Three's a crowd (but unicorns are magical)

by aeizenhart

AU - Killian and Emma have been together for a number of years before Killian has the bright idea of introducing a sex unicorn, Regina Mills, to their relationship for a one-night stand. Pity Emma isn't exactly onboard with the idea.

Upon reflection, answering the door in just a tank top and her underwear wasn't the smartest of moves. At least not when confronted with a well-dressed woman in her thirties, lugging a small carry-on suitcase and inspecting her from head-to-toe with an expression of mild disdain for what she saw.

Finding her voice, Emma tried to conceal more of herself behind the open front door to the house she shared with her fiancé. "Hi?"

The unknown brunette finished her perusal and gave her a small smile. "Good afternoon. I'm Regina Mills. You must be Mrs Jones?" She made no move to enter, but did hold her hand out in expectation of it being shook.

Ignoring the offered hand, Emma did her best not to frown at the other woman. "Uh... no. I'm Emma. Emma Swan. I think you've got the wrong house lady; I'm not interested in buying whatever it is you're selling." It wasn't unusual for Emma to have to turn away random callers that were trying to peddle all sorts of oddities. Especially as her fiancé tended to invite his drunken friends over when they were the worst for wear after a night out partying.

"I'm not selling anything, I promise. I think your husband intended this to be a surprise. May I come in?" A delicate frown creased Regina's forehead for a brief moment as she let her hand drop and thought to herself 'oh no, not again'. The last time this happened she'd been slapped, and not on the ass in a fun kind of way.

Emma shrugged and stepped back. "Sure I guess. Killian's not home right now, but please take a seat while I get... uh... yeah. Clothes and stuff." She hastened upstairs in search of something to wear while Regina made herself at home in the living room.

Parking her suitcase at one end of the sofa and taking a look around at the sparse decorations, Regina honed in on the photo of the supposedly happy couple that had paid for her services. She really hoped they were as loving as they seemed or this wasn't going to end well. Being a sex-worker had its ups and downs (pun somewhat intended), but being brought in as a temporary third sometimes threatened to disrupt the existing relationship. It didn't happen often, but her presence occasionally had the unfortunate side-effect of ending things between a couple instead of enhancing their enjoyment.

Finally dressed in the cleanest pair of jeans she could find, Emma came back down to find her guest was elegantly perched on the sofa, legs crossed at the knees with a red-bottomed stiletto heel dangling off one foot.

"Ok, so a few things. We're not married, at least, not yet." Emma held up the gaudy engagement ring on her left hand, currently missing the wedding ring that went with it. "Second, I don't know why you're here or what Killian had to do with it. He didn't say anything about you coming over." She briefly wondered if the woman in front of her was a lawyer; Regina was certainly dressed like one in a smart pencil skirt and blazer combination, though the shirt underneath was straining at the buttons enough to reveal a hint of dark lace underneath.

"I see. Your fiancé hired me as a third person to get involved with both of you without any emotional attachment between us. In other words; to have sex with both of you." Regina tried not to cringe at Emma's increasingly annoyed expression but plunged on. "At the same time. I'm what's politely known as a unicorn..." She trailed off when Emma raised her hand to interrupt her explanation.

"Lemme get this straight. The man I love, the one I'm going to marry, has paid you to come here for the express purposes of fucking both of us?" A red tint was starting to cover Emma's vision as her anger built within her to a fever pitch. Admittedly, things weren't always great between them, but this was going to be the last straw. She bit down hard on her lip when Regina wisely chose not to do anything but nod in answer to her question.

Taking a few deep breaths brought her anger back down to a simmer as she clenched her fists, opting to sit down in the armchair instead of next to the fucking bitc... Woman that had been hired to fuck her fiancé. It wasn't her fault that Killian had done this and she tried not to think badly of the brunette. She knew she'd regret asking the question, but she did anyway. "How much? How much did my loving partner spend on you?"

Realising the anger wasn't (yet) directed at her, but more Emma's other half, Regina murmured the figure she'd taken as a deposit and the percentage of the whole it represented. Her services weren't cheap; she took great pains to keep herself (and therefore her clients) safe from diseases and always appear immaculately dressed. Being taken out for dinner was something that her clients sometimes liked to do and wearing couture in order to appease a high-end restaurant's dress code could be quite expensive.

Clenching her eyes shut, Emma struggled to control her feelings. Her right hand smacked the worn leather of the armchair as she growled deeply. That was a substantial chunk of their savings (mainly hers); it was the deposit they'd been working on for years so they could purchase a house together. How could he have done this without asking her about it? He knew how special the idea of buying a house was to her after so many years of renting. More importantly, why the hell was she not enough in bed for him!?

A quiet cough made her open her eyes again.

"Would you like me to leave?" Regina wasn't stupid by any stretch of the imagination and seeing the obvious anger playing over Emma's face was a good indication that trouble was brewing. "I can return the deposit to you, of course. I don't want to cause any bad blood between you and your partner." Sadly, this wouldn't be the first time she'd had to do so, and as a result always brought it with her hidden in her carry-on or ready to transfer electronically depending on how she received it to begin with.

"I... I... How could he... I don't get it." Anger gave way to grief as tears cascaded down Emma's cheeks. The whiplash of emotions made her crumple where she sat and it took her a few moments to realise that Regina had moved around the coffee table to offer her the box of tissues that was on it. "Am I not enough?" She wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"He'd be stupid to think that." Regina perched on the arm of Emma's chair so she could tenderly rub her back. "Take it from me; I meet many different people doing... what I do, and you're an attractive, and if your choice of reading material is anything to go by, smart young woman. If that's not enough for him, then perhaps he's not the right man for you." The well-thumbed copies of classic sci-fi literature were perched on a side-table next to the sofa with Emma's cell phone next to them. As she doubted Killian was a fan of bubblegum pink phone cases, she presumed they weren't his choice of books.

The rattle of keys in the front door has both women turning towards it as Killian manages to stumble in, carrying a bag from the nearby liquor store in his artificial hand. "Hi love! I can see Regina's here and getting acquainted with you." His ready smile turns nervous as he takes in Emma's thunderous expression. "Something wrong, love?"

"'Something wrong?' Yes 'love', there is something wrong." Emma stood up and not-quite stomped over to Killian, jabbing a finger none-too-gently into his chest. "You spent our savings on her." Emma's finger abruptly swung round to point at Regina before poking him again. "How could you!? We've been saving up for years and you blow it on a hooker!" Regina delicately cleared her throat in quiet admonishment. "Oh right, yeah, sorry. I meant sex-worker." Emma had the good grace to look sheepish as she apologised.

"It would just have been a bit of fun for us both, love." Killian attempted to defend himself, smiling in the boyish way that Emma had found so irresistible when they started dating. Whatever tiny sliver of goodwill that was still left in Emma's heart was instantly crushed when he continued. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind sharing me with someone as hot as her."

"I've put up with a lot from you; the drunken calls at 3 a.m. to come and get you from whichever dive bar you managed to con into serving you, the complete lack of effort you put into helping run the house and leaving everything for me to deal with, all the cooking, cleaning. You often drink whatever is left of my paycheque once the bills have been paid." It took Emma a lot of effort to get the ring off her finger before she thrust it at him. "I've had enough. Since you're so fond of pirates, go find someone else to be your wench."

Turning away from a gobsmacked Killian to look at Regina who had been quietly watching all this, Emma sighed deeply. "You local or staying somewhere around here?"

"The Marriott in town." Regina answered, unsure of where Emma was leading with her question.

"Get me away from here; call a taxi while I pack a bag." Emma's reply got an amused look and raised eyebrow from Regina as she fished out her cellphone to do so.

Apparently this was enough to snap Killian out of his surprised state. "E-Emma!? You're leaving?"

Emma's anger was back in full force as she rounded on him. "You're goddamn right I'm leaving! And when I get back, you better be gone. It's still my name on the lease and you can bet your ass I'm chucking you out." Without saying another word she pounded up the stairs to hastily throw some essentials into a duffel bag, returning to the living room just as Regina hung up. She snatched up her own phone and Asimov's "I, robot" from the top of the pile of books that had collected on the side-table. Yanking her worn sneakers on top of her plain socks took all of a minute and she looked expectantly at the other woman.

"Taxi will be here soon. Do you want to wait outside?" Getting a mute nod, Regina took Emma's bag and put it atop her own carry-on as she guided Emma outside with a gentle touch to her back, ignoring the blonde's now ex-fiancé's rantings.

Emma paced up and down the short path to the house while they waited, the bright sunshine was a stark contrast to the bleak thoughts clouding her mind. She completely ignored Killian as she tried to engage her, pleading and begging her to come back inside, that they would work things out if she just gave him a chance. Every time she looked up, she would see him and think for just a moment about what they had, and then just as quickly see Regina and be reminded of just what he'd done.

