Chapter 4:
Happily Ever After?
A/N: Well, here it is. The final chapter of Sleepwalking. I really hope you enjoy it!
There's a few little notes I want to add before you start reading:
First: There is a flashback sequence, that runs in someone's mind. It'll be italics to indicate the memory.
Second: There is a very very brief trigger warning for a very brief discussion of past domestic violence.
"Is that when they lived 'Happily Ever After' Daddy?" Lucy asked.
Ten year old Lucy Mills sat at the edge of her seat, as she listened intently as her father told her the story of how her grandmothers fell in love.
"Hardly. It took them months to finally admit their feelings for each other. Instead, they fought like cats and dogs almost every day." Henry answered. "But they weren't fooling anyone. Every night, when GrandmaEmma thought I was asleep, I heard her creeping down the hallway. She forgot that I had spent the past year listening for the sounds of her walking around at night. I caught her sneaking into GrandmaRegina's room. Every night, no matter what they fought about that day, GrandmaEmma always crawled into bed with GrandmaRegina and held her close. They thought I didn't know, but I did." Henry winked.
"Is that true, GrandmaEmma? Why did you keep going back to GrandmaGina's room?" Lucy asked.
"Because I missed her. Even though we had been fighting all day long, at night I really missed her. And I knew she missed me too." Emma said, draping her arm around her wife's shoulders.
"Did you, GrandmaGina? Did you miss GrandmaEmma too?"
"Very much so." Regina smiled.
"Then why did you guys fight so much?" A confused Lucy asked.
"That's because your GrandmaRegina hated me when we first met." Emma laughed.
"Hate is such a strong word, Dear." Regina said, a little ashamed of how she acted when Emma first arrived to Storybrooke. "But there was a small amount of anger associated with your GrandmaEmma."
"Why were you so angry with GrandmaEmma?"
"I wasn't really angry with GrandmaEmma. I was more angry with myself because I was afraid of the way I felt about her. I just took it out on her." Regina explained.
"So why didn't you tell GrandmaEmma that?" Lucy asked.
"I think I was afraid of that too. Things happened when I was younger that made it very hard for me to express myself." Regina explained, once again ashamed of how she acted.
"And all it took was a massive snow storm for your GrandmaRegina to finally open up to me." Emma smiled.
"What happened?" Lucy asked, turning her focus back to her grandmothers, eager to hear the rest of their story.
"It was a Saturday in January. Your dad was spending time with his grandparents, your great-grandparents, and eventually decided to stay the night, since it was snowing pretty bad. Your GrandmaRegina and I were fighting all morning, and I finally got tired of being yelled at, so I decided to go to work for a few hours. There wasn't really anything that needed my immediate attention, I just needed to get out of the house for a few hours." Emma started to explain.
"You were running away from your problems, admit it." Regina laughed.
"Ok, I was running away from the problem." Emma laughed. "Anyway, as the day progressed the storm picked up and suddenly it was a full blown blizzard. When I finally decided to go home, my trusty Bug decided to take that moment to not start. It was probably for the best, since the roads were really bad and the plows weren't scheduled to start cleaning for a few hours. Of course, to add insult to injury, I had left my cell phone at home in my rush to leave. It was the trifecta of disaster: dead car battery, missing cell phone and massive blizzard. So, in my infinite wisdom…"
"Because you had been making excellent choices all day…" Regina teased, causing Emma to nudge her slightly.
"Yes, whatever. Anyway, in my infinite wisdom, I decided to walk home from the station. Normally it's not a bad walk, except this time there was already eight inches of snow on the ground, so it took me much longer to make it back. When I finally made it home, your GrandmaRegina ripped open the door before I could even reach the doorknob, her face already filled with anger. 'Emma Swan, where have you been?' She yelled at me. I thought she was going to throw a fireball at me that very instant."
"Emma Swan, where have you been? I've been worried sick!" Regina said, pulling Emma in from the cold, slamming the door behind her.
"Funny, that's not the impression you gave me this morning when you were screaming at me for something stupid." Emma said, pushing past Regina to begin removing her soaking wet clothes.
"Emma…I'm…" Regina started to say.
"Save me the lecture, Regina. I know. You're right, I'm wrong. I'm an idiot, and a child. I've heard it before." Emma said, tossing her wet boots into the corner. "I'm freezing. I'm going to go take a shower." Emma said, storming upstairs, slamming the bathroom door behind her.
She stood under the water, letting the warm spray slowly defrost her. Her body was tired. Her mind was tired. But mostly, her heart was tired. She was tired of fighting. She was tired of being ignored. She was tired of trying to prove to Regina she loved her, only to be met with more hesitation. And she was tired of not understanding Regina's resistance to being loved.
