"I want to stay with you today." The blonde grumpily mumbles into the shoulder of her little spoon as they both ignore her boner, Regina knew that Emma didn't expect anything from her and that caused her no end of confusing feelings. Even after everything Emma had done for her it was still at odds with all she had known for her entire life. She trusted Emma explicitly but it was still in the back of her mind that she had to earn any sort of kindness.
"It's only a few hours." Regina replies as she turns around to face Emma, suppressing her inbuilt need to make herself useful in order to not be thrown away. She didn't want the blonde to go either, she always felt safer with her around but she didn't want her to miss the game after already missing the training session yesterday.
"But what if they call when I'm gone? I won't have access to my phone when I'm playing. I could come home and you could just be gone."
She knew there was no point in telling the athlete that she was worried about her putting her career in jeopardy as that wasn't enough to convince the stubborn woman, so she tries another tactic that she knows will work. "We can't risk raising suspicion. You are the star player, if you don't play after missing a training session it will draw attention."
"This sucks." The blonde bemoans in resignation at the fact that Regina is right.
"It does, but it will be better soon." Regina reassures her.
Emma feels a pang of guilt that the brunette is the one trying to make her feel better when she's the one in the awful situation. "I'm sorry. I'm acting like I'm a selfish shit."
"You," she places her hands on the athletes chest, "are the most selfless person I have ever met." She then nuzzles her nose against the blondes, both of them needing the small act of intimacy as they mentally prepare themselves for the few hours of separation to come that afternoon.
Emma blushes a little and buries her face into the crook of the brunettes neck, not used to having praise put upon her unless it was for her prowess on the soccer field. "I hope they don't put you into protective custody." She wishes she could stop whinging about it but it's all that's on her mind.
"If that's what needs to happen for this to all finally be over then I'm ok with that because once it is all over we can focus on us." Her hands run through blonde hair as she comforts the woman with promises of a future together. She can feel the upturn of Emma's lips against her neck as the blonde smiles happily at the thought of her future with the brunette. She had never let herself think about her future, she learned at a young age that there was no point in imagining the future, it only led to disappointment. She was never adopted by a loving family that accepted her for who she was, she never had friends that stuck around once they knew the truth about her dick and not one women had wanted her for anything more than her bank balance. This was the first time in her life she could see a future for herself and she wanted it all, she wanted everything with the beautiful woman surrounding her. She could see them sharing a home and hoping beyond hope that the spare rooms wouldn't be spare, they would be the rooms of their children. She knew she was getting ahead of herself but Regina had that effect on her.
"I like that thought." She mumbles into the soft skin of the tanned neck. "And I know it will be worth the wait."
The brunette cups the blondes cheeks and tilts her face up. "Yes, it will be." Her lips sweetly kiss the blondes nose.
A shout from outside the bedroom door interrupts their quiet little moment. "I'm coming in so stop whatever you are doing and cover up anything I don't want to see," Kathryn yells as she opens the door, her hands covering her eyes.
"It's fine. You can stop with the dramatics." Regina says to her friend, a small smile playing on her lips as she and Emma sit up.
Kathryn always knew how to bring a smile to her friends face and she was expecting today to be particularly difficult for the brunette because the chance of her being separated from Emma was a distinct possibility.
"Are you sure?" She asks as she peaks between her fingers. "Thank God, it wouldn't do to be scarred for life before I've even had my breakfast," she adds when she can see they are still in their sleep wear and sitting up against the headboard.
"I'm surprised you haven't been rummaging around in Emma's cupboards for breakfast already." The brunette teases as a reminder of the evening prior.
"I would have but then I would have to make it myself and I don't want to." She flutters her eyelashes at Emma, enjoying seeing her blush and Regina scowl.
"Yeah, sure. I can make breakfast." The younger blonde says as she gets out of bed, Kathryn immediately jumping into the space she had just vacated.
"Emma, you don't have. Ignore Kathryn, we should be making breakfast for you. It's the least we can do." Regina tries to protest.
"It's okay." She walks around to Regina's side and leans down for a chaste kiss, not caring that Kathryn is there. "I want to." With a final kiss she leaves the two women in her bed and goes to make breakfast for everyone.
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"Now this is service." August grins as he grabs a rasher of crispy bacon from the pile that's on the dining table. Emma is at the stove making eggs to complete the breakfast.
"Pour yourself a coffee. I'm going to get Regina and Kathryn." She offers the particularly stubbly man who obviously hadn't trimmed his facial hair yet. He yawns and nods his head as he grabs a mug that's hanging above the coffee pot.
She can hear the women talking as she approaches her bedroom but she doesn't hang back to listen to them talk, she feels more comfortable in their dynamic since revealing more of her feelings to the brunette. She sticks her head around the door without stepping into the room. "Hey, there's only enough bacon from three people and August is already down there." Both sets of eyes are on her but before either woman in the bed makes a move she runs from the doorway and down the stairs.
