Hey! So this chapter is very... Talky. But I hope it's okay, I wanted to develop the relationship between the two women more. There is more action in the next chapter, I promise. If you liked it, please review. x
As she heard the sound of the shower cutting off, Regina began plating up the meal of mushroom ravioli, pouring a cheese sauce over the homemade pasta. She set the dining table with extraordinary attention to detail, finishing it up by pouring both herself and Emma a glass of apple cider. Regina then stepped back and observed her work, her forehead creasing with worry as she wondered if her handiwork was perfect. It's not as if she wanted to impress the saviour as such, it's just they had never shared a meal alone before and the brunette was nervous, pleasant conversation wasn't really her thing and their supposed companionship seemed fragile in Regina's eyes; the evil queen wasn't good at friendship. She smoothed down her already perfect hair as she heard tentative footsteps on the stairs and busied herself with placing napkins on the table.
"Erm..." Emma cleared her throat awkwardly from the doorway.
Regina's eyes lifted to meet Emma's, gaping momentarily as she took in the sight of the saviour standing in her dining room... In just a towel. Quickly regaining her composure, the brunette made sure to keep her eyes glued to Emma's face, rolling her eyes at the absurd woman.
"I have no clothes... What I was wearing is too dirty." Muttered Emma in explanation before Regina could say whatever sarky comment was clearly on her lips.
"And this didn't occur to you before you went into the shower?" The brunette questioned Emma, darkened eyes quickly snapping up to the ceiling as she saw the towel begin to slip.
"Oops." Emma grinned, tucking the towel in tightly and she shrugged lightly. "I'm starting to think you were right when you said I was an idiot."
When the mayor just nodded in affirmation but said nothing more, Emma stepped closer to her with a mischievous smile on her pale lips.
"I'm sorry, am I making you uncomfortable?"
"Certainly not." Snapped the brunette irritably, glaring at the saviour before waving her hand dismissively at Emma, magic producing a red blouse and black pair of jeans Emma vaguely recalled as belonging to herself.
"Cool thanks, this looks amazing." Emma sat down at the table in front of the larger bowl of pasta, immediately digging in.
Regina sat opposite her friend, tilting her head to the side with a small smirk as she watched Emma wolf down her food appreciatively, pausing between mouthfuls to compliment the brunette's cooking excessively.
"So," the brunette started as she finished chewing her last piece of pasta and dabbed the corners of her mouth delicately with her napkin. "I haven't seen you and guyliner together since we've returned."
Emma grimaced at the mention of Hook, standing up and taking her own plate and reaching for Regina's before she answered. "We went out once... And then I didn't call him."
"Why is that?" Regina's curiosity was piqued, but she tried to keep her tone disinterested.
"Since him and Neal have both been interested in me... He's been acting like I'm some prize he needs to win, just so that he can prove he's the better man or whatever, not because he actually likes me."
"Ah, like you're his... Treasure." Regina couldn't help but quip lamely, trying to distract the blonde from the disappointment that was emanating from her sad green eyes.
"Exactly." Emma laughed softly, as she took a sip of her second glass of cider, eyes unmoving from the brunette who was gazing back at her. "And what about you? Got any secret lovers?" The blonde wiggled her eyebrows provocatively.
"Please, I'm the evil queen." Regina drawled and rolled her eyes bitterly; following suit and downing the quarter of cider she had left in her glass.
"Yeah but you're drop dead gorgeous, and not even evil." Emma blurted out without thinking; relief at hearing Regina was single almost making her giddy.
"Thank you." Regina stood up pink-faced, turning to walk back into the kitchen and busying herself with rummaging around in the fridge. "More cider?"