Thirty minutes later, Emma emerged from the bathroom, her skin pink from prolonged exposure to the hot water. Making her way downstairs in her oversized sweatpants and equally large sweatshirt, she listened for the sounds of Regina, before moving to the kitchen to find something to eat.
She found Regina in the kitchen, standing in front of the stove, cooking something in a frying pan.
"Hey. I figured you would be hungry, so I made us some grilled cheese. The fries should be finished in a few minutes." She said, gesturing to the oven. "How was your shower?" She asked, turning back to the stove, quickly flipping the two sandwiches.
"It was alright." Emma said, walking to the fridge to grab two bottles of water, placing them on the island in the middle of the room.
Regina worked in silence, as she finished making their dinner, scooping fries onto their plates before joining Emma at the island. They continued to eat in silence, the only sound being the crunching of their crispy sandwiches.
"Emma…" Regina finally said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
"I'm fine." Emma said, taking a bite of her sandwich. "I'm just tired."
"No, you're not. There's something wrong. Please tell me." Regina pleaded, reaching across the island to hold Emma's hand.
"I told you, I'm tired." Emma said, pulling her hand away from Regina. "I'm tired of fighting, Regina. This is exhausting. I'm tired of being ignored. I'm tired of only being loved in the middle of the night when you're sleeping. I'm just tired, Regina." Emma said, with a sigh. "And I'm suddenly not hungry anymore." Emma said, standing from her seat, leaving the kitchen without cleaning up her dinner plate. She didn't want Regina to see how upset she was. She ran to the den, slamming the door behind her. She wanted to run again. She wanted to leave the house before they started fighting again, but the blizzard that was still raging outside stopped her. Instead, she found her phone and started scrolling through the days worth of missed texts and emails. She counted thirty-seven texts from Regina, and another twenty missed calls from the brunette.
Somewhere in the middle of cleaning out her email address of junk mail, she heard a soft knock on the door.
"Emma, may I come in?" Regina asked, poking her head through the barely opened door.
"It's your house." Emma said, not looking up from her phone.
"It's your home as well." Regina said, walking into the room, making her way over to the couch that Emma was sitting on. "May I sit?" She asked, placing a bottle of wine on the coffee table, placing two empty wine glasses next to it.
"It's a free country." Emma snapped, still not looking up from her phone.
"Emma, we need to talk." Regina said, pouring two glasses of wine, handing one to Emma. "Here. I thought a little wine might help."
"Oh my god, you're breaking up with me, aren't you?" Emma asked, her eyes snapping up from her phone for the first time since Regina opened the door.
"Of course not." Regina said, reaching to hold her hand. "But you're right, all this fighting is exhausting. And you don't deserve it. You deserve more. You deserve an explanation." Regina said.
"I'm listening…" Emma said, turning her full attention to Regina.
"This is very hard for me to say, so please bear with me. I'm trying." Regina said, turning her gaze to the glass of wine in her hand. "Believe it or not, I don't know how to love very well. I wasn't capable of it for a very long time." Regina said after a few moments. "Love wasn't something that flowed freely for me when I was younger."
"I know the feeling. It's not like I was overflowing with love in my life either." Emma said, her voice soft and understanding.
"It's more than that, though. My mother did have a lot to do with my cold exterior. She would drill it in my head that love was weakness for as long as I can remember." Regina said.
"Oh yes, I remember that too." Emma said, a slightly chuckle in her voice.
"What you don't know, is that my fear and resistance goes beyond love. It also extends to intimacy." Regina said, a slight blush rising across her face.
"Oh?" Emma asked, a bit in shock. "You're afraid to be intimate with me?"
"Yes…" Regina said, turning her face away from Emma.
"Regina, you don't have to be afraid of being with me. I would never hurt you. You know that, right?" Emma asked, squeezing Regina's hand.
"I know." Regina said. "I feel like I owe you the explanation though."
"Regina, you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. Or aren't ready to talk about."
"No. I want to, Emma. I want to share everything with you. I've been holding onto it for over forty years. I'm ready to let it go." Regina said, taking a deep breath. "When I was eighteen, I was forced to marry Snow's father, the King."
"I know. I've read Henry's book." Emma said, trying to comfort Regina.
"Yes, but that book didn't tell the whole story. That book painted a much nicer picture of King Leopold. In truth, he was a cruel man. On the outside, he appeared to be a kind husband, who loved his daughter and adored his new wife. But behind closed doors, he was abusive." Regina said, tears filling her eyes as she remembered her time being married to the King.