"I don't need to be faster than you Emma, I just need to be faster than Regina." Kathryn yells as she runs through the bedroom door before the brunette.
Regina makes it to the kitchen, a few seconds behind both of the blondes who, along with August, are all looking at her, big smiles on their faces as the chew on bacon. "There's plenty of bacon left." The brunette states as she eyes the plate of it in the middle of the table.
"Nuh-uh." Emma mumbles around the mouth full of meat before swallowing it down and grabbing the plate of bacon. "This is mine. You snooze, you lose."
"That's okay, I should watch what I eat anyway." Regina replies with a sad smile as she lowers her head and takes a seat.
Emma feels like she could cry from seeing the way Regina easily accepts she will be missing out on something, as if it is what she deserves. "I was joking. I'm sorry. You can have it all." She says in a panic as she places the plate of bacon in front of Regina.
Regina lifts her head and with a wicked smile she takes a piece of bacon. "Damn right."
Emma's mouth is hanging open, August chuckles and Kathryn high fives her friend.
"Did you just manipulate me for some bacon?" Emma asks, relief washing over her that Regina wasn't truly upset but also because she felt that was the first glimpse she had gotten of the woman beneath the torment and abuse.
Regina's answer comes in the form of a wink. All the things Emma had said to her in the last couple of days had given her some confidence and allowed her to relax enough to joke with her.
She leans over and kisses a tanned cheek. "I'm going to have to watch myself with you aren't I?" She jokingly asks.
They continue to eat their breakfast in relative calm, considering what they were all facing, the conversation remaining light and avoiding the topic of Gold and FBI agents. That was until they had finished with the food and Regina offered to clear the dishes.
"I'll do it." Emma offered. "You and Kathryn should probably pack a bag, in case the agents come for you later."
"It's not like we have anything to pack." Kathryn sadly muses.
"You can take anything from my closet that you like. I have a few holdalls on the top shelf. There should be a few things you can wear to tide you over until you get back here."
"Emma, they may not even be taken into protective custody," August interjects.
"I know, but just in case." The blonde answers back as she starts stacking their empty dishes.
"Until we get back here? Even when this is all over we can still come back here, even me?" Kathryn asks, her insecurity showing for the first time.
"If you want. You'll both always have a home here." Emma sincerely promises the two of them.
"I knew you'd let Regina come back here, but me too?" Her bright blue eyes begin to glimmer with tears as her chin wobbles.
"Of course." Emma doesn't know why Kathryn would have thought otherwise but she never had any intention of letting either woman down.
"Come on," Regina slides a hand around her friends waist, "we had better go pack, just in case." She mouths 'thank you' to Emma and receives a smile in return before they make their way up the stairs to start packing.
"You're a good person, Emma." August says from behind her where he starts rinsing off the dishes, ready to be put in the dishwasher.
"And so are they. They deserve a happy ending." She starts loading the dishwasher. "Promise me you'll call me as soon as you know anything? I can sneak a look at my phone at half time, I have to know." Emma pleads.
"Sure, not a problem."
After Emma has gotten ready to leave for the game, Regina follows her into the hallway, leaving the other two in the lounge.
The taller woman pulls the brunette into a hug, their foreheads resting against each other. "If you're not here when I get back I just want you to know that I'll be thinking of you every second until we are back together and I will do everything it takes to make sure you both get back here safe."
"I will be thinking of you too, Emma. Please don't worry about us though, we will be safe." The brunette clasps her hands around the back of the blondes neck and pulls her into a demanding kiss. The delicateness of their kisses over the last few days was put aside as the worry of their possible separation takes over them. Regina dominates the kiss as her tongue begs for entrance when she nips at the blondes pale bottom lip. Emma shows no hesitation in granting the entrance the brunettes tongue desires, she didn't realise how much she had missed the taste of the exploring tongue until that moment. Their gentle, sweet kisses had been enough for both of them but now they wanted more. Emma feels herself being backed up against the wall and the brunettes nails scape the nape of her neck, causing her to whimper against the wet muscle in her mouth. When they pull back, their breathing is ragged and they are loathed to stop but they know they have to. "I will see you again, Emma."
The blonde takes an arm that's holding around her neck and brings the small hand to her lips so she can press a loving kiss to it. "I know, sweetheart. This will all be over soon and we can forget all about it." Grabbing her sports bag she walks backwards out of the front door, their eyes on each other until the door closes between them.
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"Yo, Swan. You made it. I wasn't sure you'd make it after you missed training." Ruby calls out to her as she enters the locker room.