"Please." Emma stood up with her glass, walking to meet Regina in the kitchen while mentally scolding herself for her outburst. She had just got Regina to tolerate her and now she was pushing her luck. A part of her wondered if Regina was at all attracted to her, she had called her pretty after all... And she had asked about Hook. Emma still remembered how jealous Regina had sounded in Neverland: 'And you think it was the best plan because your boyfriend came up with it?' and how it had made her heart soar with possibility. But no, she needed to accept that Regina was not interested in her romantically; she was only helping because of Henry. Still, Emma couldn't help but smile at the recent memory of how her pupils dilated when the brunette caught sight of her in a towel.
Regina filled Emma's glass with cider, smiling uncertainly at the blonde as the words 'drop dead gorgeous' echoed around in her head.
"So it's getting late. I should sleep and tomorrow we'll work on getting you back to normal."
Emma raised a brow, checking her watch and noting with surprise it was after 12am. "Regina I know I've already said it, but I am really grateful for this." The blonde stepped closer, taking the mayor's arm and squeezing it to express her gratitude.
"You're quite welcome dear." Regina's eyes widened at Emma's hand on her arm and she quickly dislodged it and waved it in front of the blonde, causing Emma to be clothed in a pair of silk pyjamas Emma didn't recognise. "The guest room is ready, go up when you're done." Regina exited the kitchen with a curt nod and one more glance at the blonde.
Did she just call me dear? Emma was shocked; it was a term of endearment she believed was exclusively used for their son. Quickly finishing her glass of cider, Emma climbed the stairs, not bothering to suppress her yawn as she stepped into the guest room which was pristine and neat, a toothbrush waiting for Emma on the bed. Emma stepped into the bathroom to brush her teeth quickly before climbing into her bed, thinking one last time about the woman across the hall from her before she drifted off to sleep.
Regina had been sleeping soundly for the last 3 hours, wearing a deep blue satin night gown and her hair pulled up into a messy bun due to her distaste for the feeling of hair brushing her shoulders as she slept.
"Regina."
Half asleep, Regina tried to ignore her name being called but gentle hands on her shoulders shook her awake.
"Regina!"
"Ms Swan...?" Regina rubbed her eyes groggily, staring into Emma's green orbs confusedly. As she took in Emma's glazed expression she sighed and sat up, she had feared this might happen but brushed it off, presuming Emma had to at least be awake to feel the effects of this curse.
"Oh God, go ahead." Regina stared impassively at the blonde who sunk beside her onto the bed, slightly too close for Regina's comfort.
"How comes you let me stay here and didn't make me sleep in the bug?"
"After the way you stood up to your father on my behalf... Well it was nice. Plus, you said we were friends." Regina nodded her head, too tired to hold back on her answers.
"Do you want to be friends?"
"Yes."
Emma's face broke into a grin, swallowing back her next question for as long as possible.
"Do you use toys, in the bedroom?"`
"No."
"Would you be opposed to using toys in the bedroom?"
"No."
"In your opinion what's the sexiest part of Mary Margaret's body?"
Regina grimaced at the blonde, shaking her head bemusedly before reluctantly answering "her chin." Her eyes then darted away, hoping Emma didn't grasp the implication behind her answer.
"Have you ever kissed a girl and liked it."
"Yes."
"What's your favourite animal?"
"Cats."
"Snog marry avoid: Ruby, Belle and Tink."
"I'm sorry?" Regina stared at the blonde, a confused expression on her face.
"You have to choose the one you would marry, the one you'd snog and one you would avoid." Emma's voice had a desperate hitch to it after she didn't get an immediate answer.
"Umm... Snog..." Regina screwed up her face showing her distaste for the word. "...Ruby, marry Tink and avoid Belle?"
"Have you ever fucked a sailor?"
"No, Emma." Regina looked amused.
"What's your favourite colour?"
"Purple."
"Why do you always dress real smart, even when you're not working?"