"Regina, you don't have to talk about this." Emma said.
"No, I want to. I need you to understand my hesitance." Regina said, taking another deep breath. "Oftentimes, when he was forcing himself on me, he would hold me down to keep me still. I would try to resist, and he would only hold me down harder." Regina said, tears now streaming down her face.
"Regina…" Emma said, gently wiping the tears from Regina's face.
"Every month when I got my period, he beat me for not giving him a child. I lived in constant fear of my own body. Afraid of being forced to have sex, afraid of being beaten for not being pregnant. But also afraid of the possibility of creating a new life with someone so horrible."
"And every time you look at me, you're reminded of him, because he was my grandfather." Emma said, sadness in her voice.
"No! Not at all!" Regina said, grabbing Emma's hand tightly. "This has nothing to do with you. I don't associate you with that man! But I do associate intimacy with my experience with him. After he died, I used sex as a way of manipulation. A way to control people. They existed simply for my pleasure, and nothing more. I used them, and tossed them away when I was finished with them. Because of that, I don't think I am capable of true intimacy. My first experiences with sex were so aggressive that it scared me. And every time I think about being intimate with you, I panic, because I want to be with you, Emma. In every possible way. I don't want to use you for your body and toss you away when I'm done. But I don't know how to let someone in." Regina said, looking away again.
"Regina, it's ok. Really. We don't have to do anything you don't want to. We can take things as slow or fast as you want."
"Really? Are you sure?" Regina asked, hope filling her voice once again.
"Of course. But please promise me one thing. Stop picking fights with me all the time. Talk to me instead, ok. Tell me how you're feeling instead of yelling at me. That's not healthy."
"I promise." Regina smiled.
"How about this? How about we spend the rest of the evening together, sipping this delicious wine and we watch a movie. I'll build a fire and I'll even let you pick the movie, even though I know you're going to pick some weird foreign film. And when you're ready, whether it's today or six years from now, when you're ready to be intimate, you just make the first move. Until then, we'll stick to late night snuggles and sweet kisses." Emma said, standing to move to the fireplace to build the promised fire.
"Maybe, you can start sleeping in bed with me all night, not just after sneaking in. I can't sleep without you." Regina said, as she watched Emma stack the wood.
"I'd like that." Emma smiled over her shoulder.
A little while later, they found themselves cuddled up on the couch under a big blanket, Emma's skillfully constructed fire burning in the fireplace, a lighthearted comedy playing on the tv. Over the course of the hour they were sitting there, Regina slowly moved closer and closer to Emma, eventually pulling Emma's arm around her shoulders, resting her head on Emma's shoulder. With Regina's warm body snuggled up next to her, the weight of the day began to fade away, and her eyes slowly closed, falling fast asleep in a matter of minutes.
She was awoken by the feeling of Regina's lips against hers.
"What was that for?" She asked, her eyes trying to focus on the brunette next to her.
"It's my turn to kiss you awake." Regina smiled, her expression slowly turning devilish. She slowly climbed onto Emma's lap, tossing the blanket aside, as she kissed Emma with more passion than she ever had before.
"What? What was that?" Emma asked, her mind racing from having Regina on her lap.
"Consider this me making the first move." Regina whispered, capturing Emma's lips once again.
Their kisses started sweet, but soon were replaced with ones filled with passion. They pulled away from each other's lips long enough to take a deep breath, before diving back for more. Emma slowly rubbed Regina's back, letting her know she was there for her, but wouldn't do more unless Regina asked. Letting her know she was always in control.
"Emma…" Regina whispered, after pulling away from Emma's lips. "Emma...I want to...I want to be with you...so much…" she said, her eyes closed as she rested her forehead against Emma's. "But I...I…"
"Shhh…" Emma said, pulling away so she could look into Regina's eyes. "Are you sure? We don't have to do this if you don't want to." Emma said.
"I want this more than I've ever wanted anything. I want you more than I've ever wanted another person before." Regina said, her eyes filled with lust.
"Good." Emma smiled, reaching down and removing her sweatshirt, revealing her naked chest. "Promise me you'll tell me if you get uncomfortable. Promise me you'll stop me if you need to." Emma said, reaching to cup Regina's face.
"I promise." Regina smiled, her eyes skimming Emma's bare chest.
"Good." Emma said, pulling Regina in for another deep and passionate kiss.
