Thank you to my beta AbigailSykes.
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It's a little over two weeks later and Regina is at home alone. It is her first day off in weeks when she gets the call from David.
"Hey, Regina."
"Hello, David."
"I hope you are well. I have some news regarding your mother." He gets straight to the point as he multitasks, also typing up a report at his desk. "We have been given a date for the start of Cora's court case. I need to let you know that we have offered Albert Spencer the possibility for parole after ten years in exchange for evidence that will help get Cora convicted." He lets the silence hang in the air to give Regina a chance to mull over what he had just said. He had thought of asking Regina about the deal they wanted to make with the man before they had actually offered it to him, but David went with his gut. Cora was a bigger danger to society that Spencer was. Sure, the man was crooked, but Cora had actually sold her own flesh and blood into a life of abuse and suffering and was in no way repentant.
"I... urm… is that the only way to get Cora put away?" She didn't like the idea of the slippery snake that is Albert Spencer ever being free again, even if he would be geriatric when that day came.
"Yes. The only evidence we have against Cora is circumstantial. We have the bank record that shows the bank deposit Cora received around the time you said you were sent to Gold's, but it isn't from a bank account in Gold's name. That's why we need Spencer. He knows everything about Gold's accounts because he helped run them. Even the deed to the house she was given by Gold wasn't in his name. It would be a gamble to take Cora to court without the evidence that Spencer can provide. Otherwise, there is a very big chance that she could walk away a free woman. Out of respect for you and everything you have been through, I will allow you to make the final destination on whether or not you want us to go ahead with the plea bargain for Spencer. I want to reiterate that it really is the best option to get Cora put away."
"Okay," she quietly replies, knowing it's the only way she could keep that woman out of her life. "Let's do it. When will the trial start?"
"The beginning of next week. With Spencer's testimony, it should be quite a short case."
"Can I come? To court, can I come?"
"Of course. If that's what you want."
"I think it is. Thank you, David."
"No problem. Take care of yourself and let me know if you need anything."
"I will. Thank you."
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Regina's browsing the laptop later in the afternoon when Emma gets back from her first training session since having her cast removed.
"Hey, my loves, what are you two up to?" Emma asks before leaning down to give her a peck on the lips and one on her stomach.
"Baby stuff." She smiles and closes the laptop. "How was training?"
"It was good. How was your morning?"
"David called."
Emma sits down next to her and throws an arm over her shoulder offering her physical contact and comfort she guesses her fiancée is going to need.
Regina reaches up with her right hand to intertwine it with the hand hanging over her shoulder before she relays the details of the phone call she'd had earlier.
"And you are sure you want to be there during the trial?"
"Yes. Well, maybe want is the wrong word. I feel like I have to."
"I'll come with you. Everyday."
"You can't. You have training."
"I'll speak to Ingrid about having solo sessions in the evenings or something. I want to be there for you," she emphasises the word Regina had just rejected. "Plus, I want to see that bitch's face when she gets punished for what she has done. It's the final chapter to your old life. Then, it's all about our future," she says with a bright smile as she reaches over to stroke her stomach. "Now, show me the baby stuff you were looking at." She grabs the laptop and lays it on her lap, as she opens the lid, not giving Regina any time to dwell on the fact she will be skipping team trainings to go to the court with her.
After spending a while browsing the internet, they decide it's time to start decorating the baby's room. It was the perfect pick me up after the news of Cora's upcoming trial.
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"What about this one, apple red?" Emma suggests, as she holds up the fiftieth or so swatch of colour so far.
"I am not painting our baby's room the colour of a sex dungeon."
"Ooh a sex dungeon... now there's an idea. We can always convert one of the other rooms," she says with a wink.
Regina shakes her head but smiles. "How about this one, pastel purple? I quite like it."
"That's nice." She takes the swatch card from Regina's hand to take a closer look. "Pastel purple," she whispers. "I like it too!"
"You do? You're not just saying it because we've been looking at colours for over an hour and you're bored?" She wraps her arms around Emma's waist and rests her head on her strong shoulder, looking at the colour again.