"Yeah, I wasn't sure I would either but I feel better today. I'm ready to win." Ruby was completely unaware of the double meaning to the words.
"Good to hear it. That trophy is coming to mama at the end of the season.
"Yeah." Emma nonchalantly replies as she turns to her locker to get her kit on. The trophy was the last thing on her mind, she had a more important quest than a piece of silverware. She keeps checking her phone every few seconds until she has to go out on the pitch for the warm up before the match. She did her best to focus, soccer was usually her distraction from her everyday life but now it only served to frustrate her as she wished to be with the brunette.
After the warm-up the team made their way down the tunnel back to the locker room for last minute directions from their coach before the game was set to begin. She ran in ahead of everyone else, eager to get to her phone, there was no message or missed call from August which made her breathe a sigh of relief. Once the coach had gone over the game plan and the women separated from their huddle, Emma checked her phone again before lining up in the tunnel with the other women, ready to step out onto the pitch.
Emma struggles through the first half of the game, her passing is sloppy and her finishing is even worse. She can normally shoot for the goal with pinpoint accuracy but each shot either flies over or goes wide, and before the whistle signals the end of the first half they are 2-0 down and she's staring down the barrel of her first defeat in a Storybrooke Slayers jersey. She curses herself as she trudges off the field to the booing of the home supporters.
Before she can make it to her phone her coach starts tearing into her. "What the hell, Swan? What's going on with you? If you are still not well you should have told me so someone else could have played instead of you. You have no fight in you and you are letting your teammates down!"
She looks around to see all her dejected teammates but still can't bring herself to care. She has more important things on her mind. She can feel the anger rise in her, not only at being shouted at like a child but because she didn't even want to be there.
"You're just pissed because I carry the entire fucking team!" She screams in the coaches face. That would usually be enough to get subbed but the coach knew she was right. Emma was the only reason they were within touching distance of winning their first trophy.
"Ten minutes, Swan. I will give you ten minutes in the second half to show me you deserve to be on that pitch and then I'm pulling you off if I see no improvement." The coach storms out slamming the dressing room door behind herself.
Emma heads straight to her locker to grab her phone. Her heart nearly jumps out of her chest when she sees a message from August waiting for her.
"Woah, Swan, are you okay? I thought you were going to swing for her then." Ruby chuckles as all the other women sit quietly.
"Hey, Emma. Regina and Kathryn are still here. We have been watching the game and no offence but you suck. Regina keeps shouting at the TV when you fluff a shot so I suggest you start scoring and make your girl proud ?"
She leans against her locker and let's her head fall back against the metal door. She had been so consumed in thoughts of Regina not being there when she got back that she hadn't even thought they would all be watching the game on TV. "Fuck" She shouts in frustration, bringing the attention of the rest of her team to her. No one had ever been proud of her but now she had the chance to make Regina proud and she was failing. "Ruby, Elsa," she calls out for the midfielder and winger, "keep getting the ball up to me. I'm not going to start losing now."
"There's the Swan we know." Elsa beams.
The atmosphere in the tunnel before the second half felt different from that in the locker room at half time. The team was buzzing with a rejuvenated Emma at its heart.
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"Chin up, Regina. It's a game on two halves. Emma can turn this around, don't underestimate her." August tries to comfort the brunette whose eyes are glued to the TV as the second half begins.
Both he and Kathryn watch the brunette in amusement as she squirms in her seat and intermittently jumps up from her chair every time the Slayers have possession of the ball in the oppositions half. She wasn't au fait with the rules of the game but she had watched as many of Emma's games as she could in the past and had picked up on the general rules. When she sees the blonde being tripped up just inside of the eighteen yard box she jumps up and shoots, "freekick!"
She was right and the referee blew his whistle to stop the game. He directed Emma, who takes all of their freekicks, to the spot where she was tripped. She stands over the ball as the opposing team sort their wall out between her and the goal. She takes a few steps back and decides on the trajectory of the ball before she has even kicked it. In her minds eye the ball flies into the back of the net and Regina would be proud of her. The crowd goes silent and the referee blows the whistle, she runs up and kicks, the ball flies through the air, over the heads of the jumping players in the wall, the goalkeeper isn't even close to getting a hand on it and it powers into the back of the net. The home crowd breaks into rapturous cheering and clapping as she runs to the other side of the pitch to celebrate with them, her teammates hot on her heels.
Regina is clapping wildly and celebrating just as emphatically as any of the supporters inside the stadium. "Did you see that? That was amazing!"
"I think we've discovered her idea of foreplay." Kathryn whispers to August in reference to the overexcited brunette. She only realises Regina had heard her when a cushion hits her square in the face.
Less than fifteen minutes later and Elsa scores the equalising goal with a pass from Ruby that splits the two defenders marking her.
