A/N: I'll finish this soon, I promise.
XX
The rest of the evening had passed by rather quickly, and before the exhausted pair knew it they were headed for bed as the little digital clock on the nightstand dimly proclaimed it to be one o'clock in the morning. Emma, as always, donned a loose t-shirt and short shorts, but Regina had trouble determining what to wear. After what seemed like ages of Regina standing in front of the dresser in their room, Emma finally sighed inquisitively.
"Problem, Miss Swan?"
Regina's voice was hot cocoa, and it warmed every ounce of Emma's soul.
"Ironically, I was about to ask you that very question, Miss Mills."
Regina turned around and grinned sheepishly at Emma, fidgeting ever so slightly with the tie on her robe.
"My dear, I appear to have forgotten to pack something to sleep in."
Emma's eyes glinted dangerously in the dark, reflecting the soft light of the moon filtering in through the half-closed curtains. The sexual tension between the two of them had become almost unbearable, and she wanted nothing more than to suggest that the brunette simply sleep naked. Emma would go so far as to strip down as well, just to ensure she wouldn't be the only one sacrificing. However, she had less than 24 hours left of being a minor, and they had come so far that she refused to be the one to screw it all up now. A jolt of panic left her momentarily breathless; what would happen, much later that day, as the clock struck midnight? When she finally, miraculously, became an adult, would it only be in terms of age, or so much more? Emma could feel the heat surge throughout her body as her heart fought to remove itself from her chest. Emma clenched her fists and shook her head, willing the excitement away. She needed to stay focused on the moment, and that's exactly what she would do. She extracted herself from the bed, taking her place right beside Regina and rifling through the drawers. Emma handed the brunette one of her 'acceptable to sleep in' outfits and moved back, looking away respectfully as the brunette removed her robe and began to quickly get dressed. Thankfully, Regina had no trouble fitting into Emma's shorts and t-shirt as the two were nearly identical in size, and Emma assessed her appreciatively, noticing how perfectly everything fit her.
Except her ass, Emma's internal monologue shouted at her, and she couldn't help but to glance down. Nearly an inch of skin flashed towards Emma from Regina's hip as the woman pulled her arms up in a stretch, and Emma's hand moved of its own volition, fingertips trailing lightly across the soft skin. Regina's breath hitched in her throat and she froze mid-stretch, her lungs working overtime as she fought to pull each breath of air. Her voice was ragged, shaky, but everything else was still, and Emma did not struggle to hear the one word she managed to expel.
"Please.."
The word slapped Emma across the face, the desperation in Regina's voice electrocuting Emma's body and before she knew what was happening, the blonde had moved back so forcefully that she tripped over herself, landing in a heap on the floor with a soft grunt. Regina, for her part, had seen what was about to happen and attempted to reach out and catch the blonde to no avail. The brunette waited for a moment with bated breath, afraid the younger woman was hurt, but Emma merely started laughing, and Regina could not help but join in. After a few moments, the teacher helped her assistant up and they crawled into bed, content to simply exist within one another's eyes until finally, slowly, they drifted off into peaceful sleep.
XX
Sunlight peeked in through the window, golden drops of bliss blending into the exotic olive of Regina's skin, molten pools of perfection wherever they met. Emma lazily trailed her fingertips over Regina's face, over her shoulder, down her back, observant of every sound the brunette made, every scrunch of her face, every flutter of her eyelashes. Emma yearned for nothing more than to commit every single inconsequential detail to memory. Life was short, and Emma knew for a fact that happiness rarely lasted forever, but that was okay. She could die tomorrow the happiest she had ever been, high on the memory of the angel that was Regina, of the radiance of her smile and the melody of her voice.
Angel does not even begin to cut it, Emma mused ruefully, and her heart and mind simultaneously settled on a more appropriate title: the regal being that lay beside Emma was none other than a goddess of the highest order, and Emma vowed that she would worship her until the stars themselves collided and civilization and time ceased to exist. A content sigh fluttered from Regina's lips, the lyrical lullaby colliding with Emma in a multitude of waves, and it was at that moment that Emma Swan realized that she did not simply love the brunette; Emma Swan was in love with her. At the ripe old age of 17, the lonesome Swan had discovered the person she wished to be with forever. The ferocity of her feelings threatened to overwhelm her, happiness and agony and passion and despair slamming into her with the force of the most violent waterfall, boisterous and terrifying and glorious. Emma smiled down at the brunette, allowing her eyes to close and her soul to rest completely for what seemed to be the first time in her life.
Emma Swan knew that no matter what lay ahead, everything would be okay.
XX
Regina grimaced at the alarm clock, quickly reaching over to smack the button before it woke Emma. The blonde merely shifted her body with Regina's movement before letting out a grunt and resuming her soft snoring. The dim lights displayed 7:30 am, and Regina knew they should be getting up before long. However, Emma looked so soft and serene that Regina did not have the heart to even attempt to wake her. Regina bent down, gently touching her lips to the blonde's temple, and her heart swelled enormously at the smile that danced across her face. Even in sleep, Regina knew she had never encountered a more beautiful being, and she was overcome with a flood of emotion which made her gasp from the almost electrifying shock of it all. Regina grieved in silence, for all the time they had missed on together, all the years that they both spent so unbearably alone. If Emma's experience paralleled Regina's at all, the brunette knew that Emma would have spent most days wondering at the point of existing at all, and it was this thought that caused tears to cascade down Regina's face. Regina grieved for the life Emma had, the life she should have had. Emma must have subconsciously realized it, but with her eyes closed in sleep, she moved her hand around frantically, finally interlocking fingers with Regina's. The only sound she made a soft "shh", a gentle, soothing sound which Regina took to mean that she had heard the brunette crying. It was in that moment that Regina knew she did not simply love Emma Swan.
Regina Mills was in love with Emma Swan, and from that point on no matter what happened, everything would be okay.
XX
A light knock on the door snapped Regina out of her silent, lovesick reverie and she pinched the bridge of her nose, disentangling herself gently from Emma's limbs. Regina shut the door to their temporary bedroom with a soft click, mindful not to wake the sleeping blonde, and waltzed towards the door to the hall, absentmindedly slipping a robe on along the way. She tied it just as she reached the door, praying that the slightly more urgent knock on the door was from room service. Nothing could have prepared her, however, for the sleek grin and snaky voice that spoke in a cheerful greeting that was as cold as it was practiced. Regina could only grimace, clearly irritated with the man in the hall.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
A/N: Happy Holidays fam!