"I'm not bored. This is exciting. I really do like it. It's a colour fit for a princess." Emma states, as she wraps and arm around Regina. "I'm so excited. Now we have a colour scheme to work with."
If it wouldn't disrupt the moment, Regina would reach into her pocket for her phone so she could take a picture of Emma's huge smile as she gazes at the colour swatch in her hand. "Let's get it. I think it's perfect." It had been the first colour they had both agreed on, so she had a good feeling about it and didn't deem in necessary to buy just a tester pot.
Emma's kisses her temple and nods her head. "Yep, this is the one." She grabs a few cans of the paint and loads up their trolley. "By the way, did I tell you that Kat is designing a mural for the main wall?"
"No, you didn't. When was this planned?"
"Last night when I went to the kitchen to get you the Ben and Jerry's you said our Princess desperately wanted," she says with an accusatory raised brow. Regina has the decency to blush. After she had prompted an almost sleeping Emma to go and get her the frozen treat last night, she then almost immediately fell asleep herself. "Anyway, she had just come back from her date with Ruby and we started talking."
"What?" Since when have they been dating? Like actually going on proper dates?" She stops in the middle of the aisle for this surprising news. That's not like them. Their relationship is based around take-out, late night TV and sex that would make Ron Jeremy blush."
"I know, right? But Ruby is totally head over heels. I don't think ours will be the only wedding in the near future."
"How have I missed everything that is happening with my best friend?" She asks rhetorically and slightly sullen. She was aware they had barely seen each other in the last couple of weeks, but that was life, right? Things crop up and time passes.
"You've been working too much," Emma says with a pointed stare. She had been missing Regina too. Regina had thrown herself into her work since the last ultrasound. Emma guessed it was because the perpetual worrier that is her fiancée, finally allowed herself to believe that nothing bad was going to happen once they had hit the all-important three-month milestone.
"I'm progressing really well in the restaurant and I don't want to be forgotten and replaced when I take time off to have our baby."
Emma takes hold of her hands. "You are irreplaceable. You need to take a step back and spend time with Kat. She told me how much she has been missing you."
"She did?"
"Yes. When was the last time you two spent some quality time together?"
"Probably your birthday. It's just been hard, even though we live together. When she is at home and not with Ruby, I'm either at work or I'm in the kitchen practising my recipes.
"Well, call her and set aside some time to spend together, some quality time to catch up."
"You're right. I'll call her when I get home," Regina replies sadly.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. This is meant to be fun and now you're upset." She pulls her lover into a hug in the middle of the paint aisle, not caring about anyone else that was around.
Regina shakes her head. "I'm not upset. I appreciate you telling me." She pulls back from the hug and leans up to kiss Emma. "And once we are done here I'm going to take you home and show you how much I appreciate you, particularly in this jacket," she says with a wink as she pulls at the lapels of the red leather jacket she bought her for her birthday, until their lips meet again.
"Can we go home now? We can get the rest of the stuff another day." Emma's libido answers for her.
Regina laughs as she walks ahead, leading the way to the section of the upscale store that sells cribs.
"Fine," she huffs, but she's smiling because she already knows which crib she wants and she can't wait to start decorating their babies room.
She dutifully follows behind the most incredible ass the world has ever known, perfectly encased in a deliciously tight black pencil skirt that also show off her slender legs and perfect calves that lead down to some sexy four-inch heels. She lets Regina browse the cribs and points out everything she doesn't like about each one until they reach the one she has already picked out in her mind. Regina breezes past it.
"What's so wrong with this one?" She asks, slightly affronted because Regina hadn't even given it a second glance, but she had fallen in love with it as soon as she had seen it.
"This one?" She steps closer and raises a judging eyebrow. "Are you serious?" She asks with her back to Emma as she tries to hold back a laugh.
"Yeah, I think it's perfect," Emma says dreamily. A bark of laughter interrupts her reverie.
"Oh sweetheart... no. It's a monstrosity," Regina says seriously.