Emma's hands slowly began to descend down Regina's body, until they reached the hem of her t-shirt. She slowly ran her fingers under Regina's shirt, gently stroking the soft skin of Regina's back, as they continued to kiss. Their lips separated only when Emma pulled Regina's shirt over her head, tossing it on the floor next to her sweatshirt. Regina's black lace bra hugged her in all the right places, and Emma could see her hardening nipples through the delicate fabric. Regina wrapped her arms around her own back, swiftly unclasping the tiny clasps, letting her bra fall off her shoulders, adding it to the ever growing pile of clothes on the floor.
"You're so beautiful." Emma whispered, emotions filling her voice, as she looked at Regina's half naked frame.
"You're just saying that because I'm topless." Regina said, leaning in for another kiss.
"No!" Emma said sharply, stopping Regina's kiss. "I said that because it's true. You are the most beautiful person I have ever met, Regina. Both inside and out." Emma said, tears welling in her eyes at Regina's response.
"I...I...no one has ever said that to me before." Regina said, a stray tear falling from her eye.
"No one else can see you the way I do." Emma smiled, wiping the tears from Regina's face.
"I love you, Emma. I love you so much." Regina whispered, unable to articulate exactly how she felt.
"I love you too, Regina." Emma smiled, capturing Regina's lips into a passionate kiss.
Emma slowly shifted them, until Regina was laying flat on the couch, her own body on top, their breasts pressing against each other for the first time. Everything felt so perfect. Regina's arms encased Emma, holding her tight, as they continued to kiss, until Emma pulled away, stopping suddenly.
"Emma? What's the matter?"
"No. Not like this." Emma said, jumping off Regina.
"What?" Regina asked, propping herself up on her elbows, as she watched Emma rush around the room frantically.
"You deserve more than couch sex. You deserve so much more." Emma said, as she ran out of the den.
Regina waited for what felt like an eternity until Emma returned, closing the door tightly but quietly behind her. It took Regina a moment to realize what Emma was carrying, until she spread out the large, furry blanket Snow had given Emma for Christmas, in front of the fireplace. She searched for the perfect pillow, before placing it on the blanket as well. Emma paused for a second, taking inventory of the room before continuing to rush around the room. She placed the only candle she could find on the coffee table beside them, lighting it with some difficulty. She grabbed her phone off the coffee table, tapping the screen a dozen times before the soft sounds of classical music rang from the speakers. Her final preparation consisted of rushing over to the light switch, turning off the room lights, leaving the light from the fireplace to illuminate the room.
"Emma…" Regina whispered as Emma reached out to grab her hand, leading her over to the soft blanket on the floor.
"I told you. You deserve better than couch sex. And this was all I could manage in a few minutes." Emma said, the flickering light of the fireplace causing shadows to dance on her face. "I've always wanted to make love in front of a fireplace." she added, a slight blush forming on her face.
"Me too." Regina smiled, a slightly blush creeping over her face.
"Lay down." Emma instructed, guiding Regina down to the floor, making sure she was comfortable before climbing back on top of Regina. "Now, where were we?" Emma smiled, before pulling Regina into a deep kiss.
Regina held Emma close, as she felt Emma's thigh slowly press against her core, a slight moan escaping her throat. After a few minutes, Emma pulled away from Regina's lips, moving to press slow and soft kisses down Regina's neck, kissing every inch of Regina's slender neck, slowly making her way towards her collar bones. She didn't stop as she kissed down Regina's chest, paying extra attention to the space between her breasts, her hands running up Regina's sides, stopping just below Regina's breasts.
Emma's head popped up suddenly, searching Regina's face for permission to continue, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable.
Regina nodded, a smile so wide it reached her ears.
Emma placed soft kisses on Regina's left breast, making her way towards the top, before taking the hard nipple into her mouth, sucking slightly. Regina's back arched involuntarily, pushing her breast farther into Emma's mouth. Regina moaned louder, as Emma's left hand began to gently caress her right breast, massaging the tender tissue as her mouth continued to alternate between licking and sucking the other.
"Emma…" Regina whispered, unable to formulate other words, as Emma slowly moved her attention to the other nipple, switching sides as she took Regina's right nipple into her mouth. She made sure to pay close attention to Regina's breasts, making sure to not rush anything, even though they were both ready to explode already. This could very well have been the first time someone kissed Regina's nipples, and perhaps even touched her breasts in a loving manner, and she was going to make damn sure not to rush.
After she had deemed Regina's breasts fully and utterly loved, she began to slowly kiss her way down Regina's stomach, making sure to add an extra kiss to any scars she encountered along the way, no doubt received at the hands of the King. She stopped only when she reached the waist of Regina's yoga pants.