Sitting in the back of the taxi, she watched as the man she'd loved grew smaller in the distance and briefly wondered where it all went wrong.

~~~~~~~~ SQ ~~~~~~~~

Arriving at the hotel, it took a matter of minutes to reach the suite Regina had rented earlier that morning. While she hadn't planned on returning quite so soon, the brunette was thankful she had left the rooms in a tidy state and hadn't left anything too embarrassing on display. Emma's duffel bag hit the carpeted floor with muted thud, the lack of sound a testament to the quality of the furnishings.

"What have I done?" Emma's voice was quiet and she rocked unsteadily on her feet for a moment before Regina caught her hands, leading the shell-shocked woman to the dark leather sofa facing the floor-to-ceiling windows. With the curtains pulled back, it gave the occupants a spectacular view of the setting sun. A whimper accompanied the blonde's descent and she stared at the carpet instead of the wondrous glow on the horizon.

Taking pity on her, Regina made a quick call to the concierge to arrange a bottle of wine and something light to eat to be delivered post-haste. She removed her blazer before perching next to Emma and coaxing her into a hug as the blonde's hold on her emotions finally let go. Gentle strokes across Emma's back seemed to help as her sobs lessened over time. It wasn't until they were interrupted by a knock on the door did they make any effort to move.

A warm smile and a generous tip later, Regina found herself in possession of a decent red and enough food to tide them over till dinner. Making quick work of the cork, she poured a healthy amount in the thoughtfully provided wine glasses and offered one to Emma. "I'm sorry."

"S'not your fault." Emma hiccuped and wiped her eyes with a tissue before taking a sip of her wine. At this point, what little make-up she usually wore was beyond saving. "I always knew he was a lady's man. Has been since I met him. I... I thought I might be the one to change all that. Guess not." She might have been describing the death of a friend by her tone of voice. "He's probably gone out to get drunk. Again." Bringing her now ringless hand closer to her eyes, she snorted at seeing the unmistakable green line that had been left. "Hmph. Knew he was a cheapskate. Couldn't even be bothered to spend anything worthwhile on the ring."

"He tried to bargain heavily when he contacted me about this, so I'm not surprised. Forgive me for overhearing, but is the house really in your name?" Regina sipped her own wine, reclining against the back of the sofa. A significant part of her job wasn't just the sex itself, but often helping counsel couples when getting involved in their relationship. She prided herself on bringing people closer together, not driving them apart. That being said, it seems whatever problems existed between these two had been there long before Killian's badly thought-out 'surprise' for his fiancé.

"Yeah. Still don't know why I didn't ever change that. We've been together for almost five years now. Or we were together, I guess." Emma stared into the bottom of her wine glass as if it might hold the secrets of what she would do now. "Maybe I always knew he wasn't the right one for me and I just didn't listen. I know you were hired for... well, sex, to be blunt I guess, but was there any sort of plan beyond that?"

Some of Regina's clients wanted elaborate setups or scenarios when introducing her into their relationship. Many just used her services to spice things up in the bedroom; a fantasy of having the attention of more than one person at once. Unfortunately for Emma, it seemed that Killian hadn't requested more than that and it was more of an excuse to have sex with another woman with her approval. Thinking before speaking so she didn't upset the blonde further, Regina did her best to choose her words carefully.

"It was supposed to be as he said; a bit of fun for everyone. I'm not shy about enjoying sex, but only if everyone involved is happy to take part. Even before your fiancé-" Emma frowned at her and she corrected herself. "Sorry, ex-fiancé came in, I was already going to stop things as you were clearly unhappy with what was happening."

"He really was... no, is an asshole." Emma's hand tightened on the glass so much, Regina was concerned it might snap and was relieved when the blonde loosened her grip to take another gulp. "You probably think I'm kinda stupid, huh?"

"For loving him? For trying to be a couple in spite of his boneheaded actions? Not at all, dear." Regina gave the other woman a tentative smile when Emma looked at her in surprise; apparently that wasn't what she was expecting to hear. "Love is a complicated, messy thing. It defies explanation, it just simply is what it is."

"But." Emma started to protest but fell silent and drained her wine glass before continuing. "It makes me wonder what I could have done differently. Ruby, a good friend, said I'd been changing since I met him, and not for the better." Looking back at what she liked before Killian, she found she had to agree. "Well, she used to be a good friend; we've lost touch and I'm starting to see why."

Blinking, she suddenly realised she was pouring her heart out to a complete stranger. "I don't even know why I'm telling you all this."

"I'm giving you wine and offering a friendly ear." Regina wasn't offended and chuckled. "Or as it used to be called; 'tea and sympathy'. To be honest, I do feel partly responsible for what's happened."

Emma shook her head, flinging her blonde ponytail from side-to-side. "As I said; you're not to blame as you didn't organise any of this. That was all up to Killian. Maybe it's just morbid curiosity, but the money he paid you, what would it have gotten me?"

"What do you mean?" Regina had an inkling where this was going but waited for Emma to explain herself.

"If we were still at our... my house. I'm sure we wouldn't just be sitting on the sofa while I drowned my sorrows in a bottle of wine over my stupid ex." Emma refilled her wine and did the same for Regina after getting a nod in agreement when gesturing with the bottle. "Though if we're going to drink more, I'm gonna swap my contacts out." Getting up from the sofa, she dug out the glasses case she'd stashed in her bag before their hasty departure for the hotel. "Killian always hated me in glasses. Too nerdy for him, I guess." Carefully teasing the disposable contact lenses out with the tip of one finger, she replaced them with the thick-rimmed glasses and felt shy as she sat down again, keeping from facing Regina until the last possible moment.

A slow smile lifted Regina's lips as her warm brown eyes took in her appearance. Unlike her earlier disdainful look at what Emma was wearing, Regina's attention now made the blonde feel very much wanted. Desired. Nothing like the repugnance that showed on her ex-fiancé's face whenever he saw her wearing glasses.

"In answer to your question, you're right in that this isn't what we would be doing." Regina's free hand slowly moved up Emma's bare arm, a gentle touch that left a lingering warmth, until she reached her face. She gave the other woman every opportunity to stop her or move away, but Emma did neither and just watched in fascination. "There are much more enjoyable things we could be doing that involve a sofa. Would you like me to show you?"

"I... I don't know." Emma's nerves had failed her and she felt flustered, uncertain. Technically she'd just gotten out of a long-term relationship, but she was starting to wonder just how one-sided it had been. Not to mention for how long things had been all about what he wanted.

Regina moved her hand away from Emma's face and held her hand instead, the blonde already missing the warm touch. "Would it help if I told you I'm not doing this out of pity, or for the money? We don't even have to do anything sexual unless you want to. I noticed you grabbed a book as we were leaving, a favourite of yours?"

"Seriously?" Emma's eyebrows rose. "You wanna talk about my choice of literature right now?" Killian never did, he was always too engrossed in watching football or baseball (or beach volleyball, but she knew that was only for the women in bikinis). The more she thought about their relationship, the more she wondered just what the hell she was thinking in agreeing to marry him.

"And why wouldn't I want to do that? My job isn't just the physical aspect of it all. Anyone can take part in a threesome, that's easy, but helping partners re-connect or enhance what they have already? That takes much more. Noticing the little details and being observant helps with that." Regina pointed to the spine of the book poking out of Emma's duffel bag. "You had a stack of books on the table, not to mention a whole bookshelf in the living room, and probably more elsewhere, right?" Emma's blush painted her cheeks a delicate shade of pink, but she nodded all the same. "But out of all of them, you chose that one, so it must be important to you or you would have chosen something else."

"Growing up, my family were great about a lot of things, but we didn't have a lot of money to spend on things we didn't really need. After graduating high school, I got a job working in a bookstore for a while and fell in love with science-fiction. All the weird and wonderful stories of far-away worlds, strange technology and impossible creations really appealed to me." Emma's passion for the subject was reflected in the brilliant sparkle in her bright green eyes and the lightness of her expression as she spoke. She gazed fondly at the book in her bag. "It was the first book I ever bought for myself, with money I earned. I know it so well, it's more like an old friend." A single tear rolled down her cheek as she had an abrupt realisation. "My only friend these days."