"I have never seen a crib so perfect for our baby. It is literally fit for a princess!"
"Emma… it's a pumpkin."
"No... no, look... It's Cinderella's carriage," she corrects as she moves towards the sparkly behemoth.
"I didn't even realise it was a crib, I just thought it was for decoration. Who would even think to design such an eyesore?" She says without thinking.
Emma's shoulders sag. "I thought it was perfect for our Princess," she mumbles sadly.
"Darling, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh at your choice." She steps between Emma and the cart of paint she has been pushing around and holds around her neck.
"It just feels like I'm not making any decisions for our little girl. You chose the paint and the curtains and the lampshade." She knows she's being petulant because she was happy with everything they had picked out so far.
"We agreed on all of those items. They were decisions we made together. You picked the Moses basket out by yourself. Remember when you went shopping without me and I said not to buy loads of things for our baby, but you did anyway," she says with a smirk.
"Yeah... but those were only small things. I want to do something important."
"You got me pregnant, that was important. The most important part actually." She gives her a playful smile and a small peck to her lips. It was slightly manipulative, but she knows it will work to turn Emma's mood around.
"Yeah, I did do that," she agrees with a proud smile.
"Yes, you did. And look... you can pick the crib for our baby. Just not that one, okay? Maybe something a bit more modest?"
"Fine. I can do modest."
They move away from the pumpkin carriage crib and browse all the other models on offer. Emma was too slow for Regina's liking because she stopped to read all of the labels on each of them. She was taking her job of crib picker far too seriously in Regina's opinion, but she found it so very endearing that Emma wanted things to be just perfect for their baby.
"Ooh how about this one?"
"It has a canopy. It is literally a mini four poster bed with sides on it. It's not exactly modest."
"But look," she points at the specification label as she reads it out, "It has the Natural Earth gold certificate of chemical and toxin free materials, it exceeds the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Safety Standards, EXCEEDS, " she repeats with a cocky look, "it's made with one hundred percent renewable mahogany, it has three adjustable mattress heights to best fit out baby's growth, a five star safety test rating and it has a shelf to hold diapers. It's perfect."
"Well, I suppose if it has a diaper shelf. You should have led with that," she says teasingly. "I guess we have found our crib."
"Yeah? Really?"
"Really," she seals the agreement with a kiss. She had seen over a dozen cribs she much preferred but it seemed important to Emma that she make the decision, so she was happy to go along with her choice.
"Fantastic. Now we just need to find the perfect mobile for it." Emma's eagerness to shop for their baby was back in full force. Regina's sexual promise from earlier almost completely forgotten. Almost.
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Three long hours later and Emma is sitting on the side of their bed with nothing but her red leather jacket on, as Regina's head bobs between her legs. "This jacket will henceforth be known as... oh shit... my lucky jacket." She bites her lip and gently scratches the base of Regina's neck as her balls get squeezed in a soft hand and her tip sucked by plump lips.
Regina can't help but chuckle around the shaft in her mouth, which inadvertently makes Emma suck in a harsh breath. She had been sated by Emma's mouth only ten minutes prior, but her core was once again on fire. Emma's loud grunt when the tip of her nose hits the blondes stomach makes up her mind. She slowly withdraws her mouth up the throbbing shaft, keeping the tight seal around it until the last of the saliva-soaked length escapes her lips with a pop.
Emma's eyes slowly open when she feels the cool air of the room on her cock instead of the delicious warmth of Regina's mouth. "Everything okay, baby?" She asks, as Regina gets up from her knees and stands in front of her.
"Move up the bed," she instructs.
Emma complies without hesitation. She lays back in the middle of the bed, her cock pointing skywards and twitching at the prospect of being engulfed by the only thing better than Regina's mouth; her pussy.
The sight of her naked lover crawling up her body on her hands and knees, her fuller breasts and slightly protruding stomach making the vision that much more mouthwatering.
