placing a kiss right on the nose in front of her.
The older woman blinked at this, earning another giggle from the blonde.
"You're adorable."
"You always say that I am, my swan." Regina mewled, leaning forward to press a chaste kiss to her lips.
"It's true, my fuzzy panda." Emma teased, tucking her head underneath the brunette's chin. She sighed softly, enjoying the gentle rise and fall.
But the gentle rise and fall was soon replaced with reverberating laughter, her head bouncing slightly with each spurt. "Fuzzy panda? You never cease to amaze me, Emma."
"I hope not. I like amazing you." The blonde purred, pressing a kiss to the bare, olive skin below her.
Regina bubbled with laughter once again, her fingers tangling through blonde locks. When she didn't say anything, Emma settled against her; her body sinking into the mattress as she enjoyed each steady breath and the soft, gentle strokes of fingers through her hair.
"Goodnight, sweetheart." The older woman purred, digits sliding one last time through the honey mane to fall on her back.
"G'night, Gina," Emma murmured, eyes closing one last time before that darkness pulled her in.