Regina had a feeling that was also due to Killian; either keeping her away from her friends or they were put off by Emma's refusal to acknowledge what had been happening to her as part of being together with him. If she were honest, he didn't seem like a bad guy per se, just more selfish than was probably healthy for their relationship. She wondered if he was too narcissistic to realise just how much emotional damage he'd done with his thoughtless actions in trying to bring her into the picture.

Taking both their glasses, Regina set them down on the coffee table before she pulled Emma into another hug. "Maybe it's time you got reacquainted with your friends. I'm sure they'd love to hear from you." Especially if Killian was the reason they'd lost contact in the first place, but she didn't want to say that out loud.

"Y-Yeah, maybe." Emma nodded against Regina's shoulder and tried not to sniffle in her ear. Hugging a woman was different from hugging Killian. There wasn't any perpetual stubble scratching her cheek, no scent of that god-awful aftershave he used (or said he did; she wasn't entirely sure he knew what a razor was some days) and she didn't feel like she was being crushed against a barrel. She felt... cherished. Possibly for the first time in years.

"Has anyone ever told you that you'd make a great counsellor?" Emma asked in amusement as she reluctantly moved away from their embrace.

"I don't have the temperament for it, dear." Regina cackled quietly. "And no matter how fun it might be, you're not supposed to have sex with your clients." There it was; the elephant in the room, sitting quietly and reading the letters page in the newspaper. It might as well have had a giant neon sign floating over it that pointed out just why they were sitting in Regina's hotel room together in the first place.

Seeing the green stain on her finger again brought up all the negative thoughts she'd been having about Killian. How long had it been since he'd taken the slightest interest in her beyond all the things she did for him? Or even made her feel wanted after having some (selfish on his part) sex when he got home after being out all night with his friends? Her rising anger made her clench her fists and screw her eyes shut, much as she'd done earlier.

Warm, gentle fingers coaxed Emma's hands to uncurl and she opened her eyes to see Regina looking at her with a soft smile. "He's not worth it."

"Are you psychic too?" Emma looked bemused.

Regina's chuckle was rich. "No dear, but I recognise anger, and frustration, when I see it." She still held Emma's hands and progressed to rubbing them with her thumbs. "Something tells me he wasn't exactly attentive to your... needs." Pent-up sexual tension was something Regina was incredibly good at resolving, even if she did say so herself.

"Is it that obvious?" The blush was back in full force on Emma's cheeks as she looked down at their joined hands.

"You're an intelligent woman, Emma. Satisfying you takes more than a kiss and a quick fumble in the bedroom. After all, the biggest erogenous zone is the brain. Get to know it, and what makes it tick, then the possibilities are endless. Having someone poke your clit with a blunt object is probably about as enticing as it sounds." Emma giggled in spite of herself at the mental image of someone doing that. "There, that right there is the second most important thing; to laugh together, to have fun. You probably haven't had much fun either, am I right?"

Blonde locks were flung about as Emma shook her head. "We... uhm... no. I guess you could say I didn't. He preferred missionary and never let me be on top." She wondered just when she had turned into a pillow princess and made a disgusted face at the thought. Before Killian, she would never have let anyone treat her like that. Regina tried her hardest not to show any emotion on her face, really she did, but something must have escaped her control as it made Emma roll her eyes. "Yeah, I know; there's more to life than missionary, but whenever I suggested it, he looked like I'd kicked his puppy or something." Again, Regina tried not to show anything and was more successful at hiding her thoughts regarding the overgrown manchild. "Wait, you think I'm intelligent?"

Moving so they were sitting comfortably against the back of the sofa, Regina nodded. "Absolutely. It shows in what you say and how you say it." She smiled when Emma made no move to shrug her arm off as it naturally fell across the woman's shoulders. "I meant what I said; your brain is the best tool for opening yourself up to sex. Did no one ever teach you that? How about a little experiment then? I promise to keep my hands to myself." She clarified when Emma looked uncertain.

"Uhm... ok, I guess?"

"Relax and close your eyes for me?" Regina smiled when Emma obeyed without question and her voice dropped, approaching the sort of tone found in only the very best television commercials for chocolate. "Good girl. Now, imagine yourself in bed, warm and comfortable, without a care in the world. Can you do that?"

Emma fidgeted a little on the sofa but nodded, eyes still closed. "Yes."

"It's early, a lazy Sunday morning. Nowhere to be, nothing urgent that demands your attention for at least a few hours or more. What would you be doing?" The words were spoken quietly, insinuating themselves into Emma's ear and tickling her spine. "Before you met... him."

"Depends." Emma's bitten lip and flushed chest didn't go unnoticed by the brunette, and it made Regina smirk. "If I didn't have to be anywhere, I would... uhm..." Regina knew exactly what the 'uhm' was going to be but waited for Emma to continue. "Pleasure myself." The words were whispered, but still audible in the quiet hotel room.

"That's good, because pleasuring yourself is just as important as pleasuring others, Emma. Knowing what you like, where you like it and how hard you want it is essential if you're to tell a partner, or how else will they know? People aren't mind-readers, after all. For example, do you enjoy having someone focus on your neck? Bite it before soothing it with gentle kisses?" Regina watched in satisfaction as Emma's hand flew up to her own neck, covering her pulse. She kept quiet but made a mental note for later.

"Or move down to your breasts? Should they... take their time, tease them, caress them before using their tongue on them?" Regina's words were doing an excellent job of raising Emma's blood pressure and she shifted on the sofa again, still with her eyes closed. She could easily imagine someone with her in that bed, their hands doing exactly what Regina was describing. Her question of "Should they bite your nipples or lightly scrape them with their nails?" brought out a twitch of her hips and a pooling warmth in Emma's belly. "Are you getting wet, dear? And be honest please."

Regina's question finally made Emma open her eyes, and snap her out of the pleasant daydream she'd found herself in. To her embarrassment, she was wet; she knew it and she was sure the other woman knew it without having to ask about it. In all the time she'd been together with Killian, he'd never managed to do that with words (or anything else) alone. "H-How?" Emma was torn between wanting Regina to stop and desperately wanting her to continue.

"I enjoy what I do." Her tone was one of quiet assurance and Regina's smile was gentle as she encouraged Emma to relax against her again, hoping the other woman hadn't been offended by her question. "Turning people on isn't limited to what I can do with just my hands, or let's say, the rest of me."

"Oh." It was a reminder that this was a job for Regina and Emma was just a client, something she should have expected; she wasn't anything special, after all. Her spiralling thoughts were interrupted by Regina touching her cheek.

"Hey, get out of your head." Regina looked at Emma's troubled expression and she removed her hand. "I apologise; I've made you uncomfortable, so that's enough experimenting for now."

"No! I mean, I don't want you to stop. Isn't... isn't this what we would have been doing by now?"

A quick glance at the clock confirmed the time. They'd been in the hotel for over an hour now and if they'd still been back at Emma's house, things would have been going very differently. She would have taken her time with Emma, whispering filthy things in her ear before finding just the right spots that would short-circuit her brain completely. The blonde's oaf of an ex-fiancé wouldn't have had anywhere near as much of her attention.

"You're right. We wouldn't be having deep and meaningful conversations about the joys of sex; we'd be in the bedroom working out just what you liked." Regina's smirk turned positively sinful. "Loudly and repeatedly... over and over again, until you couldn't even remember your own name." She ran her fingers over Emma's jeans, tracing the seam up her inner thigh until it met the thin leather belt at the waist. "Is that what you want?"

Emma had watched the progress of Regina's hand and had to suppress a whimper when it stopped short of where she really wanted it. Even if Regina was doing this for the money, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she felt she wanted more than she had in a long time.

"Yes."

"Good girl." Emma tried not to squirm at the praise that came so easily from the brunette. "I meant what I said earlier; we can do nothing more than sit here and talk about anything you wish, or I could give you my full attention and worship you as you truly deserve to be." The chuckle that left Regina's mouth promised wicked things, naughty things, wonderfully awful things, would happen if she agreed.

Regina's dark eyes drew Emma in, pulling her gaze from where it had been darting around the room. Being so close let her see the tiny flecks in the irises, despite the pupils widening and making them even darker. She leaned in and tentatively brushed her lips against Regina's before she replied. "Is it ok if we talk later? I really don't wanna talk right now."

Getting up, Regina lightly took Emma's hand and led her towards the bedroom. "I think I can manage that."