Regina stops when her knees are at either side of Emma's hips and she leans forward so she can kiss her lover and share their mixed tastes with each other. Emma's hands slide around her hips to the pliable flesh of her backside as they kiss deeply. She pushes her hips up as she pulls Regina towards her until her needy dick slides between her slick labia, the underside of her dick stimulating Regina's swollen bundle of nerves.
Regina ends the kiss with a gentle nip to pale pink pinks, before pushing herself up against strong abs until her core is hovering about the leaking shaft she needs inside her.
Emma is almost completely oblivious to the dripping wet opening that was so close to cock, as her hands move around to the small bump that houses their baby.
Regina's heart was fit to burst at the loving trance Emma was in as she stared at her stomach. She would have felt bad for disrupting the precious moment, as she took Emma's cock in her hand and sunk herself onto it, if she wasn't so deliriously horny.
Emma is pulled from her enchantment by the slick walls that cradle her shaft and a sigh that escapes Regina's lips. The brunette takes the larger hands from her stomach and places them on her breasts as she begins rolling her hips. She was too turned on to take things slowly. She knows what she wants and she's taking it.
The weighty flesh in her hands and the hard nipples grazing her palms takes Emma too close to the edge far too quickly. This was the one downfall of her lover's pregnant body, it made it so much more difficult to control herself. She would never have believed that Regina could have been more beautiful than she was the day they first met, but she was happily proven wrong as her lover's body changed throughout her pregnancy. She closes her eyes to give herself a chance at holding on to her pride and lasting a little longer than the few seconds she had been buried inside Regina so far.
The brunette smirks down at Emma, knowing very well the effect she has on the blonde and, damn, she loves it. She feels foolish for ever being insecure about her body since she found out she was carrying Emma's child. Emma's love and adoration that has grown exponentially over the weeks and months makes her feel like the sexiest woman alive. Holding herself steady against firm abs, she starts riding the full eight inches inside her.
Emma hums and grunts from behind her lips that are squeezed tightly together. She rolls nipples between her thumb and forefinger in each hand, still not feeling confident enough to open her eyes and be able to keep her load in her balls.
Regina loves looking into Emma's deep pools of green when they make love, but she isn't quite ready for this to be over either, so she doesn't ask her to open her eyes. She simply continues to bounce up and down on the throbbing shaft. Minutes pass by in a flash and before she knows it, the press of Emma's swollen head rubbing against her special spot deep inside and the pinch of her nipples has her on the edge of bliss.
The death-like grip around her dick tells Emma all she needs to know about how close Regina is, so she moves her hand down from plump breasts and to her swollen belly, one sneaks past wet curls to find her swollen nub.
Regina's hips stutter when firm fingertips rub her just right. "Oh Emma." She feels her insides coiling as her body prepares for the release that Emma is so adept at giving her. It takes her a second, but she starts up the rhythm of her hips again. She sinks down until she's so full of Emma it's just on the right side of pain. Her nails lightly dig at prominent abdominals, as she holds herself up to grind against the needy shaft, before squeezing her pelvic muscles and pushing herself up, before repeating it over and over. Emma pushes up with her, unconsciously chasing the tight squeeze around her cock.
Breathing become ragged and Emma moves her hand from Regina's stomach to her hip, so she has something to hold onto as movements quicken and bliss approaches. Not only do movements quicken, but they become less coordinated due to their desperate need for release, and the amount of slippery wetness between them.
"Em… Emma..." she taps her stomach muscles to get her attention when calling her name fails. "Open your eyes."
Emma bites her lip and slowly opens her eyes. The sight that greets her makes her balls tighten painfully, so she reaches for one of the hands on her stomach to intertwine their fingers, as she doubles her efforts on Regina's protruding bundle of nerves. Regina's forehead is sweaty, her hair sticks to the side of her face and her deep brown eyes are boring into her own, and that's when her hips leave the mattress and her balls start to empty.
Regina sinks down one last time and throws her head back as she moans loudly, cumming hard around the dick filling her. Each time a pulsing spurt of semen washes over her insides, she grunts in a very un-Regina way, but Emma adores it.
Her hips don't drop back down to the mattress until Regina has milked every last drop from her balls and the brunette is gently pushing her hand away from her clit.
