Emma woke up earlier than she was used to, but felt an unfamiliarly pleasant state wash over her as soon as she opened her eyes. She grew accustomed to waking up irritated due to reality quickly yanking her away from her dreams. But now she knew that, despite her return to Boston later today, she still had time left to spend with Regina in real life.
Suddenly, an idea popped into her head, and she smiled softly as she jumped out of bed with more pep than she knew she was capable of and sprinted toward the bathroom, eager to shower and head out bright and early.
"Oh, Emma. Good morning! Well, this is certainly a surprise. What brings you to my office?" Regina asked, her voice warm and her smile welcoming.
Emma smiled and held up her hands, revealing two to-go cups of coffee and placed one on the desk in front of Regina. "I figured that since you didn't get to drink your coffee yesterday since it ended up all over me, I'd drop in and repay you with a fresh cup."
"That was thoughtful of you. You really didn't have to do that."
"I know, but I wanted to see you before I headed back to Boston later today."
Emma could've sworn she saw a light dim in Regina's eyes, a look of evident disappointment, but she tried her best not to read too much further into it.
"Well, thank you," Regina said sweetly as she brought the cup to her lips and took a sip. "Mm, how did you know how I liked my coffee?" Regina shifted her gaze to examine Emma in front of her, dressed casually in black denim that had begun to fade from too many washes.
Emma blinked rapidly, peering down as she bit her lip, scrambling to find an appropriate answer. She couldn't tell Regina that she made an educated guess based on how the dream-version of Regina took her coffee.
She crossed her arms then quickly uncrossed them. Her mind was running a million miles a minute, trying to process how it was possible that Regina took her coffee the same way as she did in her dreams: medium roast, one sugar, with a splash of vanilla creamer. The sound of Regina clearing her throat reminded her that the brunette was still waiting for an answer.
"Sorry," Emma said lightly as an obvious response crossed her mind. "I was trying to come up with a more clever answer to your question that you'd find impressive. But I'm coming up blank. I asked Granny and she told me your usual order."
The sound of Regina's laughter calmed Emma's nerves and she raked her fingers through her blonde hair. "You should have told me you took a guess based on my personality. That would have been impressive."
Emma joined in on the laughter and both women smiled at each other when their eyes locked. "Well, then you would've received a black coffee," Emma joked. "Seeing as how most people probably take you as a serious woman who doesn't have time for any nonsense."
"Is that how you take me, Miss Swan? Bitter and dark, like black coffee?" Regina raised a perfectly-sculpted brow.
"Not entirely. I definitely can agree with the no-nonsense aspect, but I'm fairly certain that there's a layer of sweetness underneath all of that. You probably have a guilty pleasure of those overly sweet vanilla latte drinks… with whipped cream for good measure." Emma smiled, realizing how much she enjoyed the way conversation seemed to come so easily for them.
Regina nodded, impressed. "Well, I cannot confirm nor deny my indulgences. You know – reputation at stake and all."
"Ah, so what I'm hearing is that I'm right and you just hate to admit it out loud?" Emma laughed. "But, since we're on this topic, tell me."
"Tell you what, dear?"
"Go on, Mayor Mills. Impress me. How do you think I take my coffee?" Emma asked with a raised eyebrow.
Regina brought a manicured finger to her parted lips, tapping lightly. "Hmm, you strike me as more of a hot cocoa kind of girl. Or coffee with more sugar and creamer than actual caffeine. And since you brought up whipped cream, I'm fairly confident you are a fan of smothering that all over your drinks."
Emma's eyes widened.
"Well, how did I do?" Regina asked, an eyebrow raised.
Emma nodded, "You've managed to impress me, once again."
Regina's lips curled into a smug, flirty smirk. "So it seems you have the drinking habits of a pre-teen."
Emma opened her mouth to try and deny it, but Regina wasn't wrong. Instead, they both broke into a comfortable laugh.
When they grew silent, Regina was the first to break it.
"I could get used to this."
"What do you mean?" Emma tilted her head as she sipped from her own cup.
"Having a beautiful woman dropping into my office delivering coffee every morning. I could definitely get used to that."
Emma bit her lip, "I could stop by for other things, too. I'm full of surprises that would certainly help distract you from your work…" Her voice trailed off, her confidence wavered. She kicked herself and wondered if she'd crossed a line.
But the deep, throaty laugh that escaped Regina's parted lips and the casual way that she ran her fingers through her thick, dark hair calmed Emma's nerves. "I was talking about food, Miss Swan. But I like the way you think." She did nothing to conceal the raised eyebrow she shot in the blonde's direction as she sipped from her coffee cup and Emma's mouth flew open.
"Oh, right. Food… yeah, that's what I was talking about, too. Obviously." Emma rambled nervously, shoving her hand into the front pocket of her jeans.
"You're more than welcome to stop by later and bring me lunch, or any other surprises," Regina joked.
"I'd love to, but I'll be on the road back to Boston by lunch. I'll be back the week of Thanksgiving, though."
Regina shifted to fix her already perfect posture, rolling her shoulders back as she looked up at Emma. "Right." She paused briefly. "Well, I'm sorry your visit was a short one. But I'll look forward to seeing you when you return." She pushed her chair back away from her desk, beginning to stand.