~~~~~~~~ SQ ~~~~~~~~

With Emma sitting nervously on the edge of the bed, it was the work of a moment to draw the curtains and blot out the late afternoon sun. The darkened room threw plenty of shadows until Regina switched on a bedside lamp.

Emma's quiet "Can... can we leave the lights off?" made Regina turn to look at her, head tilted to one side in question. "I'm not comfy with lights on during... you know."

Being as perceptive as ever, Regina moved in front of her and knelt down so she could try and catch the blonde's eyes when they wouldn't rise from looking down into the carpet. "You're not comfy or he's not?" She wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if it was the latter, given everything she'd found out so far. "You're a beautiful woman, Emma. Never, ever let someone tell you otherwise." A tentative smile appeared on the blonde's face as she finally looked up. "There you are. If the light really bothers you, I'll turn it off, but seeing you letting go would be a wonderful thing if you'll let me."

Killian never wanted that. He never wanted a lot of things when it came to sex. It took someone, a person that hadn't met either of them before, to make her realise just how lacking her relationship had been. Did he even love her?

"I'm sure he did once, in his own way." Regina's words made Emma realise she'd spoken her thoughts aloud, though the more they both thought about it, the less they were convinced. The brunette shuffled forward on her knees until she could push between Emma's legs and kiss her cheek, gently embracing her in a close hug. She traced her fingers over Emma's stiff shoulders, coaxing them to relax before working her way down an equally tense spine. "You need to relax."

"Can't." Emma's reply was almost childlike in its petulance and Regina could easily picture the blond sitting with her arms crossed, pushing her bottom lip out in a pout, if she wasn't already holding her.

Regina continued to rub Emma's back. "Is there something I can do to help? Or are you nervous about what we're going to do? No matter what, we can stop at any point." She kept her voice quiet, soothing.

"It's... it's been a while since I was with a woman." Internally, Regina was relieved that she wasn't dealing with a virginal lesbian. "W-What if I get it wrong?" Performance issues then, not exactly a surprise after Emma's recent relationship. Killian was incredibly lucky that Regina hadn't known about all this when she'd met him or he'd be missing another hand.

"Oh Emma. Believe me, even with plenty of experience, it might never be perfect, but there's no such thing as 'getting it wrong'." Regina brought her hands up to cradle Emma's face between them, lightly brushing her cheeks before she leant forward to kiss her deeply on the lips. "Sex should be fun, for everyone involved. So what if neither of you have an orgasm? Or you both do? Or one of you does, but the other doesn't? It's more important that you both enjoy yourselves. Ok?"

Emma's nod and nervous smile was rewarded with another deep kiss before Regina moved her hands down, over Emma's neck, to the tank top Emma wore. "Shall we take this off?" Another nod preceded Emma lifting it over her head, careful to avoid tangling her glasses, and a quick shake resettled her pony tail before she wrapped her arms around her chest below her bra. Dozens of small scars littered Emma's torso which, along with the faint silvery lines of stretch marks, were the reason why Emma wanted the lights off.

"These are what you didn't want me to see?" Gentle fingers, with the lightest touch, followed the lines as they curved around Emma's ribs. "They're nothing to be ashamed of, dear."

"But..." Emma trailed off and looked to one side, not wanting to see the warm brown eyes that were wandering over her skin. "They're ugly." She'd been told that enough, and not just by Killian; all her previous partners had commented on them and not many had nice things to say.

"Emma? Look at me, please?" Green eyes reluctantly moved back in Regina's direction. "No dear; look me in the eye." She kept perfectly still and smiled when Emma finally made eye contact. "They're not ugly. Far from it. Does the scar on my lip put you off?" Her question made Emma glance briefly at it before looking up again.

"No! Not at all. It... it looks fine."

"Then why should I think differently of yours?" Leaning back, Regina unbuttoned her blouse and drew it down her arms. The delicate black lace bra that had been peeking tantalisingly through was now fully displayed. It was tempting enough to bring Emma's hands moving towards Regina before she'd consciously realised what was happening and brought them to a halt just in time.

"You're allowed to touch." Placing her hands over Emma's, Regina brought them into contact with her own sides. "It's encouraged." The tiny calluses on Emma's hand provided a delightful friction as they meandered over her soft skin, a pleased sigh escaping her lips as her nipples tightened under her bra. "Mmmm..."

"I did that?" Emma's voice was tinged with awe at seeing the effects of just touching the other woman's bare skin.

"Yes, you did. You have such wonderful hands." Regina pulled one away from where it had been exploring her ribs and nuzzled it with her cheek. After closing her eyes for a moment, she re-opened them to find Emma's blown wide again behind her glasses. She turned Emma's hand over to press a kiss to the palm, moving slowly towards the tips of the fingers. A playful nip made Emma gasp before she pressed another kiss to the inside of Emma's wrist, leaving a faint trail of lipstick as she travelled up her arm.

"Lie back for me?" It wasn't really a question as Emma was already moving backwards when Regina stood up. A quick tug on the zip keeping her pencil skirt together, and a wiggle of her hips was enough to remove it completely, leaving her standing in just her matching lace underwear and heels. Bending at the waist let Regina unlace Emma's sneakers and gave the blonde a look straight down her cleavage while she removed them.

Realising that Regina was going to undress her, Emma started to help before the brunette lightly held her hands again, stopping them from moving. "Allow me." Something in Regina's tone, almost like the reverence of a loyal subject for their queen, made her nod and she let Regina continue, getting a playful smile from her when Emma's belt was unfastened and dragged free. A flick of the wrist and the button keeping Emma's jeans closed was released, an easy steady tug on the ankles pulled them down to reveal pale skin littered with more faint scars.

That same slow perusal of her body that had happened outside her house by Regina had a completely different effect now and it made Emma's blush travel down her neck to her chest. Slow blinks, as brief as a camera shutter trying to record the moment, interrupted Regina's gaze as they moved from the tips of the blonde's adorably painted toenails and up her legs. Dark brown eyes lingered on Emma's underwear, causing a soft smile to appear before moving higher, over her covered breasts, before they finally stopped when they reached Emma's own behind her glasses. She took in the blatant signs of arousal and slowly licked her lips; the hardened nipples poking through the thin cotton bra, the darkening patch on the ('thank god they match today' Emma congratulated herself) panties and the delightful short little gasps of breath.

"You're so beautiful, Emma." Regina approached the bed and knelt on it so she could crawl seductively up the other woman's body, giving Emma every chance to stop her or say something. If she was being honest, there was something of a 'nerdy-girl-next door' stereotype seeing Emma dressed in plain cotton underwear and glasses. While she was sure the blonde wasn't anywhere near being that innocent (despite what her outfit might otherwise suggest), it did make Regina want to corrupt her and do wicked, wicked things to her. She lifted Emma's glasses and set them down on the nightstand next to the bed. As much as she liked Emma wearing them, they were in the way and had to go.

"I... I am?"

Regina hated the fact that Emma doubted herself so much that she'd had to ask that as a question and not an affirmation that she already knew it to be true. "Absolutely, yes." Emma seemed unsure what to do with herself now that Regina was once again close enough to touch after crawling up to be next to her, but was now wearing a lot less. Settling next to Emma on the bed, Regina encouraged the blonde to cuddle closer, to partially lie on top of her as she idly traced random patterns over Emma's back. Her fingers wandered nearer to the fastening keeping Emma's bra in place and Regina managed to catch the blonde's eye, raising an eyebrow in a silent question as to whether she would like to continue.

A shy nod was all she got in reply before Emma lifted herself up enough to reach back and unhook her bra. As soon as it was off, she pressed herself back against Regina as if to hide her chest. When Emma saw her watching her in some bemusement, she fidgeted with her hands. "'M shy." Was all she said.

"You don't need to be when you're around me." Regina tried to reassure her as they cuddled together. "Sit up, please?" When Emma reluctantly complied, she moved her hands towards Emma's bare breast and gently squeezed it, a test to see what Emma liked. When the other woman arched into her touch, she grinned as she focused on the hardened nipple pressing against her palm. She rolled it lightly between her fingers before pinching it harder, pleased when Emma mewled and clutched tightly onto her without objecting to her actions.

Letting go, Regina trailed her hands down Emma's sides to the waistband of the cotton panties that were now soaked with desire. "May I?" A very long moment stretched between them, Emma biting her lip before giving Regina a jerky nod.

"Don't hurt yourself, dear." The delicate touch of Regina's thumb released Emma's lip. "Unless you happen to like mixing a little pain with your pleasure?" There was absolutely no judgement in her voice, just gentle curiosity; a desire to know so she could make the whole experience better for the other woman.

"M-Maybe."

Regina had to work to catch Emma's eyes again, but when she did she gave her a bright smile. "You can tell me what you want, Emma. What you like. There's no judgement here, ok?" She got another jerky nod. "Good girl." The praise darkened Emma's cheeks and she shifted enough on the bed so that Regina could slowly pull the blonde's panties down, dropping them off to one side. It wasn't hard to discern how aroused Emma had become; tiny pearls of moisture had collected on the fine dusting of blonde hair between her legs.

Seeing just where Regina was looking made Emma reflexively try to hide by closing her legs.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, darling." Regina tried to give her a reassuring smile. "It's perfectly natural." She reached back to unfasten her own bra, slipping the straps down her shoulders so she could drop it to the floor.

Emma knew that. She did. It was just that she'd never been turned on quite so quickly and so thoroughly in all her life. The encouragement about her appearance, trying to find out what she wanted, what she liked. With the way things were progressing, and given enough time, she was sure Regina would be able to talk her into orgasming without even touching her.