Regina falls forward when her orgasm subsides. She buries her face in the crook of Emma's neck, her harsh breathing ticking the blonde's sweaty skin. Emma wraps her arms around her back and turns her head to kiss Regina's temple. It takes her dick some time to go down as Regina continues to twitch around her but, she's not complaining. She just holds her close and continues to kiss her sweaty temple until the brunette eventually rolls off her and snuggles up against her side.
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Later that evening, Regina calls her best friend, as Emma cleans up after the dinner they had cooked together.
"Hey Kat, are you busy?"
"Hey Gina. No, I've always got time for you. What's up?"
"I just wanted to catch up with you. I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."
"Same here. Whenever I'm at home you're working," Kat chuckles but Regina doesn't see the humour in it.
"I'm sorry. I know I've been throwing myself into my work. That's why I'm calling actually. Are you free on Friday? I have the day off and I thought we could spend the day together, maybe a spa day?"
"That sounds wonderful. I've missed you. And maybe we could do dinner afterwards?"
"Absolutely. There's a new Tapas bar in town, how about there?"
"Sounds good. I haven't had any Sangria since Barcelona. Sorry, the doorbell just rang, I think our take-out is here. I'll pick you up at eleven on Friday and we will catch up properly then."
"See you Friday, and Kat..."
"Yeah?"
"I've missed you too."
Regina ends the call and makes her way back to the kitchen just as Emma is wiping down the last countertop. "Did you manage to arrange something with Kat?"
"Yes, we are having a spa day on Friday and then going to that new place for Tapas."
"That sounds fun."
"I'm sure it will be. I know it's only been a couple of weeks, but I've really missed spending time with her and having our long chats," she remarks, as she digs into the freezer in search of the Ben and Jerry's she had missed out on the night before. "Want some dessert?"
Emma walks up behind her and presses into her backside that is in the air, as she searches the lower shelves. "I'm still a little tired from earlier, but I could never refuse dessert from you."
"I mean ice cream," she guffaws, as she stands up straight when she's located the tub.
"Do I get to eat it off you?" She queries, as her arms now hold around her and her front presses into Regina's back.
"I was thinking more along the lines of a bowl and spoon."
"But I've just done all the washing up. I definitely think my idea is better. Why don't you come upstairs with me and I'll show you?" She suggests with a wiggle of her eyebrows.
"I suppose it would be a shame to mess up this perfectly clean kitchen. Lead the way."
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"This is the life," Kat all but moans, as the strong hands of Helga, the spa's Swedish masseuse, work the muscles of her lower back.
"Mmmm. I didn't know how much I needed this until right now," Regina agrees from the leather table next to her. "So... tell me all. I want to know what you've been up to and how your date with Ruby went."
"I've been good. I've missed you loads though." She reaches a bare arm across to Regina, who mirrors the action until there index fingers touch in an affectionate and playful way. "We have actually had three dates now. I never really imagined I would really be into that kind of a relationship. You know, all hearts and flowers like you and Emma, but I have actually really liked it. She brought it up after sex one night. Just out of nowhere. She said she wanted us to start from the beginning and build a real relationship that was about more than just sex."
"You both like each other so it is about more than just sex anyway," Regina interrupts.
"I know, but I guess it's just something she feels like she needs. I was a bit reluctant at first because it just seemed so formal and stuffy. Why would I want to get dressed up to go out to eat when I could wear what I want and eat take-out at her place without worry if I had food on my face in front of a restaurant full of people? It just seemed pointless to me. But anyway, she was really excited about the idea, so I went along with it. I thought it would just be a one off and then we could go back to eating pizza in front of Saturday Night Live before getting screwed seven ways from Sunday."
Regina scrunches up her face in mild disgust at the picture her friend has just painted for her. "How sweet," comes her sarcastic reply.
Kat rolls her eyes and laughs, before continuing with the update on her life. "Anyway, on the night of the date she went to get ready in one of the spare rooms and then knocks on the door of our bedroom and when I open it, she's standing there in a beautiful red dress, holding a bouquet of flowers."