Regina frowned down at her hands, considering the question carefully. "I guess... I am judged so much, because of the evil inside of me, I don't want to give people the opportunity to judge me on my outward appearance also." The brunette spoke slowly; it was something she had never really considered. She continued when Emma didn't interrupt with another question. "I wasn't always like this, when I was younger my mother would have done anything to get me to dress like a lady, a princess... But I was carefree and such things didn't matter to me. As you know, things changed after I met your mother." A small smile graced her plump lips and she closed her eyes and thought back to the girl she used to be; riding horses on the fields with her secret lover.
"Oh Regina..." The mayor's eyes snapped open to see Emma staring at her, wide eyes filled with a strange mixture of affection and sympathy that Regina was not used to seeing directed at her. The blonde shifted closer, taking the brunette's hand and squeezing it.
"I don't think you're evil inside." The blonde murmured the words, face inches away from Regina's. "And you're more beautiful like this than I've ever seen you." Emma said the words sincerely, having had the opportunity now the questions had stopped to take in Regina's appearance. She had never seen the brunette with no makeup and her hair tied up in messy bun. She looked young and sweet; Emma had to suppress the overwhelming urge to reach out and stroke her cheek.
The brunette flushed at Emma's words, averting dark orbs from the green ones that were staring intensely into hers.
"Don't worry about me, Ms Sw... Emma." She corrected herself quickly. "Let's worry about you, I feel like you're getting worse, we really need to fix this."
"I'm getting... Worse?" Emma asked the question softly, crossing her legs on the bed, her hand still entwined with Regina's.
"Yes, waking up in the middle of the night to ask questions definitely qualifies as worse." Nodded the brunette, biting back a smile at the way Emma's blonde curls were all over the place, she looked adorable.
"Yeah I'm really sorry about that." Emma winced slightly, cocking her head to the side as she attempted to analyse Regina's peculiar expression.
"I think we need to talk this through." Regina stifled a yawn, trying not to show how much she needed sleep. Sitting on the bed, so close to the saviour, Regina felt closer to another human being than she had in a long while, both physically and mentally and as she glanced down at their joined hands she realised she didn't want this moment to end. "When you started asking the questions that day what was going on?"
"Nothing of interest." Emma answered honestly, threading her spare hand through her tangled locks. "In fact Mary Margaret and David were talking about baby names, my mind was completely elsewhere."
"I just can't fathom why someone would do this to you..." Regina mused quietly, watching the saviour run her hand through her tousled hair and resisting the urge to touch the blonde locks. "Unless..." Regina pulled her hand away from Emma's a flicker of excitement in her eyes at having come to an epiphany.
"You have magic yes, you still haven't learnt to control?"
"Yeah but..."
Regina interrupted the blonde, a triumphant smile on her face. "And what exactly were you thinking about right before you asked the first question? Were you emotional, or feeling strongly about something?"
"Well yeah I was... Just about... Stuff I'd like to know about... Stuff?"
"Don't you see Emma, you did this to yourself." Regina chuckled lightly, only having half listened to Emma's jumbled explanation. "I knew I was correct when I blamed this on your incompetence." The words weren't spoken maliciously, but instead in a gently teasing way as she nudged the blonde playfully.
"You see magic feeds off of emotion, so whatever urge you were feeling at that moment was so strong you unknowingly channelled your magic into it." The brunette paused as her gaze drifted to the saviour's widened eyes curiously. "What exactly were you thinking about, Emma?"
"Regina." The solemn expression on Emma's face sobered the brunette, who frowned questioningly.
"I was thinking about you. About how much I wanted to get to know you better but knew you'd never open up to me willingly."
Emma whispered the words so quietly they were barely more than a breath, nevertheless Regina heard each word and each left her feeling a faint pang in her chest. She knew the kind of magic that had caused this and knew that if Emma had used it unintentionally the strength of her desire in that moment must have been extreme. Why did she want to get to know me that badly? The mayor was shocked, and she later blamed this shock on why she didn't object when Emma unfurled her legs and lay on the bed beside the brunette, closing her eyes as her face burrowed into the soft pillow beside Regina's.
"I see."