When her hands found their way to Regina's hips, she rested them on the waistband of Regina's delicate thong. When no move was made to stop her, she traced her fingers over the fine lace before hooking fingers under the sides. "May I take these off?"

"Of course." Regina lifted herself up to help as Emma pulled them away, letting her take the lethal-looking stiletto shoes with them. The blonde's eyebrows shot up when she realised just how damp Regina's underwear had become. "You see what effect you're having on me, Emma? That's all your doing."

When Emma realised they were now both completely undressed, it sent her heart rate skyrocketing and she started breathing a little too quickly. Seeing a rising panic, Regina coaxed the blonde to lie down next to her again and cuddled Emma's head to her chest. "Close your eyes for me... that's it, just relax. I've got you."

"Could swear you're a mind reader." Emma's voice was muffled but still audible as Regina stroked her hair, the faint puffs of breath teasing her bare breast.

"Maybe in another life." Regina chuckled as the other woman used her body as a pillow. "Despite our current dishabille, we can stop here if you wish. Consent is a big part of this and I don't want you to feel like you're forcing yourself into doing this just to prove something."

Emma lifted her head and blinked at her in confusion. "Dis-eh-what?"

"'Dis-ha-bille; usually to mean a state of casual dress. In this case, we're very casually dressed wouldn't you say?"

The grin on Regina's face was playful and it made Emma chuckle. "Heh, yeah." Feeling a little calmer (despite laying next to a gorgeous, naked woman), Emma ran her fingers over a few tiny marks that she could just make out on Regina's upper legs.

"Such a curious little thing, aren't you?" Regina watched as Emma explored her bare skin, pushing against her hands when she could and sighing happily. "Mmmm... Trying to find out all my secrets? Like, if I'm ticklish?"

Emma took the opportunity to find out and deliberately tried tickling her ribs. When there wasn't even the slightest twitch after several attempts, she pouted adorably. "Not even a little?" She tried other spots but got the same result.

"Sorry darling, not at all." Regina pulled Emma down on top of her and kissed the pout away. As it got more heated between them, she moved her hands down to Emma's hips and tugged lightly on them, suggesting Emma should straddle her lap. When she finally got the hint, Emma gingerly moved her leg over and carefully adjusted her weight so she didn't hurt the other woman.

With Emma above her, Regina smiled. "Comfy?" She asked, getting a nod in return. The blush on Emma's skin was back in full force when she realised her position. "It's a bit late now and I should have asked you earlier; would you have liked something to ride?" A gentle lifting of Regina's hips suggested exactly what sort of 'something' that would have been.

"Maybe later? If there is a later. It's been a while since I've done this and I'm still getting used to the uh... altitude." Emma knew she wasn't exactly heavy, but she didn't want to crush the poor woman either. Instead, she leant forward to evenly balance her weight between her knees and forearms, bringing her face near to Regina's neck. This close, she could see her pulse and couldn't resist the urge to kiss it tenderly.

"Yesss darling. Right there..." The soft tone from their little experiment was back as Regina whispered in Emma's ear, putting one arm around her back and the other cradling the base of her head to keep the blonde in place. "A little harder, just a little? ~Ohh!" Emma did as she was asked and nipped lightly on Regina's neck, getting more access as Regina turned her head to one side. Several more nips and open-mouthed kisses had the other woman squirming underneath her before she finally stopped and sat upright again.

Dark brown eyes gazed up at Emma as Regina's breathing slowed back down to a steady rhythm, looking utterly content. "Not done this for a while, she says. It looks like you haven't forgotten anything at all." Emma's smile was bright and some of her nervousness had gone, encouraged by Regina's reaction to what she'd been doing. Gentle hands rested on Emma's waist for a moment before they moved to cup her rear, squeezing hard enough to make her mewl when Regina's sharp nails sank into it.

"Too much?" Emma shook her head in reply. "More?" A nod this time and it brought back the wicked grin to Regina's lips. "Thank you for being honest, darling." She pulled Emma back down onto her again, though without letting Emma rest on her forearms, her weight was fully on Regina and it made Emma want to lift herself off again. "No, stay; you're fine where you are." Lightly raking her nails down Emma's back got an uncontrolled thrust of the hips and a delightful moan from the blonde. Their bodies were pushed closer, chest to chest, when Regina used her legs to pull the blonde closer, tucking them tightly across the small of her back.

Despite being on top, Emma found it impossible to move away.

"You're the perfect weight." Regina slowly ground her pelvis against Emma's, providing some much needed friction for both of them. She encouraged Emma to clasp hands with her own and moved them to either side of her head, bringing Emma close enough to kiss her senseless. When they finally parted for air, she couldn't help but grin at seeing what little had remained of her lipstick on Emma's lips.

"That was... that was... wow." Emma's eyes were glazed as she blinked slowly, looking thoroughly stunned as they broke apart.

"And we haven't even gotten to the best part yet. Would you like to stay on top or change position?" Regina could see the indecision as soon as she asked the question, but she waited patiently while Emma considered her options.

"What did you have in mind?"

"I was going to see if your thighs are as strong as they look." The beginnings of a wicked smile were starting to form on Regina's lips as she stroked the muscles in Emma's legs. "Since you haven't... ridden in a while." The smile grew. "I thought I'd go easy on you and put my tongue to better use. You said you didn't want to talk after all."

When Emma realised what Regina was referring to, it took her a solid minute to stop looking like a fish out of water and keep her mouth closed. Her question of "R-Really?" got her a solemn nod. "And... and I... uhm... I get to be on top?" She tried to keep the hopeful, all-her-wishes-had-come-true tone out of her voice.

"If that's what you want, of course. Seeing you come apart like that will be breathtaking... I'll get to feel your legs tremble around me, your face expressing your absolute bliss as you peak. The deep red blush that stains your cheeks before spreading down your chest that's heaving for breath." She traced her hands over Emma's skin before gently releasing her legs so Emma can be coaxed to sit upright. "Will you bite your lip to contain the sounds of your release or scream it out for any and all to hear? Let the world know just how happy you are in that moment."

Emma was already biting her lip as Regina spoke, her arousal leaking down the inside of her leg to collect on the brunette's bare skin. She couldn't remember the last time she'd done anything like that. For years, she'd been having sex with Killian on top and she wasn't even sure when was the last time he'd gone down on her. In the end, there wasn't really a conscious decision to be made. "Yes, please... yes, so much... yes!"

Regina chuckled as Emma's head tried to blur through the sound barrier given how quickly she was nodding. Reaching out she put her hands on Emma's waist and slowly pulled her forward, leaving a damp trail of arousal as Emma moved up Regina's body.

Looking down and seeing Regina gazing up at her so adoringly from between her legs was a powerful image. There was no weariness in her face, no put-upon expression of "let's just get this over with", a chore to be completed like any other, just an intense look of desire. Eagerness for something fun, that this was something she wanted to do for Emma.

As Emma grabbed the headboard for balance, Regina turned her head and pressed gentle kisses to Emma's inner thigh. She smiled up at Emma as she rested her hands on Emma's hips. "If you want me to stop or feel uncomfortable, just say and we'll stop. No questions asked, ok?"

"Ok." Emma gave her one more jerky nod as she settled her weight on her knees, putting as little of it on the other woman as she could. Within a moment, she could feel soft lips and the wet silkiness of Regina's tongue gently exploring her crotch, making her tighten her grip on the headboard. Previous partners had immediately gone straight for her clit (if they could find it, she thought sourly) but there was no frantic desperate search this time. Just a warmth that lazily flicked over her labia, gathering up all the moisture that had escaped from it and accompanied by a contented hum at the taste. She tried not to twitch and mash her pelvis into the other woman's face, but she was having a hard time keeping still.

The soft, steady puffs of breath teased Emma as Regina explored, finding just where made the blonde moan or exclaim the loudest. While she couldn't see it, Emma could certainly feel the brunette's smile against her pussy, Regina's nose bumping against the hood covering her clit. Given their relative positions with Regina's hands trapped underneath her, Emma used her own hands to pull the hood back. "Here..." She muttered quietly before holding onto the headboard again.

If possible, Regina's smile widened as she licked her way up Emma's puffy lips before wrapping her lips tightly around Emma's clit. When she hummed, it made the blonde's thighs tremble around her and a gentle suck brought forth a tiny gush of liquid against her chin. "Ohhhh goddd..." Was all Emma managed before she bit down hard on lip, screwing her eyes shut and trying to keep quiet.