"What kind of flowers? Details are important Kat," she adds when her friend tuts at her for asking, what she considers to be, a banal question.
"I don't know, they were a mixture of different ones. It's not important. What's important is that Ruby Lucas has never bought anyone but her Grandma flowers before."
Regina shakes her head in disbelief. Trust Kat not to be bothered by the small details. "Where did you go on your date?"
"Some fancy restaurant. It was so fancy, they didn't even serve fries. The food was good, but the portions were tiny, so we hit a drive-thru on the way home and picked up a burger and fries," she says nonchalantly.
Regina laughs. "That is just so you two."
"I know it's not conventional, but it's us. The best part of it all... we still ended up having sex when we got home anyway. So, it wasn't really a full start over. Neither of us want to give up the best part."
Regina can appreciate that everyone's relationship is different, but now more than ever, she appreciates her own with Emma. "So, what about the other two dates?"
"Go Karting and paint balling."
"Paint balling? You went on a date where you shoot at each other?"
"It was fun and so much more like us. Both of those dates were great. They might not be considered standard dating venues, but they work for us. Next week we are going quad biking. I can't wait."
Regina smiles in amusement, but it softens at how happy Kat looks. "I'm so happy for you. Really. Even though your date nights will probably land one or both of you in the emergency room at some point," she teases.
After the massages, they move on to the swimming pool, before their dual appointment of manicures and pedicures. "So, what has been happening with you and Emma?"
"Baby shopping. We've picked the colour scheme. Which reminds me, what was this about you paint a mural?" They both start putting on their bikini's in the almost empty changing room.
"I'm going to be painting something special on the main wall. Now that you have the colour scheme I can get to work on it."
"What are you planning on doing?"
"That's top secret for now. I want it to be a surprise."
"Not even a small clue?"
"Nope. My lips are sealed. Have you bought any of the furniture yet?"
"Yep, we bought pretty much everything the other day. Oh my god, Kat, I have to show you the crib Emma wanted to get." She reaches into her purse for her phone so she can bring up the store's website and show her a picture.
"You're not serious? A pumpkin with wheels, what was she thinking?" Kathryn was completely aghast at the crib Emma had wanted.
"Cinderella's carriage apparently," Regina sarcastically retorts. "This is the one we ended up getting." She finds the picture of Emma's second choice crib and holds the phone in front of her friend.
"Aww it's sweet. It looks like a mini version of one of the beds from Buckingham Palace."
"I wasn't overly keen on it to begin with, but it's grown on me."
In the pool, they swim lengths side by side and make idle chit chat, until Kat asks about the subject Regina had been hoping to avoid. They had been having such a nice day she didn't want to talk about the depressing matter. "So, any news on Cora, the mega bitch?"
Regina slowly swims over to the side. She decided she couldn't concentrate on swimming and talk about the heavy subject at the same time. "The trial starts on Monday. David has made some plea bargain with Spencer. He will be eligible for parole in ten years, if he gives evidence against Cora." She hopes her friend will take the news. Cora had never actually done anything against Kat, so she wasn't sure how the blonde would feel about someone who had done her wrong possibly being out one day in order to convict someone that had never done her any wrong.
"Good. I hope they throw the book at the bitch." She's immediately engulfed in a hug by her friend.
"You don't mind that Spencer could possibly be free one day?"
"He's like a hundred years old already. Besides, he was just a tool of Gold's. Cora is right up there with Gold, as a psychopath that will hopefully die behind bars."
"I'm going to go to the trial by the way. I need to face her." She pulls back from the hug.
"Then I will come with you."
"You don't need to if you don't want to. Emma is coming with me anyway." She could do with all the support she could get, but she didn't want to be a burden to her friend.
"I want to. I want us to see this whole thing out together. This is the last obstacle before the finish line."
"Thank you. I would like that." The fast approaching date had knotted her stomach every time she had thought about it since David broke the news to her, but knowing that her fiancée and best friend would be right beside her finally made her think she could really do it.