Emma looked down. She knew Regina could see the pained look on her face that appeared as she came to the realization that this was a goodbye. Despite the very short time she actually knew the woman standing behind the mahogany desk in front of her, she knew that dreaming of her every night would never be the same. The ache to be closer, the fluttering in her stomach, the desire to reach out and touch her… it was all right here with Regina. In Storybrooke. Not in her subconscious.
"Well," Regina cleared her throat, snapping Emma back to reality again. "Goodbye, for now, Miss Swan."
All Emma wanted to do was rush toward Regina and throw her arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. But it would't feel right. She smiled softly.
"Mayor Mills."
They exchanged a quick nod and Emma turned on her heels in the direction of the exit.
"So I asked Belle if she wants to join us for Thanksgiving dinner. She said yes!" Ruby grinned as they reached the interstate.
"Ruby, that's amazing! I guess this trip was exactly what both of us needed," Emma laughed. "Belle seems perfect for you. She's witty and clever, and has a good head on her shoulders. Maybe that will help balance out all your craziness!"
Ruby didn't give her a mocking look or even laugh. Instead, she flipped her hair behind her shoulder and smiled, as if she was confirming exactly what Emma just said.
"What can I say?" She laughed and Emma joined in. "But you're right. We get along well and she's good for me. Emma, I really didn't think I'd find someone I'd truly be interested in dating. You know that's not usually my thing. But she helped bring out this new side of myself I never realized I was capable of and now all I want is to be with her, to hear her speak, to learn more about her. Does that make sense or am I just going insane?"
"You're not going insane, you're just falling for her. It's adorable." Emma mocked.
This time, Ruby stuck out her tongue and tilted her head. "So, you need to tell me. Does real-life Regina Mills, mayor of Storybrooke and queen of serving looks in pantsuits, live up to dream-version of Regina?"
Emma sighed, knowing this question was inevitable and she couldn't avoid telling Ruby the truth. "Would you think I'm crazy if I told you that, deep down, I truly believed they were both the same person?"
She braced herself for Ruby's response, anticipating a look that would prove Emma's thoughts were right – that she might be losing her mind because it was impossible for a dream to ever become real.
Instead, Ruby smiled. "If you have some kind of magical ability to see the future through your subconscious, can you at least use it for something cool like to check and tell me if I marry Belle or if you and I win the lottery?"
"We don't even play the lottery," Emma laughed. She leaned her head back against the head cushion of the car seat and bit her lip. Quickly, she snapped her head so she could peer directly at Ruby in the driver's seat.
"Yeah, but if there's a chance of us winning… I'd want to know."
"Okay, but Ruby. How do you explain that Regina's house in Storybrooke was the exact same house as the one I saw in my dreams? Or, get this. I knew how she took her coffee… because I remembered from a dream. That can't be a coincidence, right?"
Ruby shrugged, unsure what to think or say. Instead a soft smirk creeped up across her lips and she laughed.
"What? See, you do think I'm crazy!" Emma declared, matter-of-factly.
"No, no. I don't think you're crazy. I'm just thinking of all the incredible sex you'll be having in real life soon if your dreams really are predicting your future." Ruby couldn't stop herself from breaking out into a fit of laughter and Emma smacked her shoulder.
"You're the worst, you know that?"
"I'm not wrong," Ruby said with a shrug and pursed lips.
"I'm taking a nap, wake me up when we get back to Boston, okay?"
Ruby nodded. "Sweet dreams. Or… not so sweet."
Emma shook her head and laughed before twisting her body slightly against the seat and closing her eyes.
The weight of the bed shifted and the rays of sunlight beaming in through the sheer shades hit Emma's face, and her eyes opened slowly.
When her eyes fell on the dark haired woman in her black silk nightgown, she smiled and rubbed the sleepiness away from her eyes before taking in the sight again. "Good morning to me," Emma said with a smirk. "Come here, Regina."
Regina allowed Emma to pull her closer and she climbed on top of Emma, placing a delicate kiss on her lips. She adjusted her position, nestling comfortably on top of her before leaning in for another kiss. She smiled when she felt Emma's hand brush through her hair, settling at the nape of her neck, and pull her closer, deepening their kiss as she parted her lips.
Emma's right hand fell to Regina's hip. The feel of the silk nightgown was soothing, but she knew the bronzed skin that was concealed by the fabric was just as silky. Suddenly, a wave of desire coursed its way through her body and she traced the lace detail at the hem of the nightgown with the tip of her fingers.
The soft moan that escaped Regina's lips when Emma's fingers made contact with the bare skin on her inner thigh caused the small fire building inside Emma to combust.
The silk nightgown bunched at Regina's hips and Emma broke their kiss, swiftly pulling it up to remove it in one easy motion.
Emma let out a soft gasp of admiration, as she always did at the sight of Regina's beauty on full display. She felt her heart racing in her chest as she sat up to allow Regina to mimic her actions and rid her of the oversized T-shirt.
"Wait," Regina uttered softly. "I made us breakfast." She averted her gaze and Emma followed her line of sight, taking in the tray on the nightstand.