Peeking up at Emma from her position, Regina stopped for a moment and lightly tapped Emma's leg with one hand to get her attention. "Don't be shy darling, let me hear you sing." After a moment's consideration, Emma nodded and released her now swollen bottom lip, though her hold tightened to a white-knuckled grip on the headboard. Regina smirked and wished their positions were different so she could kiss that lip.

A deep-throated moan was coaxed from Emma as Regina left feather-light kisses on Emma's inner thigh again, gentle nips that progressed to firmer bites, bringing the blood to the surface of the skin and leaving marks that were going to linger once they were done. "Please, R-Regina..." She begged when Regina showed no sign of moving back to her clit. Her orgasm was already so close after being utterly turned on.

Reaching up again, Regina used her hands to guide Emma where she wanted and sucked hard on the blonde's exposed clit, humming loudly to vibrate her lips against it.

"Yes... yes... YES!" Emma chanted, unable to keep her hips still and feeling that wonderful warmth starting to coil. Her head dropped forward, long blonde hair partially concealing her face as she let go of the headboard so she could take a firm hold of Regina's head. A few seconds later, she ground her hips down and jerked roughly against the other woman's face as she rode out her orgasm with a loud cry. "Re-gi-naaaaaahhh!"

With one last jerk, Emma let go of Regina and managed to tip sideways without injuring either of them. Not the most graceful thing she'd ever accomplished, but she was uncoordinated after the intense climax. Lying flat on her back, covered in sweat and panting hard, she struggled to form a coherent thought, looking dazedly up at the ceiling without really seeing it.

Making the mistake of looking at her lover, she whimpered, seeing perhaps one of the most erotic things she'd ever witnessed; Regina ever-so-slowly licking her wet lips while looking Emma straight in the eye. Look what I've done, she said without words, wasn't it as wonderful as I said it would be? It wasn't until Regina had wiped a hand across her equally wet chin that the blonde moved into action and intercepted her hand. Emma tenderly sucked Regina's fingers clean, closing her eyes and moaning softly at the taste of herself on them. She swirled her tongue across the tip of one finger, feeling immensely proud of herself when the other woman let out a quiet noise of excitement.

Finally letting go with a wet 'pop', she grinned unrepentantly and struggled to get her brain in gear after having it thoroughly melted. "That was... that was... yes."

"Are you always so eloquent, darling?" Regina's lips were quirked in amusement. "And, naturally, I was right; you were so beautiful in the moment." She reached out to brush a stray lock of Emma's hair behind her ear, lightly tracing the outer shell before cupping her reddened cheek. Her question of "another?" automatically made Emma's hips twitch before she could stop it.

"I... I don't know... and what about you?" Emma looked away and took an abrupt interest in studying the now messy sheets covering the bed, rather than see the likely disdain in Regina's brown eyes. Her confidence was fickle, coming and going equally quickly; after being treated to something so intense, she wasn't sure if she would measure up.

The way she'd asked her question suggested that her previous efforts in the bedroom hadn't been well-received and Regina was certain she knew the source. Her ex would be incredibly lucky to walk away unscathed if Regina ever met the... well, she supposed 'man' would have to do for a description, no matter how undeserving of the title, again, as she tried to keep the fury she felt for him from outwardly showing.

A gentle touch to Emma's chin brought her head around to meet Regina's as she leaned in for a kiss. "I don't mind; this is about what you want. You need to unlearn a few things. Terrible things that have been repeatedly told to you by someone so completely undeserving of you."

Spying the full-length mirror standing off to one side of the wardrobe, tastefully angled away from the occupants of the bed, Regina stood up and encouraged a reluctant Emma to stand with her in front of it. She stepped behind Emma and laid her chin on her shoulder so she could embrace the younger woman from behind, looking at both of them in the mirror.

"What do you see?" Her voice was quiet in the blonde's ear.

"Stretch marks... scars..." Emma's voice was flat as she listed off what she saw as the biggest flaws of her body. "My boobs aren't big enough. I'm not pretty enough..."

"You think that or you've been told that?" As before, there was no censure in Regina's question, just the desire to know. When Emma didn't respond, she knew it was the latter; someone, or perhaps several someones over the course of her life, had talked her into thinking these things. "The scars and stretch marks are not the only things I see when I look at you Emma." Regina's hands traced over the silvery lines on Emma's belly, light touches that bordered on a tickle. "So what if you have these? No one is perfect." Her hands moved higher and followed the neat line of a surgical scar that ran up the left side of Emma's ribs, a little memento of her earlier days as an inexperienced bail-bonds person. "Scars show that you have lived your life and it's gotten you where you are today."

Regina pressed against Emma's back and cupped her breasts in her hands, smiling when they fit almost perfectly. "Bigger doesn't always mean better. If someone is telling you these aren't enough, that you aren't enough, they're wrong." She used the mirror in front of them to look into Emma's green eyes that were watery with unshed tears. When she felt Emma trembling in her arms, she moved her hands so she could hold the blonde properly. "Let it out darling. You'll feel better, I promise."

Turning round so she could hold on tightly to Regina, thick, heavy tears rolled down Emma's cheeks as she sobbed against the crook of her neck. No one had ever told her she was good enough before. There was always something 'wrong' with her body, something that she should change, because she loved them, right? She was dimly aware of being guided back to the bed and the duvet being pulled up, but never once let go of Regina as she drifted off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~ SQ ~~~~~~~~

The glow of the setting sun was long gone by the time Emma woke up, the twinkling stars in the night sky were hidden by the curtains and the bedroom was faintly lit by the bedside lamp that was still on. She reluctantly turned over, fully expecting to find herself alone, as usual. What she found instead was Regina lying next to her, faint smudges of her make-up staining the pillow under her head.

Some primal instinct must have alerted Regina that she was being observed and she blinked awake, looking over at Emma with an adorably sleepy expression. Her lips lifted into a warm smile as she reached out, tucking Emma's hair behind her ear. "How are you feeling?"

"I... I feel..." Wrung out, on top of the world, lonely, satiated, depressed, joyous, awful, wonderful, happy, sad. She wasn't sure where to even begin explaining what she was feeling right at that moment and it must have shown as Regina cuddled her head to her chest as she'd done earlier. The brunette's gentle hands stroked her hair as she nuzzled gratefully, processing her swirling emotions as best she could. "Safe."

"Hm?" Regina's eyes narrowed a fraction but kept her smile as she tilted her head in mild confusion, prompting Emma to explain her one-word answer.

"You haven't mocked me. Not once. Not my goofy glasses, my books, my... my... body. You've done more for me in a few hours than my... More than he has in years." Emma screwed her eyes shut and swore to herself that no more tears would be shed over what was, and that she would focus on what is now. When she could no longer feel tears pricking at her eyes, she reopened them and continued. "I feel like I could tell you anything, and I don't know why."

"That's easy." Moving her hand slowly, Regina tilted Emma's head up so she could rub her thumb over Emma's cheek. "Don't you know unicorns are magical?" Her reply and exaggerated wink made Emma blurt out a giggle. "You finally met someone who sees you for who you are, not what they want you to be." The circumstances of their meeting were immediately recalled by Emma and it made her face fall. "Now now, none of that." She continued to stroke Emma's cheek and rubbed what she could reach of her back.

Lifting her hand, Emma let it rest on Regina's ribs, the tips of two fingers stroking the unblemished skin as she sighed. "Why can't I date people more like you?" Her tone wasn't upset or angry, and was more resigned if anything.

"Unicorns are rare, dear." Regina's gentle chuckle shook her chest against Emma's head, smiling at the implied compliment.

"I really should feel more upset about this whole situation and ending things with Killian, but I just... don't. Is that wrong?"

"From what you've said, it looked like this was going to happen eventually." Regina moved to caress Emma's hair, running it playfully through her fingers. "You've been unhappy for a long time and whatever feelings you have for him will have been diminished. Mainly by what he's done. Or not done as the case may be."

They laid together in an easy silence for a little longer before a pressing need made itself known to Emma.

"I don't wanna move, but I really need to go." Emma realised what that sounded like and was quick to correct herself. "To the bathroom I mean, not go-go." Mortified, she reluctantly rolled away from Regina and sat on the edge of the bed for a moment as her blood pressure equalised. "I'll just uhm... yeah." A few quick, light steps and she was in the en-suite with the door shut.

Trying not to chuckle, Regina sat up and arranged the pillows so she could lean back against the headboard while she waited for the blonde's return. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand; it was getting late and they probably should consider eating some of the food she'd ordered earlier. Licking her lips gave her another taste of Emma and she hummed thoughtfully. Then again, perhaps food could wait a little longer.

Regina settled back and ran her hands across her bare breasts, squeezing gently before teasing her hardened nipples. She was just reaching down with one hand when the door to the bathroom opened and Emma emerged, looking bashful.