The entirety of the stadium are getting behind their own teams as the game is tied. Regina is literally on the edge of her seat and fully absorbed in the game, not even Gold is on her mind. Her joy was uncalculatedly multiplied when Emma zipped around four players as well as the keeper, before tapping the ball into the goal from close range, ten minutes from time, with what turned out to be the winner.
"She really turned the game around." Regina beamed in total pride after the final whistle.
August guessed it was his text to her during half time that was the motivation for Emma's passion during the second half but he said nothing as he sent her another text.
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Emma was the first down the tunnel after the final whistle as her teammates stayed to celebrate on the pitch. She knew she would get crap from her coach for not staying with them to celebrate but she had already decided to make something up about feeling unwell again if she had to. She headed straight to her locker to check her phone again. Once more her heart was in her throat as she saw a message from August waiting for her.
"I knew my last message would light a fire up your arse. Regina is glowing with pride and yes, they are both still here."
That was exactly what she needed to know and the knot that had made her stomach its home for the last few hours started to loosen as she quickly got changed, skipping the shower, just so she could get back to Regina as quickly as possible. Even if the brunette did end up having to leave, at least they would get to say goodbye properly. On her way out she asked a steward that she had bumped into to let her coach know she wasn't feeling well and was heading home. She hoped the two goals she scored would earn her some grace with her coach when she found out about her leaving.
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"Hey, is everyone still here?" She shouts as she rushes into her house, hoping nothing had changed on her drive back home.
"In here." Kathryn shouts from the lounge but Regina emerges from there before Emma makes it halfway down the hallway.
"Regina." Emma smiles brightly at the seeing the brunette.
"I'm still here." Regina states the obvious.
"You're still here." She rushes to her and picks her up, Regina wrapping her legs around her waist and kissing her soundly. "I must smell so bad, I left before showering." The blonde explains apologetically before gently and reluctantly putting the smaller woman down. "I should probably shower."
"I don't care." She really didn't, even though the blonde was sweaty it was still nothing compared to the disgusting men she'd had flopping on top of her when she had been under Gold's control. "You must be tired after all that running. You were spectacular by the way." The brunette coyly praises.
"You think so?" The hopeful glint in her eyes gave away just how much Regina's opinion meant to her.
"Yeah, it was incredible to watch you. I can only imagine how wonderful the atmosphere in the stadium must have been." She had obviously never had the opportunity to do anything like that under Gold, but even before that Cora never allowed her any freedom.
"You should come and watch me once this is all over. The V.I.P. box is amazing, you'd get treated like royalty." Emma had never had anyone in her life that could use her V.I.P. box and she was getting excited that she would finally have someone in there cheering her on.
"Even when this is all over I don't think you should take a whore to your place of work with the eyes of the world on you." Even if Emma does want her, that doesn't mean they could ever go public with their relationship in case Regina's past came to haunt them.
"I would be taking my girlfriend." Emma says with a finality to her words. She needed Regina to know that she didn't think of her as a whore and that she wasn't ashamed of her. "You have been locked away all you adult life, no one but ex-clients know about your past and they won't spill that information without them being found out too."
Regina could see the blondes unbridled joy and didn't want to take it away from her so she decides to change the subject. "Why don't you go shower and I'll cook us all some dinner?"
"Okay, sweetheart." She says hello to Kathryn and August before heading upstairs to shower. Regina stands in the hallway for a few moments, trying to fight off the negative thoughts about Emma's career and how they are doing their best to keep her name out of this mess but how her career would still be ruined if they were seen in public together after it was all over. It seemed counterintuitive to her but she didn't want to think about that just yet, she gave in to hope for the first time in her life. Emma had told her plenty of times that things would work out okay and she had to trust that.
After a delicious dinner that everyone had praised Regina for they tried to chill out in the lounge again but they all expected the call to come from David at some point. Regina sat on the couch with Emma, tucked under a strong arm that pulled her against the blondes torso. Kathryn and August occupied sat in their own chairs, all of them looking for distraction on the TV screen. A little after nine Augusts phone rang, Emma rushed for the remote to turn off the TV when a nod from the bearded man told her it was David. They could all hear the seriousness in the mans voice through the speaker phone when he started to talk.
"August, are you all at the address we were at last night?"
"Yes, we are all hear." In a level voice as he tried to stay calm for the others.
"Good. I can't say too much right now but I need you and the others to sit tight. Do not leave the house and do not answer the door under any circumstances. Lock the doors and windows and close the curtains. We are sending a couple of guys over to watch your property. Don't do anything until you get a call from me or Fred. Understood?"
"Got it." He knew something serious must be happening and he understood that there could be many reasons that David was keeping his cards close to his chest and he knew better than to ask.
After he hung up the four of them looked at each other, not knowing what to expect next.