"Do you want me to stop?" She asked, pulling Regina from her lust filled trance.
"Please don't stop, Emma. Please, don't ever stop!" Regina pleaded, her body craving more of Emma's touch.
Emma hooked her fingers over the top of Regina's pants, and slowly began to remove them, pulling her panties along with them. She stopped suddenly, her eyes tearing as she looked at the sight of Regina, laying naked in front of her.
"You're so incredibly beautiful." Emma whispered, wiping her eyes before Regina could see she was crying.
"You said that already." Regina said, a slight giggle in her voice.
"I still mean it, Regina." Emma said, more tears welling in her eyes. "You're the most beautiful person I have ever seen."
"Come here." Regina said, beckoning Emma to join her on the floor next to her. "Take your pants off. It's not fair that I'm the only one naked right now." Regina smiled. Emma quickly pulled her pants off, settling back next to Regina, pulling her back in for a soft and passionate kiss.
"Are you ready?" Emma whispered, studying Regina's face for any sign of hesitation. She was met with a strong nod, and a face that agreed.
Emma held Regina close, as she slowly grazed her body, reaching down to gently pull Regina's leg up, draping it over her own hip, opening Regina up for her. She slowly moved her hand between their bodies, until she reached Regina's core, gently running her finger through her soaking wet folds. She teased her a little before making contact with her slightly swollen clit, rubbing slow and gentle circles around it. Regina inhaled deeply at the new contact, her hips moving slightly to the rhythm of Emma's fingers.
Emma was so focused on the sounds Regina was making, she was startled when she suddenly felt Regina's fingers press between her legs, silently requesting access.
"You don't have to." Emma said, stilling her own hand for a moment to gain Regina's attention.
"I want to. I want you to feel as amazing as I do." Regina whispered, an impossibly wide smile spreading across her face.
"I could never deny you that pleasure." Emma said, slowly lifting up her leg, allowing Regina access. Regina wasted no time in running her finger through Emma's equally soaked folds, amazed at how wet Emma was already. "You turn me on, Regina." She laughed, as if she could read Regina's mind.
They quickly found their rhythm, teasing each other and rubbing each other's increasingly swelling clits. Emma was the first one to insert a single finger into Regina, causing her to stop all movements suddenly, as she adjusted to the new feeling.
"Is that ok?" Emma asked, concerned with Regina's reaction.
"That feels incredible." Regina said, her eyes closing slowly, "Don't stop."
Emma continued to slowly thrust her finger into Regina, pausing each time to allow her to adjust to the sensation. It took a few moments for Regina to regain composure, before she slowly inserted her finger into Emma, quickly matching Emma's rhythm.
Time stopped around them, as they slowly fingered each other, their moans filling the room as they each added a second finger. They moved together as if they were one, bringing each other quickly to the edge.
"Let go." Emma said, sensing Regina's hesitation. "It's ok, My Love. You can let go."
"Not until you're ready…" Regina whispered, trying to open her eyes, but the extreme pleasure wouldn't allow it.
"I'm...I'm…" Emma tried to say, focusing all her energy on speaking. "REGINA!" she screamed, unable to finish the sentence before her orgasm came crashing through her.
"EMMA!" Regina screamed a moment later, joining Emma in orgasmic bliss. They held each other tight as their foreheads rested against each other's, their bodies twitching slightly.
"Thank you…" Regina whispered after a few moments.
"For what?" Emma asked, pulling her head away to look at Regina.
"For showing me what true love is."
"What happened next, GrandmaEmma?" Lucy asked, startling Emma out of her daydream.
"What?" Emma asked, her heart pounding slightly.
"You said GrandmaGina started yelling at you as soon as you walked into the door. What happened next?" Lucy asked, reminding Emma what she was saying before her mind drifted.
"Yes, GrandmaEmma, what happened next? And please spare us the gory details, there are children present." Henry laughed, dodging the pillow that was launched at his face.
"Once I knew GrandmaEmma was home safe, I realized that I needed to explain my fears and hesitations to her, she deserved to know the truth. Because if I didn't, there was the real possibility that I would lose her forever." Regina explained. "So we sat down and talked about everything."
"What happened after you talked?" Lucy asked, sitting at the edge of her seat.
"After that…" Emma said, staring deeply into Regina's eyes. "We lived Happily Ever After."
The End
Final A/N: I really hope you enjoyed this story! Thank you, dear readers, for taking this journey with me. This little nugget of a story came to me one day at work, and wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it. It was originally supposed to be a one-shot, but clearly it had other plans.
I really hope you enjoyed it! Please, let me know what you think!