"Sorry about that, I..." Emma trailed off when she realised what Regina was up to. "Oh! You... are... well... you're... uhm... should I help? Or leave? I can leave." She blushed, clearly flustered when the other woman made no immediate move to stop what she was doing.

"Would you like me to stop, darling?"

"No... please, don't stop." Emma's focus was on Regina's hands as she shook her head. The hands that were inching closer to Regina's pussy, her slowly widening legs revealing just how aroused the brunette was as she ever-so-slowly looked Emma up and down. Admiring her. Delicate fingers that were holding herself open and exposing her throbbing clit to the air.

Watching Emma approach the bed, Regina's eyes hooded as stroked her fingers through the wetness that was leaking out of her cunt. "I would love for you to 'help' me. However you'd like to." She lifted her fingers to her mouth and sucked them clean, tasting herself with a soft moan.

If Emma's most erotic sight was seeing Regina lick her lips after giving her an orgasm, it was seeing Emma crawling on all-fours towards her on the bed that was Regina's. There was nothing predatory in it; just the sight of a beautiful woman moving with purpose, the intent of what she was going to do.

A little of the old Emma, pre-Killian, made itself known as she kissed her way up Regina's legs, pausing at her inner thighs to leave stinging hickeys that made the brunette gasp and clutch Emma's hair to halt her progress. Realising she might have gone too far, Emma looked up. "No?"

"You're full of surprises, darling. And no, that's perfect." Emma's shy little grin was all Regina saw before her lips were kissing their way closer to where she really needed them. "Haaaa... yes, darling, right there." She gasped as Emma's mouth made contact with her pussy and reflexively pulled Emma's head closer, crossing her ankles behind her back.

"Mmmm!"

Whatever claims that Emma had made about her lack of recent experience, she was certainly not showing it as she explored with her tongue, helped along with Regina's little comments of "oh yes!" and "more!".

Regina's breathing became more ragged the closer she got to climaxing and her grip on Emma's hair tightened. It didn't take long for Emma's inquisitive little tongue to find her clit and she bucked hard against it, arching her back against the headboard as she clenched her legs.

"Yesssss... sooo close... just a little more, darling, please..."

Her gasped words prompted Emma to wriggle her hands under Regina to embrace her hips, almost holding her in place as she sucked hard on her clit.

Dropping her head back, Regina's hand flew up to her mouth so she could cover her scream as she peaked, trying to keep the other from tearing out Emma's hair as she jerked her hips harder and harder against her. When her vision finally cleared, she managed to uncross her legs from where she'd dug them into the poor woman's back, feeling utterly boneless.

Her warm brown eyes were blown wide as she coaxed Emma up from between her still trembling thighs. "Ohh Emma..." She trailed off, but the contented smile said everything for her as she pulled Emma into a slow kiss, tasting herself on the blonde's tongue.

"Was that ok?" Emma asked when they broke apart, still nervous of her performance.

"That was much, much more than 'ok'." Regina assured her as Emma cuddled close. "You have a very talented tongue, and know just how to use it." The words brought a tentative smile to Emma's face. "Let me get my breath back, then I think some food will do us both some good before round two."

"R-Round two!?"

Regina's wicked grin was back. "Oh yes; round two. I did promise you wouldn't remember your own name, did I not? And I do keep my promises."

~~~~~~~~ SQ ~~~~~~~~

After spending the night in Regina's bed having climaxed several more times, or, to be accurate; on the sofa, in the luxurious jacuzzi bathtub and then the bed, Emma finally made the decision to look at her phone the following morning. To her dismay, she found an increasing number of desperate messages, followed by ever more irate and threatening ones, from Killian.

Given that he sounded progressively more drunk in each voicemail, she simply started deleting most of them unheard. The time of the last one she listened to was around 1 a.m. and it sounded like he was in one of his favourite dive bars from the background noise. "Hmph. I wonder who he got to bail him out this time." She wondered to herself, knowing his tendency for drinking more than he could afford. At least he didn't have any credit cards connected to her checking account.

Sitting next to her on the sofa in an embroidered silk robe (clearly her own and not supplied by the hotel) and drinking a cup of freshly delivered coffee, Regina watched the play of emotions on Emma's face and touched her bare leg where it peeked out from under the other woman's robe. "Everything ok?"

A deep sigh emerged from Emma's throat as she nodded. "Yeah. Just Killian being... himself, I guess. Not that I should have expected anything different. He uh... wasn't exactly flattering about the fact I rode off with you." While she knew he'd be upset with her, the sheer amount of vitriol he had for Regina was something she hadn't expected, and it certainly made her decision to leave him all the easier.

"I'm sorry, dear." No matter the circumstances, finding out your fiancé's character flaws in this way isn't pleasant and Regina genuinely felt bad for Emma.

"Like I said yesterday; none of this is your fault. If anything, I am grateful to you that I found this out now. Would you..." Emma hesitated for a moment and toyed with the handle of her own coffee cup. "Would you come back to the house with me? I don't think he'll be there, or if he is, that he'd try anything. I could just use a little support right now."

"Of course I will." Regina used her free hand to squeeze Emma's. "It would be my absolute pleasure to show that sorry excuse for a human being just what he's lost." Anyone else would have found her expression disturbing but it brought out a smile from Emma.

"Breakfast, a shower, and then we'll catch a cab. How does that sound?" Regina asked before she took another sip of her coffee.

Emma's bright green eyes darkened considerably at the memories of their last shower. "Do we have to shower separately?"

"Well, I was going to..."

Regina was cut off as Emma took her half-finished coffee and put it down, taking her by the hand as she led them into the ensuite, giggling all the way.

~~~~~~~~ SQ ~~~~~~~~

The bathroom wasn't as pristine as when Regina had first checked-in, but she didn't think the cleaning staff would be too upset after the two women had managed to soak up all the water that had spilled following their not-exactly-clean shower using a few spare towels.

Naturally they'd done this without wearing a stitch of clothing and it had brought out more giggling whenever one of them caught the other's body wiggling with effort. The first time almost brought Emma's mood down before Regina had hastily remedied the situation by pressing warm kisses to the marks Emma so despised on her skin, murmuring the word "beautiful" to each one.

When they'd finally gotten themselves appropriately dressed (and Emma stopped instantly ruining her panties when seeing what Regina had chosen to wear), they made it downstairs to take a taxi back to Emma's house.

Outwardly, nothing seemed amiss; the door was locked and none of the lights had been left on, no sign of a drunken fiancé anywhere or one of his friends' cars to indicate he'd been given a ride home.

Unlocking the door was equally uneventful and there wasn't a hint that anyone was in. Emma breathed a sigh of relief after seeing all her prized possessions were still as she'd left them; all her books were still on the shelves, the tiny little mementos of the places she'd visited and found too adorable not to buy.

Turning to look at Regina, she shrugged. "Looks like he's out."

Regina had wandered over to the kitchen window and cackled quietly when she realised just how true Emma's words were. She beckoned Emma to join her at the window and pointed at something in the backyard. "That's quite true, dear. And it looks like he's still breathing." Which was a pity, she grumbled to herself, feeling particularly uncharitable.

Sprawled out on the back deck of their garden was Killian, on his side, a fortunate occurrence given he'd vomited beer and probably bar food if the unnatural colouring of what he'd brought up was anything to go by.

"It would be wrong of me to leave him out there, wouldn't it?" Emma was evidently not feeling particularly charitable either as she spoke her thoughts aloud, her tone suggesting she needed convincing of that fact. "A pity I don't have a stereo I can take out there; some nice loud heavy metal would wake him up and I'm sure it would be so pleasant with his hangover."

Trying not to sneer too much, Regina looked at Killian carefully. "He does look a bit... dishevelled, perhaps a light shower to clean him up? Say a bucket of water?" She honestly wasn't sure that she even wanted to get close enough to do that, given the likely stench.

"We do have a garden hose... and a power washer." Emma's voice was thoughtful as she tried to think of other things they could do. "And I did tell him to leave; he's now trespassing on my private property."

Regina looked at Emma with a new appreciation. Whatever else Killian had done to the blonde's self-esteem, it certainly hadn't done anything to her sense of mischief. The bright sunshine glinted in Emma's eyes and lit her cheeks as she brought out her phone, dialling only a few digits before holding it to her ear.

"Hello? Police, please... There's an intruder." True. "I think he's armed." Technically true; his prosthetic hand could be used as a weapon. "No, I think he's unconscious." True, for now. "Please hurry, I'm worried he might hurt me or my girlfriend." Also technically true, though Regina had raised her eyebrow at being referred to as Emma's girlfriend which certainly wasn't true. "Oh thank you so much! Sure, I'll stay on the phone till someone gets here."

Both women watched Killian through the window and it wasn't long before the sirens of a police car could be heard outside the front door. Despite the loud racket, he remained blissfully unaware of what was coming.

Regina stepped away and looked through the peep-hole in the front door. "A police cruiser just pulled up." She remarked, unbolting the door and letting in two uniformed officers. Emma thanked the dispatcher before hanging up just as they came in.

"Officers Nolan." The handsome blonde man in his thirties gestured to himself. "And Lucas." A younger brunette with her hair tightly braided gave them a little wave. "What's the problem, Miss...?"

"Swan, Emma Swan. Thank you so much for coming so quickly." She led the two officers to the same window they'd been looking through earlier. "It's my ex. I threw him out yesterday and he decided my yard would be a great place to sleep off a hangover."

Looking at him through the window, both offices grimaced at the sight of the obviously drunk man covered in his own vomit. They shared a look, a form of communication that took years to develop and could carry all sorts of information without saying a word between them.

"We're not allowed to do anything to suspects, like clean them up, in case we get sued for something, but if this guy happened to be accidentally-" The brunette, Lucas, tried her hardest not to smirk as she spoke. "Hosed down before we put him in the back of our car, we'd appreciate it. Of course, you understand that if anyone asked we'd have absolutely no idea how that could have happened before we placed him in custody, as it must have been before we arrived." Namely, someone such as a lawyer that wanted to know why his client was brought in half-drowned after not having been near a bathtub or swimming pool that day.

"Officer, I perfectly understand what you're saying and it would be my genuine pleasure for that to happen. Accidentally, of course. Can I get some help, Regina?" Emma winked at her, knowing how much the brunette was salivating over finally getting some payback on Killian.

"Since you asked so nicely, dear, yes." Regina wouldn't have missed this opportunity for the world.

The two uniformed officers chuckled as they watched Emma and Regina connect the hose to the power washer that they had dragged out from the kitchen. Killian was still snoring on the deck when the first blast caught him full in the face, the ice-cold water forcefully waking him up in a hurry.

"Blaaa-whaaa?" Killian blearily raised his arms to try and protect his face, only for Emma to direct the spray at his crotch. "AAAghhhh!" He snatched his hand away and down to cover his privates only to receive another spray to the face when it was left unguarded. In his still-drunken, hungover state, he couldn't defend himself properly and was left a quaking, shivering mess by the time the two women had finished their fun with him.

Debating if it was a cruel and unusual punishment, Emma considered repeatedly bashing the metal garbage can lid on the deck near his head before (sadly) thinking better of it. As fun as this was, she didn't want to get arrested for assault. "Hi Killian!" That didn't mean her voice would be quiet and subdued though, and it made him clutch his head in fresh agony as the effects of all the previous night's alcohol came screaming back.

"Ohh I'm sorry, am I being too loud?" Emma kept herself out of reach and made sure the two police officers would witness everything that might happen between them. Regina was leaning against the wall of the house, bracing one foot flat against it and lifting her knee, her whole posture one of amusement. "How thoughtless of me."

Killian groaned and rolled onto his back, pinching the bridge of his nose with his good hand to try and lessen the thumping headache that had formed. "Easy, love. I've had a rough night."

"Several skin-fulls more like." Emma thought to herself and crossed her arms, looking unimpressed. "I told you to leave, so what the... what the fuck are you doing here?" She asked aloud.

"I knew you'd take me back if I let you cool down." That same boyish smile somehow managed to appear on his face. "It wasn't anything more than a little tiff, right love? And it's not like anyone else would want a scarred, nerdy, frigid little thing like you." He had always known how to push her buttons, her anxieties and what she feared the most. Being alone was one of the worst and it made short work of Emma's buoyant mood, making her tremble.

Frowning, Regina moved away from the wall, her high heels clicking loudly against the wooden slats of the deck. She embraced Emma from behind and spoke clearly enough to be heard despite the angry hiss she used. "I'm sorry, did you say Emma was frigid? Perhaps you're the one with issues as I seem to have lost count after the third, or was it the fourth, orgasm she had last night." At seeing his shock, she pulled the other woman even closer and wrapped her arms securely around Emma's belly. "What? If she... no, if my Emma couldn't cum, it's because of your failings, not hers. Maybe you should have thought of that instead of blaming everything on her." Regina sneered at him, thoroughly unimpressed with his attempt to manipulate Emma's feelings. A quick motion with her head brought the police officers out.

"What!? You're arresting me? For what, love?" Killian looked at them in disbelief.

Emma barely spared him a glance, focusing on Regina's warm hold. "This is my house, Killian, not yours. It never was. I told you to leave and you came back. Maybe this time you'll listen."

The two officers dragged a protesting (and soaked, though somewhat less covered in vomit because of it) Killian through the house and out to their squad car. In an almost perfect repeat of the previous day, Emma watched the supposed love of her life disappear into the distance, this time with their roles reversed.

Barely managing to avoid flat-out collapsing on the sofa next to Regina, she let out a deep sigh as she gingerly perched next to her. It was finally, and irrecoverably, over between her and Killian. There was absolutely no way she would even consider speaking to him again if she had any choice in the matter, though she did consider that she might have to get a restraining order against him. The thought that had been insistently nudging her brain finally made it through.

"'My Emma'?" Her question held a nervous curiosity, wondering just what Regina had been implying when she'd said it.

"Sorry dear. I know treating you like an object, a prize, is the very last thing you'd want, but I just really wanted to rub his face in what he'd lost by treating you so badly. That he had lost to a woman and not another man. I hope you're not offended." All the previous times Emma had found herself blushing in embarrassment were made up for by the adorable pink tinge that was now covering Regina's cheeks. Whereas Killian treated her like a trophy, she got the impression that Regina would treat her very differently; that feeling she'd experienced of being cherished from the night before.

"I suppose that depends." Emma kept her tone neutral and tried not to give anything away as she pretended to examine her fingernails for flaws, not really looking in Regina's direction. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep up her pretence for long, but she really wanted to at least try.

Knowing Emma was up to something, Regina couldn't help but be suspicious. "On what?"

"If I can hire you, naturally."

Regina's eyebrows shot towards her hairline in surprise and looked completely flabbergasted. "For... for how long? And what for?" Surely Emma couldn't want to pay her for more of her services.

"Forever." Emma's grin was impish as she finally looked at her, seeing total confusion on Regina's face.

"What!?"

"Regina Mills, most magical of unicorns, would you do me-" Regina's sudden smirk at her accidental innuendo interrupted her flow and earned the brunette a playful slap on the arm "Shush. Would you do me the honour of going on a date?"

Regina sadly shook her head and searched in her handbag for something, breaking eye contact. "Again I'm sorry, Emma; I don't date my clients or have romantic feelings for them."

"Oh..." Emma's hopeful expression fell hard and she fought back tears at having misjudged their tentative relationship so badly. She was confused when the white thing thrust in her direction from Regina's purse turned out to be an envelope and not a handkerchief. Sniffling a little, she opened it to find a substantial amount of cash; the deposit Killian had paid Regina for her services. Looking up at Regina gave her barely enough time to react as the brunette eagerly pulled her into a deep kiss.

Speaking in between kisses, Regina explained. "You're not a client, Emma, not any more. You never really were. Last night you said you felt like you could tell me anything, in return I will tell you something; you intrigue me more than anyone I've ever met in a long time and it makes me want to know more about you. What drives you? What are you passionate about?

I want to read some of your books and hear why they're important to you. Have you explain why there's shot glasses from Vegas next to a miniature painting of the Mona Lisa made from Legos and a snow-globe of the pyramids in Egypt. What music do you listen to when you're happy, when you're sad or when you just want to let everything go and scream at the world? I want to know your favourite movies, the ones that you hate but secretly love and would never tell anyone. To hear the story behind every single scar or mark on your skin, if you'll tell me. I want to get to know you Emma whatever-your-middle-name-is Swan, if you'll let me.

So yes, I would love to go out on a date with you, and many more dates after that. What do you say?"

Tears had gathered in Emma's eyes by the time Regina had finished speaking, but she could tell they were for joy, not for sadness; happy tears as Emma held her close.

"Is that a yes?" Regina gently leaned Emma's head against her neck, smiling when she felt a nod.

"Yes!"

~~~~~~~~ SQ ~~~~~~~~

The first date led to more dates, a lot of ups and downs (pun intended), and although Regina wisely chose to give up her career as a unicorn, it was Emma's suggestion that she put her people skills to use as a therapist and help counsel couples that were struggling. To anyone that asked why there was a plushie of a rainbow unicorn sitting on the shelf in her office, she remained tight-lipped and merely said that it was a gift from her girlfriend on starting her new job.

If prodded further, she simply replied with a knowing smile and said "because unicorns are magical and everyone needs someone magical in their lives".